There are thousands of supplements to choose from, and consumers spend billions of dollars each year -- many never get even a small fraction of their money's worth.

How do you choose a vitamin supplement that won't just go down the toilet?

There are three types of vitamin supplement delivery systems: capsules, liquid, and tablets. The trick is to pick one that dissolves properly and does not just "pass through," thus wasting your money.

The liquid would be the best, but unfortunately there are not many choices out on the market. Plus, they can be inconvenient, and they taste like cough syrup. But they are great if you can't swallow pills and are good for kids.

Tablets are the most common form of vitamin supplement. They are made by mixing in an organic or inorganic cement and compressing them into shape. For the pills to dissolve properly, an organic cement should be used, but this costs more and as you can imagine, many manufacturers skimp on this step. There are also coated tablets that resemble little candy-coated MandMs. These are very commonly found in inexpensive drugstore vitamins.

Capsules are gelatin containers that dissolve quickly, and in most cases, are the best choice. Because they're not compressed like the tablets, you will typically have to take two of them to equal one tablet, but always follow label instructions or those of a physician.

One important thing with vitamin supplements is that you want to make sure you absorb as much as possible; otherwise, you are just wasting your money. Studies have shown that individual vitamin isolates found in supplements are only about 10 percent absorbed, while vitamins that are derived directly from a fresh plant source are 77-93 percent absorbed. Minerals have an even lower absorption rate -- 1-5 percent. But from plants like raw broccoli, the minerals are 63-78 percent absorbable.

The reason for this difference in absorption is that in nature, each vitamin and mineral molecule is attached to a protein molecule. That's why you must take your vitamin supplements with meals -- unless stated otherwise on the label. During digestion, only about 10 percent of the vitamin and mineral molecules, aided by enzymes, will attach to the protein molecules found in your food allowing them to be absorbed and used by your cells. Without these accompanying proteins, the body will see the vitamin isolates as a foreign substance and filter them out. That's why you might have noticed bright yellow urine after you take a vitamin -- that's your body's way of getting rid of chemicals it thinks it can't use.

When selecting a vitamin supplement, make sure it has adequate amounts of the vitamins and minerals you want. Remember only about 10 percent of what is in the supplement will be absorbed. Look for the BP (British Pharmacopoeia) or USP (United States Pharmacopoeia) designation on the label. You will find the USP or BP initials next to the vitamin, and this designation means the vitamin isolates are of the highest quality and are easily dissolved in the digestion process.

When looking at the minerals section of the label, look for "chelate" or "chelated." This indicates that the minerals are attached to protein prior to being added to the supplement. This increases absorption by 400 percent to 800 percent.

Look for a supplement with a "food base." This is concentrated plant material to which the vitamins and minerals are added. Supplements with a food base will contain enzymes and nutrients that boost the absorption of the vitamins and minerals. This is probably the best type of vitamin you can buy, but the tablets will be larger and you may have to take more of them.

Nutritional supplements can never take the place of food and should not be used as a crutch to supplement a poor diet. The best recipe for health is to eat a nutritious and healthy diet that can be supplemented when necessary.

Author Bio
Lee Dobbins writes for the A2Z Vitamin And Herbs Guide For Natural Healing where you can find out more about vitamins and herbs as well as natural healing methods.