When we feel our bodies need a boost in nutrition, it’s common to reach for a supplement. But how can we know we’re getting safe supplements that are pure and not filled with toxins that will do more harm than good? Let’s dive into this topic with H.R. from AzureWell.
In an ideal world, the food that we eat would give us all the nutrition our bodies need. However, that is no longer the world we live in. Sometimes, we need to supplement our diet for the short term to obtain our long-term health goals.
Josh and I have been on a detox protocol and are taking quite a few supplements throughout this journey. So, purity in supplements is a high priority for us. The last thing we want to do when trying to detox is to expose ourselves to more toxins through our supplements.
You can read more about Josh’s and my journey with glyphosate toxicity, as well as how to avoid common household toxins (my interview with Dr. Torrie) and toxins to avoid in most household cleaning products.
Toxins in Supplements
It frustrates me that companies like Azure Standard and AzureWell need to raise awareness of the issue of toxins in supplements. My hope is that we can live in a world where the good of the people outweighs companies trying to make a buck. But here we are. I’m thankful for AzureWell, as they truly care about the consumer’s well-being.
Why Are Toxins in Supplements?
When I looked at the ingredients list on a bottle of supplemental zinc, I saw, of course, zinc, but I was also surprised to find it contained microcrystalline cellulose, dicalcium phosphate, stearic acid, silica, and croscarmellose sodium (which I can’t even pronounce).
So why are these ingredients even there? H.R. shared that it’s to speed up the production process. He says this is, unfortunately, the game of the production side of businesses. H.R.’s background in manufacturing gave him a front-row seat to the nuances and what’s required in the production process, including how companies cut corners to save a buck.
H.R. mentioned that there are companies doing it “right,” but there are many companies that aren’t. So, how is the consumer supposed to know? Keep reading!
What To Look for in Supplements
How can the consumer know whether a product they’re buying off the shelf is helpful or harmful?
H.R. says there are things to look for on a supplement label. The umbrella term that’s used in the supplement world is “quality assurance.”
- Clean Label – First and foremost, you want to know if it’s a clean label. To some, that might just mean organic and non-GMO, but to a clean supplement company, that means that every ingredient in that supplement will be listed on the label. Per the FDA, ingredients can be hidden using terms like “natural flavoring” and “proprietary blend.” Also, ingredients that fall under G.R.A.S. (Generally Recognized as Safe) and are less than 2% of the product don’t even have to be listed on the ingredients list. This includes ingredients like talc, which is a known carcinogen and banned in Europe. We want to be able to trust our supplement company based on the ingredient list.
- Food-Based Flow Aids – Flow aids are non-nutritive ingredients used during the packaging process (generally the encapsulation process) and are usually used to help glide the ingredients into the capsule. However, many commonly used flow aids have been shown to have health risks. Look for food sources of these flow agents such as reishi mushroom powder.
- Food-Based Supplements – AzureWell is committed to providing nutrition through food. They believe our bodies know what to do with the compounds from food and will continue to provide this to consumers in a transparent way. Their supplements will never contain non-food ingredients.
- Third-Party Testing – Just having a supplement tested isn’t sufficient. We want to make sure it’s been third-party tested for purity and transparency. If a company isn’t willing to put its products through third-party testing, I won’t be buying them.
You can read more about all the substances AzureWell is committed to staying away from in its supplement line.
Can We Trust Supplement Companies?
Some of you may be reading this thinking, if the FDA says that something is safe for me to take, then why should I worry about it? H.R. noted that the federal government is doing an “OK” job regulating supplements, but it could do better.
Dietary supplements have gotten a bad rap over the years (and for good reason). Sadly, most companies are driven by profit. What we’ve seen in the food industry is the same thing that’s happening in the supplement industry.
Large companies, like General Mills in the food world, are buying out smaller, organic companies like Annie’s. Once they obtain these smaller companies, they often make changes that the consumer may be unaware of. These changes usually improve the company’s bottom line, but they may not necessarily be better for the consumer’s health.
As consumers, we really want to pay attention to who owns the company (is there a parent company) and what that company’s values are. Then, we need to make sure we’re checking in regularly to ensure that the company hasn’t been bought out by a larger conglomerate that may not have the same values as the smaller company did.
About AzureWell
After chatting with H.R., I love knowing that all the AzureWell products are being vetted by Azure first. Listen to the podcast about them switching cod liver oil brands and being out of stock for over a month due to their commitment to transparency!
This certainly gives me peace of mind when ordering my supplements from them.
AzureWell (a sister company to Azure Standard) states in its mission statement that it wants to help people maintain and restore abundant health for the long term in the most natural ways. To accomplish this, they will:
- Provide the highest quality, most effective, and safest supplements, foods, and health & beauty aids they can under the AzureWell brand.
- Ensure the AzureWell brand products are of the highest nutritional value, packed with super-nutrients from the abundance of nature.
- Provide educational materials and connections so everyone can learn how to care for their bodies.
- Provide connections to like-minded practitioners who value nature-based health solutions.
- Provide “radical transparency”. They believe you should only ingest and put on your body things that are beneficial. They have high standards, and they hold their manufacturing partners to very high standards as well. Some may call it “radical transparency,” but they don’t think it’s radical at all… they expect their suppliers and manufacturers to be fully transparent.
Where to Learn More
H.R. Payne is Vice President of Business Development at AzureWell. He has over 20 years of high-level leadership experience in the health and supplement industry. His vast knowledge of supplement ingredients and industry practices has helped AzureWell develop the line, and his product descriptions are meticulously crafted to share in-depth knowledge about each product.
H.R. also writes informational blog posts for the AzureWell brand to continue teaching the consumer how to live a healthy lifestyle.
If you’ve never shopped Azure Standard, you can check out the video on this post of Homesteading Family’s Azure Standard Favorites that will explain how it works.
You can check out AzureWell’s website and give them a follow on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.
