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 By: Clayton South
Open up any magazine today and you'll find ad after ad for the latest supplements, and you'll also find wild claims of almost every kind. It's sad, but true: it is commonplace for the majority of supplements today claim to be the "cure-all" for whatever ails you. Unfortunately, almost all of the claims being thrown around today lack substance. Worse yet, wild claims do nothing to demystify the purchase process or to educate the consumer. In fact, the wild hype simply makes the already confusing task of picking a quality product more difficult. In this article I'm going to show you what you need to do to cut through the propaganda-filled minefield. Fortunately, the procedure is simple: it's about getting back to basics. Follow these basic steps to the letter and you're almost sure to get full value for your money.
  Click Image To Enlarge.It's All About Getting Back To Basics.
If you want to pick quality supplements, you need to know the rules of the game, and you need to have a plan of attack. Like anything, picking a quality supplement is about knowing what basic things you need to look for to tilt the odds in your favor. You must have a game plan before you walk into the store, because you'll fail if you're unprepared.
 Click Image To Enlarge.If You Want To Pick Quality Supplements, You Need To Know The Rules Of The Game.
While it's true that inferior products sometimes come in high-quality packaging and that superior quality products sometimes come in low-quality packaging, it's usually true that packaging quality reflects the quality of the product inside. That is, if the packaging is poor, the product is likely to be inferior, and if the packaging is high-quality, chances increase that the product is a winner.
Once you've visually eliminated the inferior products from the superior products based on product package quality, it's time to turn the product around and look at the BOL - Back Of Label.
1. Serving Size & Supply:
Many low class products only give you a 15 day supply of product, because serving sizes are very large. Other products can give you even less supply - sometimes as low as 7 or 5 days! It's my view that unless you are getting at least a 28 day supply, the product simply isn't worth buying - no matter how much it's hyped.
 Click Image To Enlarge.Find Out How Big The Serving Size Is And How Long The Product Will Last You.
Just remember that supplement makers can give you a full one month supply if they really want to, and that the shady companies that give 15 days or less just want to make a killing at your expense so that they can meet their profit margins. That being said, I don't think that companies should give away products for free, or even give away too much product for too little. After all, the supplement industry is profit driven and needs to make money to be able to survive and continue to make products, but it's just a simple fact 99% of all companies that don't give you at least a 28 day supply are usually out to take advantage of you.
2. Branded Ingredient Names:
However, you must exercise caution here as scam artists looking to make a quick buck can easily make up branded ingredient names in the attempt to puff up an otherwise worthless product in order to deceive you. In most cases, however, the presence of branded ingredient names demonstrates that a company has put in considerable time and effort into making a quality product that may have some research backing.
 Click Image To Enlarge.It's Important To Look For Branded Ingredient Names On The Back Panel.
3. Ingredient Concentrations:
To be effective and to meet claim, important ingredients should appear as close to the beginning of the ingredient listing as possible. This ensures that you're getting enough of the active ingredients to expect that the product will deliver.
4. Proof Of Claims:
In today's market, there's really no reason why a product shouldn't be backed by science - unless it's just hit the market and academic testing is ongoing. High-quality products will almost always have scientific references listed if label space allows.
Creatine monohydrate is an example of a product that has been extensively studied, and that the experts unanimously agree is highly effective, so putting supporting references on creatine packaging isn't really needed. But creatine is a rare exception - one of only several examples where no references are needed. While scientific references can be a sign of quality, this rule-of-thumb is an indicator that points to a trend and is to be used along with the other indicators listed to help you reach a final conclusion.
 Click Image To Enlarge.There's Really No Reason Why A Product Shouldn't Be Backed By Science.
In either case, be sure to do your research prior to purchase to see if a product or product ingredient is backed by science. This way you'll be well armed and on guard for any tricks.
Many low-class companies who make inferior products just want to make cheap products without being accountable. These companies don't care about and don't want to deal with any potential customer service issues, so they simply omit contact information.
Cutting through the hype and picking a quality supplement isn't always easy, but it can be made considerably easier by sticking to the basic rules outlined here. By sticking to these rules and following these steps, you'll tilt the chances of getting a quality supplement in your favor, and you'll get better results.
Disclaimer: The information provided in this publication is for educational and informational purposes only and does not serve as a replacement to care provided by your own personal health care team or physician. The author does not render or provide medical advice, and no individual should make any medical decisions or change their health behavior based on information provided here. Readers are encouraged to confirm the information contained herein with other sources. Readers and consumers should review the information in this publication carefully with their professional health care provider. The information in this or other publications authored by the writer is not intended to replace medical advice offered by physicians. Reliance on any information provided by the author is solely at your own risk. The author does not recommend or endorse any specific tests, products, medication, procedures, opinions, or other information that may be presented in the publication. The author does not control information, advertisements, content, and articles provided by discussed third-party information suppliers. Further, the author does not warrant or guarantee that the information contained in written publications, from him or any source is accurate or error-free. The author accepts no responsibility for materials contained in the publication that you may find offensive. You are solely responsible for viewing and/or using the material contained in the authored publications in compliance with the laws of your country of residence, and your personal conscience. The author will not be liable for any direct, indirect, consequential, special, exemplary, or other damages arising from the use of information contained in this or other publications. Copyright © Clayton South, 2008 All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means (electronic mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the copyright holder and author of this publication. Recommend this article to a friend by e-mail here! Visitor Reviews Of This Article!
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