How to Read the Supplement Facts Box
What is REALLY in Your Supplements?
A comprehensive guide to identifying natural vs. synthetic vitamins and minerals.
Ever wondered what's truly in your supplements? To help you avoid unwanted chemicals and synthetic vitamins, this detailed chart is an essential resource. We encourage you to save or print it for future reference!
Vitamin A Complex
| Item | Source Given As: | Type of Vitamin |
|---|---|---|
| Vitamin A | Wheat Grass Juice, Barley Juice, Alfalfa Juice powder, Carrot Juice Powder, Dunaliella salina, Wheat germ, Kelp, Bee Pollen, Yellow dock root, blue green algae, Rose Hips | Natural |
| Vitamin A | Fish Oils | Natural |
| Vitamin A | Acetate | Synthetic |
| Vitamin A | Palmitate | Synthetic |
Vitamin B Complex
| Item | Source Given As: | Type of Vitamin |
|---|---|---|
| Vitamin B1 | Rice Bran, Alfalfa Juice powder, Wheat Grass Juice Brewer’s Yeast, Torula yeast, Chlorella, Wheat germ, Kelp, Bee Pollen, Flax seed, blue green algae, Rose Hips | Natural |
| Vitamin B1 | Thiamine Mononitrate | Synthetic (from Coal tar) |
| Vitamin B1 | Thiamine Hydrochloride | Synthetic (from Coal Tar) |
| Vitamin B2 | Rice Bran, Alfalfa Juice powder, Wheat Grass Juice Brewer’s Yeast, Torula yeast, Chlorella, Wheat germ, Kelp, Bee Pollen, Flax seed, blue green algae, Rose Hips | Natural |
| Vitamin B2 | Riboflavin | Synthetic |
| Vitamin B6 | Rice Bran, Alfalfa Juice powder, Wheat Grass Juice Brewer’s Yeast, Torula yeast, Chlorella, Wheat germ, Kelp, Bee Pollen, Flax seed, blue green algae, Rose Hips | Natural |
| Vitamin B6 | Pyridoxine Hydrochloride | Synthetic (usually from coal tar) |
| Vitamin B12 | Rice Bran, Alfalfa Juice powder, Wheat Grass Juice Brewer’s Yeast, Torula yeast, Chlorella, Wheat germ, Kelp, Bee Pollen, Flax seed, blue green algae, Rose Hips | Natural |
| Vitamin B12 | Streptomycin Fermentation | Crystalline (Not yet synthesized) |
| Vitamin B12 | Cyanocobalamin USP | Synthetic (usually from coal tar) |
| Folate | Rice Bran, Alfalfa Juice powder, Wheat Grass Juice Brewer’s Yeast, Torula yeast, Chlorella, Wheat germ, Kelp, Bee Pollen, Flax seed, blue green algae, Rose Hips | Natural |
| Folic Acid | Pteroylglutamic Acid | Synthetic |
| Pantothenic Acid | Rice Bran, Alfalfa Juice powder, Wheat Grass Juice Brewer’s Yeast, Torula yeast, Chlorella, Wheat germ, Kelp, Bee Pollen, Flax seed, blue green algae, Rose Hips | Natural |
| Pantothenic Acid | Calcium Pantothenate | Synthetic |
| Choline | Soy bean, cereal, grasses, wheat grass, barley, etc. | Natural |
| Choline | Choline Bitartrate (or if not listed as a natural source, it is synthetic) | Synthetic |
| Inositol | Soy bean, cereal, grasses, wheat grass, barley, etc. | Natural |
| Inositol | All that is commercially used is... | Crystalline (not yet synthesized) |
| Biotin | Liver, Rice Bran, Alfalfa Juice powder, Wheat Grass Juice Brewer’s Yeast, Torula yeast, Chlorella, Wheat germ, Kelp, Bee Pollen, Flax seed, blue green algae, Rose Hips | Natural |
| Biotin (Vitamin H) | D-Biotin | Synthetic |
| Nicotinic Acid | Yeast, Cereal, Grasses, Wheat Grass, Barley, Etc. | Natural |
| Nicotinic Acid | Niacin | Synthetic |
| Para-aminobenzoic Acid | Yeast, Cereal, Grasses, Wheat Grass, Barley, Etc. | Natural |
| Para-aminobenzoic Acid | Anything other than listed above is... | Synthetic |
Vitamin C Complex
| Item | Source Given As: | Type of Vitamin |
|---|---|---|
| Vitamin C | Rose Hips, Carrot Juice powder, Chlorella, Kelp, Bee Pollen, Flax seed, Yellow dock root, Dunaliella salina | Natural |
| Vitamin C | Ascorbic Acid (from fermented corn syrup) | Chemically Altered |
| Vitamin C | Calcium Ascorbate | Synthetic |
| Vitamin C | Ester C | Synthetic, a combination of ascorbyl palmitate and ascorbic acid. |
*Note: Many supplements that say "with rose hips" contain minimal amounts of rose hips mixed with synthetic Vitamin C.
