Everyone knows someone who takes vitamins. Whether it is doctor prescribed or over the counter, everyone thinks they are lacking in vitamins that help our bodies.
One thing I just recently discovered is that vitamins are not regulated by the Food and Drug Association. More surprisingly, vitamins are not regulated by anyone. That means companies that manufacture vitamins could be putting things into those pills that may not be what they say or even worse, not good for you. Most of the time, vitamins are at doses that greatly exceed the recommended intakes per day. For example, one Vitamin E pill could say it gives you 600 IU of Vitamin E. Fantastic, right? Nope. 600 IU would be the equivalent of eating thousands of peanuts in one day. Trust me, your body does not want that much Vitamin E in your body all at once.
The fact that no one is regulating these vitamins makes this very scary. There have been some incidences of vitamins even harming your body, because there was an issue with the chemical components in the vitamins. If no one is regulating these vitamins, how do we know what is safe?
That lead me to be scared about this new, “pretty” vitamin called Ritual Vitamins. I discovered them while scrolling through BuzzFeed. The article brought up the writer’s suspicions of the vitamin, but also how she ended up finding them amazing and essential.
Photo courtesy of The Luxe Minimalist
The draw to these vitamins is obvious. They are made specifically for women, non-GMO, vegan, gluten-free, and soy-free. On top of that, they looks very Instagram-worthy, so many people would choose it just for that.
When I did a little research, the company boasts that the vitamins hold 20 ingredients, but you are only provided with the information for 9 of them. On top of that, the website goes through an addresses the “naysayers,” and proudly announces that they have the best suppliers. They also show that they have many qualified people on their staff with photos attached to make you feel closer to the company.
But what are they actually telling you? They put down the amount of those 9 ingredients you are receiving in each pill, but what are the other 11? What will happen if you get more of some vitamins than the average intake suggested by health care professionals? Who is making the vitamins, and is there anyone actually regulating this, so that nothing is accidentally being mixed in?
In my opinion, Ritual Vitamins are just trying to get your money (a whopping $30 a month). You can feel fantastic in more ways than taking a vitamin a day. A more healthier solution is eating more foods that provides those nutrients.
Overall, it is your choice whether or not you consume vitamins. They are something that you put into your body, and you have every right to choose what goes into you. My only suggestion is to fact check. The internet is an incredible resource to check what you should be getting daily for vitamins and what they are putting into those pills? Be cautious with vitamins because no one is actually taking the time to check that they are safe. Overall, just take care of yourself.
Photo courtesy of Shape Magazine