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Are They Really Concerned
About Your Health . . . or Their Profits?
by Dusty R. Green, M.Ed.,
Author of Smart Eats, Smart Supplements, and Smart Exercise
Food companies do it, exercise equipment companies do it, and yes, your good ol' supplement companies do it, too. Grocery store shelves are full of products that claim 90-99% fat free. The infomercial company you bought your abdomen and thigh exerciser from turned out to be pieces o' junk . . . and they really don't turn you into "Arnold" or a "Bay Watch Babe." Some commercial and MLM (multi-level marketing) supplement companies fill their 500 mg (milligrams -- a measurement of weight) capsules with 400 mg of fillers/binders and 100 mg of active ingredient and state that it contains 500mg of active ingredient. Why is this okay? They shouldn't be able to do this . . . after all the label states each capsule contains 500 mg of (the active ingredient). It's all legal.
Pros Versus Amateurs
The people presenting the information to you are marketing geniuses. They're the best in the World on how to get your money. Consider them Professional Football Players competing against Pee Wee Football Players (you and me). Here are a few of the tricks they pull on you, the unsuspecting consumer. I'll illustrate with food and supplement companies both.90% Fat Free
You may have read the claims on food labels that boast each serving "90% Fat Free." Sounds like 10% of the calories in this example come from fat. If each serving contains 100 calories then the fat content is 10 calories. They love this one because they sell this stuff like crazy to the unsuspecting consumer.Reality Check
The truth is, food manufacturers base percentages on weight. The example in the chart below represents packaged chicken. Each serving weighs 100 gm (grams) or 3.5 ounces.
Ingredient Weight Calories Water 70 gm 0 Fat 10 gm 90 Protein 20 gm 80 Totals 100 gm 170 calories As you can see, 90 of the total 170 calories come from fat, which is 53%! They know we think in terms of calories . . . not weight. Yes, the fat in this product only weighs 10 gm which is 10% by weight . . . not calories. By law, they DO NOT have to tell you how they do math.
Since Food Companies Do It . . .
TV, radio, magazines, newspapers, and MLM supplement companies (seemingly) think "Since food companies screw the public, we guess it's okay for us to screw 'em too." Notice I stated "seemingly." It may appear as though I'm being a little hard on the Media and MLM supplement companies. I AM . . . but that's part of my job!More Concerned About Your Health Or Their Profts?
I'll use a best selling book, The Arginine Solution, as an example to help represent standard practices of some commercial and MLM supplement companies. Every time a supplement related book becomes a best seller, all supplement companies cash in on the frenzy. Unfortunately, most companies tend to skimp on truthfulness and quality manufacturing practices. As a result, thousands of hopeful arthritis sufferers have spent their money on and used certain supplements (which is one of the main focus points of The Arginine Solution) without success. Most commercial and MLM companies do this anyway but a best selling book really "cranks up their fires."Marketing Versus Raw Materials
As it turns out (which is how it always happens when supplements becomes popular), commercial and MLM supplement companies are trying to be first and make as much money as possible. There is a combination of marketing/advertising costs (huge monies) and materials costs (small monies in comparison) involved. Unfortunately, materials costs take "back seats" to marketing/advertising. When you see supplements advertised in TV, newspaper, radio, or magazines, chances are, you're buying low quality product. As a matter of fact, generally, there is only a trace of active ingredient in highly marketed varieties. Obviously, their marketing/advertising aspect of their budget is more important than your health. Sadly, this is one area in my business where I see people getting abused financially, emotionally, and physically on a regular basis.Coal Tars, Arsenic, Lead, Shellac, Etc.
To save on manufacturing costs, most commercial supplement companies buy in huge volume from the cheapest food grade vendor of the day. Notice I said "food grade." This means you could be consuming known fillers and binders that contain toxic compounds such as coal tars, arsenic, lead, shellac, etc. Another problem with commercial and MLM varieties is the "short-change tactic." You are not getting the optimum amounts your body needs of all the micro-nutrients that scientific studies recommend. Simply stated, most commercial companies do not base their formulas on science. Their formulas are based on marketing, manufacturing, and advertising costs. You, the consumer, get to pay approximately an eight times mark-up while consuming trash. For example, they can legally say their product contains 500 mg of glucosamine when in reality it contains 100 mg of glucosamine and 400 mg of fillers/binders. They are not bound by law to print what they are doing so they don't.Outrageous Sums Of Money
We (SmartBodyz Nutrition) do not believe in such practices. When you purchase from us, you are experiencing approximately a four times mark-up from manufacturer to you on a cost per gram basis . . . and without consuming trash. We do not (nor the companies we represent) spend "outrageous sums of money" on marketing and advertising. Here are your marketing and advertising dollars right here . . . Internet fees, shipping/handling, labor, and minor printing costs.Fortunately, We Have Watch Dogs
There are independent laboratories that will analyze your bottle of supplements for a fee. This company, http://www.eurofinsus.com is one the best I've found.For more information on how they trick you with minerals, click here.
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