Hello friends! I’m back from FNCE and will be sharing about that soon. But this morning, I wanted to jump on and share with you about a trip I went on last week to NOW Foods.
But, first, if you or a loved one were affected by Hurricane Helene you have been in our thoughts and prayers. If you currently know someone or are affected by Hurricane Milton, you continue to be in our thoughts and prayers. I can’t imagine what y’all have been through, I pray for your safety and continue to donate to relief organizations.
The trip was sponsored travel, but they (NOW Foods) are not sponsoring this post. I simply want to share what I learned! In the history of my career, I have only once promoted a supplement brand. My general rule is no supplement partnerships or promotions beyond the organic inclusion of things I personally use and recommend.
NOW has been on my radar for a long time. I knew several friends who had been on their press trip before and had said it was by far one of the most impressive tours/press trips they had ever been on. So, when I got the invite I knew I would say yes! They often sponsor RD-related events, but my perception of them was neutral because they are a on shelf brand. Meaning they aren’t exclusively sold by healthcare professionals, so I wasn’t sure what the quality was. But then I learned that NOW Foods owns Protocol for Life Balance, which is a line they produce that you can only get through healthcare professionals. During the tour, I learned that this line has a higher potency than the products you would get on the shelf, with the intent for practitioners to be able to use the products for therapeutic interventions. But I wondered, if they could produce Protocol for Life Balance, which had a stellar reputation for quality, what would be the difference between quality control and product quality between that line and the on-shelf line?
Turns out nothing. While there is some difference in the Protocol for Life Balance products, usually potency, there is no difference in the quality checks between that line and the NOW Foods line. In my opinion both are among the safest brands of supplements (but remember, not every supplement is right for you and supplements like medicines, herbs, and some foods all come with some risk, even from the safest manufacturer). And now, having gone to two of their facilities and met their team leaders, I’m blown away by NOW Foods. I finally feel comfortable recommending a brand that sits on store shelves nationwide (vs. ordering through Fullscript or manufacturers’ websites.)
We went to their research labs and were taken through what felt like a dozen testing areas. They don’t take their supplier’s word for it; they test to ensure the supplier is giving them what they say they are giving them before it even gets packaged. Final goods are also tested for quality, potency, and contaminants. They had lab tests for mycotoxins, mold, and other contaminants. They had labs testing for glyphosate and pesticides (to ensure organic products are actually organic.) Labs testing for heavy metals. In-house labs for what seemed like anything and everything that could go wrong, they had it in-house. Not only that but their in-house labs were certified and inspected to be as good, if not better, than any third-party agency. It was truly out of this world impressive.
For athletes, they use informed sport, similar to NSF Sport, but informed sport keeps track of batches on their website and looks for 200 + banned substances. Their rigorous quality control has allowed them to support several Olympic athletes.
They are also committed to transparency. One of my pet peeves is how proprietary blends in products often don’t give you the amount of each ingredient; NOW always lists the amount for each ingredient. In addition, they also try to use the exact ingredients from the same supplier found in major research studies. This is called a “branded” ingredient. Many companies will take research studies and assume it applies to their similar product, but NOW tries to use the same brand as the research studies in their products whenever possible. I think their commitment to transparency was also evident when they started letting a group of influencers take pictures and videos in their facility every year.
So, you may have a question. How can NOW Foods provide such high-quality products at a reasonable cost? They answer is that they are a family-owned company operating on a low margin to ensure they meet their mission of providing high-quality natural products to everybody.
I also learned about their beauty line and have been trying some of the products they provided samples of! I will report back!
And we actually started the trip with a fun “iron chef” challenge using NOW foods ingredients. I learned that the company actually started as a health food store with a lot of private-label foods and is now going back to its roots, launching more food items (don’t worry supplements aren’t going anywhere!)
Our group did a pineapple avocado salsa sweetened with NOW foods monk fruit and we made chips by fake deep frying! We got third place and I won the softest blanket ever.
If you are a Good Morning America watcher you may know Daw Jackson Blatner, a celebrity RD that often does segments for GMA! In the morning we got to sample some of their protein powder and yogurt/smoothie bowl mix-ins!
Of the food items they sent home with us, KJ loves the pineapple candy rings!
After what I saw, I now finally feel comfortable recommending a brand of supplements that is easily accessible on store shelves and online and affordable. I’m excited to follow their product innovations going forward! Remember, I’m a dietitian, but I’m probably not (unless you are a client reading this) your dietitian (stole that staying from DJ ha ha). Below are some recommendations that are great products to start with BUT, that doesn’t mean they are right for you. Always contact a healthcare professional to review any new supplements before making changes.
For those of you looking to get started, here are some general recommendations (Amazon Affiliate Links below):
*Again, please remember that anything you take should be reviewed with a healthcare professional. Also, I do not work for NOW foods, nor am I affiliated with them in anyway (other than being an enthusiastic user and supporter of their products), and when you consume supplements of any brand you do so at your own risk.
Top 5 Core Products
- Multivitamin, Adam (Men’s Vit), Eve (Women’s Vit) or Prenatal
- Fish Oil
- Probiotics
- Vitamin D (need determined by testing, but 40% of people are low)
- Magnesium (y’all know I love magnesium, but the form you need dependent on many factors, sometimes combination is needed)
- Magtein – Memory Support for Peri menopause and menopause
- Magnesium Bysglinate – absorption
- Magnesium Inositol – relaxation
- Magnesium Oxide and Magnesium Citrate – regularity
- Liquid Magnesium – minerals
Top 5 Women’s Health Products
- Eve (Women’s Vit) or Prenatal
- Fish Oil
- Collagen
- Women’s Probiotic
- Magnesium L Threonate (perimenopause and menopause)
Top 5 Sports Products
Let me know if you have any questions!
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