According to the Healthy Eating Index (HEI), a tool created by the US Department of Agriculture to evaluate American eating patterns, 70% of households surveyed "need improvement" in their diets. Only 12 percent of households were considered to have "good diets." It's safe to say that the typical American diet falls significantly short of providing complete nutrition. Fortunately, dietary supplements can be very effective in closing the gap.

The large (and constantly expanding) array of nutritional supplements available, however, can leave consumers confused. How does one choose the right supplements for optimum nutrition levels? One good way to build a supplement regimen is by starting with a high-quality multivitamin, multimineral supplement that provides at least part of the Daily Value (DV) of the most basic nutrients.

More specific nutritional supplements can then be added according to individual need. For example, getting the full Daily Value of calcium in a single multi tablet is impossible; it would be too large to swallow. Most multis contain less than 20% of necessary calcium, so the rest must be obtained through diet, supplementation, or a combination of the two. In addition to vitamins and minerals, other frequently helpful supplements are glucosamine and chondroitin (to help maintain and rebuild cartilage in the joints) as well as antioxidants, with the omega-3 fatty acids probably the best known.

What else can consumers base their choices on? In many cases there are both natural and synthetic options available. There is evidence that suggests some naturally-based vitamin supplements offer advantages over their synthetic counterparts.

Nutrition Crossroads' reputation is based on high quality: it is important to realize that government regulation of nutritional supplements is not nearly as stringent as that of prescription drugs, so quality can (and does) vary greatly with other manufacturers. Nutrition Crossroads specializes in supplements and provides educational information to its customers as an invaluable source of guidance, saving our customers time and money in the long run.