Thanks for writing in. I do appreciate that there’s always a raging debate about quality, cost vs generic, and expensive vs inexpensive. There are many things to consider when purchasing vitamins.

I’ve spent 20 years in the field of nutrition on all sides of the table—involved in many vitamin formulation meetings—and I know first-hand how and why quality will vary widely.

Consider magnesium. For the non-professional, magnesium is magnesium; but, to the formulator there’s a choice- he can use magnesium oxide (very cheap) magnesium citrate, magnesium glycinate, etc… These all vary HUGELY in cost, as do all the other ingredients. And which one they choose- not to mention the amount they choose to put in- has a direct effect on the quality, benefits, etc. (And the price.)

Fish oil presents an even deeper problem. Inferior fish oil, non-purified, taken from any fish and mass produced in huge quantities for the “big box” stores is a very different product from fish oil extracted from fish that swim in pristine Alaskan waters. The fish oil companies I feature all make small batches and rigorously test for impurities every which way and back. One company I link to does no less than 37 tests for toxins, metals and impurities. And they make them in small batches which guarantees freshness.

Will this fish oil cost more? Absolutely—but the purification process has a price and the manufacturer must pass that on to stay in business.

Then there’s whey protein. Ordinary shopping mall whey protein originates with cows from the same type of cattle farms that supply McDonald’s- factory farmed animals, shot up with antibiotics, steroids, hormones, etc. Sweetened with either HFCS, aspartame, etc.

On the other hand, Paleomeal comes from grass-fed cows, no hormones, no antibiotics, no steroids, no HFCS, sweetened with Xylitol, etc, fortified with omega-3′s, phosphitadyl choline. Both are “protein powders”. Are they the same? Hardly.

You can go to CVS and buy something less expensive. You can always buy cheaper—but higher quality will cost more. What you find at Walgreens and what you buy through the companies on my website cannot be compared.

Think Kia vs. Rolls Royce. There is nothing “wrong” with buying a Kia and some cars at that price range are very good values, if you know where to look.

What we might ask is—which car is better made, will last longer and have more endurance? And unlike with cars, the difference between the cheapest Centrum type vitamin and the very very best most expensive is a lot smaller than, say, the difference between a Timex and a Rolex, or a Kia and a Lexus.

I am not involved in the manufacturing of the vitamins on my site nor do I have ownership in any of the companies that make them. The vitamins in my store are doctors’ brands of the highest quality. They are made in small batches (unlike the huge mass market for Walgreens) and tested every which way and back.

They are the exact same “health professional only” brands sold on Emersonecologics.com, where only health practitioners and their patients can buy, and at the exact same prices—and most importantly, I do not set the prices as that is done by the manufacturer. I simply do the work for you and select the ones I think are the absolute best in their category and then put them in my store.

Thanks for writing in. I think these discussions are invaluable for people considering quality vs. cost and I’m glad you liked my books!

warmly
jb

PS And if you’ve been a reader of my newsletter for any length of time, you know that I regularly give sales on all the vitamins to make them easier to purchase in our troubled economic times. Check my newsletter every week for sales. This month it’s CoQ10, PaleoReds, Barlean’s Greens, and Whey Cool Protein.