Vitamin E Complex
| Item | Source Given As: | Type of Vitamin |
|---|---|---|
| Vitamin E | Wheat germ oil, wheat germ, nuts, seeds, and cereal grasses. | Natural |
| Vitamin E | Alpha tocopherol, beta tocopherol or mixed tocopherol | Crystalline and synthetic |
| Vitamin E | D-Alpha-Tocopheryl Succinate | Synthetic |
| Vitamin E | Di-Alpha-Tocopheryl Acetate | Synthetic |
Vitamin K Complex
| Item | Source Given As: | Type of Vitamin |
|---|---|---|
| Vitamin K | Alfalfa Wheat Grass and Other Cereal grasses | Natural |
| Vitamin K | Menadione | Synthetic |
Minerals
| Item | Source Given As: | Type of Vitamin |
|---|---|---|
| Coral Calcium | Coral Calcium (same as Calcium carbonate) | Not chelated, not absorbed well. May contain high levels of lead. |
| Calcium | Calcium carbonate | Not chelated, one of the least absorbed forms. |
| Calcium | Calcium Amino Acid Chelate | True Patented molecular chelate. Look for the patent number on the label! |
| Calcium | Calcium Hydroxyapatite | Not chelated, the least absorbed of all calcium forms. |
| Calcium | Bitartrate | Synthetic, not chelated. |
| Calcium | Calcium lactate | Not chelated. |
| Calcium | Calcium gluconate | Synthetic, not chelated. |
| Copper | Copper Gluconate | Synthetic, not chelated. |
| Copper | Copper Amino Acid Chelate | True Patented molecular chelate. Look for the patent number on the label! |
| Iron | Iron fumarate | Synthetic, not chelated. |
| Iron | Iron gluconate | Synthetic, not chelated. |
| Iron | Ferris sulfate | Synthetic, not chelated. |
| Iron | Iron Amino Acid Chelate (found in Total-Nutrition Program™) | True Patented molecular chelate. Look for the patent number on the label! |
| Iodine | Potassium Iodine | Synthetic, not chelated. |
| Iodine | Kelp | Natural |
| Magnesium | Magnesium Gluconate | Synthetic, not chelated. |
| Magnesium | Magnesium Oxide | Synthetic, not chelated. |
| Potassium | Potassium gluconate | Synthetic, not chelated. |
| Potassium | Potassium chloride | Synthetic, not chelated. |
| Trace Minerals | Colloidal minerals or ionic minerals | Extracted from oil shale, not chelated, and may be poorly absorbed. |
| Complete mineral complex | From living fruits and vegetables (e.g., Total-Nutrition Program™) | Natural |
Note: Mineral aspartates and mineral orotates are all artificial. If you've been told that colloidal minerals are the best, please read the Truth About Colloidal Minerals.
Note: Synthetics are significantly cheaper than natural sources, which is why they have replaced most crystalline forms. While crystalline forms like B12 and inositol are still used, they are not natural, whole-food sources and may not be as suitable for human nutrition.
Note: Legally, a crystalline substance can be called "natural" if it was isolated from a natural product. However, this does not mean it is in a natural, whole-food form that is best for human nutrition.