How to Choose Daily Supplements: A Practical Label-Reading Guide

Before comparing products, write down what you are actually trying to cover. Most people are looking to fill everyday gaps — a diet that is light on vegetables, a routine with little sunlight, a period of heavy training. That is a different shopping list from someone managing a diagnosed deficiency, and only a healthcare professional can tell you which situation you are in.

Keep the list short. Two or three well-chosen products you take consistently are easier to judge than eight you take sporadically, and a shorter list makes overlapping ingredients easier to spot.

Labels usually have two parts: the panel of active ingredients with amounts, and the "other ingredients" line underneath. Read both. The panel tells you what you are paying for; the other-ingredients line tells you what else is in the capsule — binders, flow agents, colours, sweeteners, capsule material.

Look at the form of each ingredient, not just its name. Different forms of the same mineral or vitamin carry different amounts of the active part, so two labels showing the same milligram figure are not automatically the same thing. If the label lists a percentage of a daily value, use it as a rough orientation rather than a target.

Everything in the panel is stated per serving, and a serving is not always one capsule. Check how many capsules or scoops make a serving, how many servings the container holds, and how many days that works out to at the directed use. Only then does a price comparison between two products mean anything.

It is worth doing the arithmetic once: container price divided by servings gives cost per serving, which is the number to compare across brands.

A "proprietary blend" lists several ingredients under one total weight, so you cannot see how much of each you are getting. That is not automatically a problem, but it does make the product hard to compare and hard to evaluate. Where a label breaks out each amount, you can at least see what you are buying.

Watch for duplication too. Stacking a multivitamin, a greens powder and a separate single-ingredient product can quietly triple the same ingredient. Add up what appears in more than one product on your shelf.

Check the allergen statement and the full other-ingredients line for milk, soy, egg, wheat, fish, shellfish, tree nuts and any shared-facility warnings. If you eat vegan or vegetarian, check the capsule material and whether any ingredient is animal-derived. If you avoid certain sweeteners, colours or additives, those appear on the same line.

Formulations change. Re-read the label when you reorder rather than assuming last year's version applies.

Independent testing means a lab outside the company has checked something about the product — commonly that the contents match the label, or that contaminants sit below a defined limit. Where a brand publishes that kind of documentation, read what was actually tested and when; a certification mark covers a specific scope, not the product as a whole.

Other things you can check yourself: a lot number and expiry date on the pack, a clearly named manufacturer or distributor with a real address, a published returns policy, and contact details that reach a person. Treat claims that a supplement treats, prevents or cures a condition as a warning sign — legitimate supplement marketing does not make them.

Supplements can interact with prescription and over-the-counter medicines, and with each other. This is not something to work out from a label. Bring the actual packs, or photos of the labels, to your doctor or pharmacist and let them check the combination against what you already take.

Take extra care if you are pregnant or nursing, preparing for surgery, managing a health condition, or buying for a child or an older relative.

Follow the storage line on the pack — most products ask for a cool, dry place away from direct light, and some ask for refrigeration after opening. Bathrooms and car glove boxes are the two places supplements most often degrade.

Note the expiry or best-before date and buy pack sizes you will realistically finish before it. Keep everything sealed and out of reach of children.

Speak to a qualified professional before starting anything new if you take medication, are pregnant or nursing, have a diagnosed condition, are buying for a child, or have had a reaction to a supplement before. Also check in if you notice any new symptom after starting something — stop taking it and ask.

Nothing on this page is medical advice, and no supplement is a substitute for care from a professional who knows your history.

Use the same checklist here as anywhere else. Ingredient lists, serving sizes and directions for each item are published on the official LIVE GOOD product pages, so read them there rather than relying on a summary — including ours. Our products page lists the range by category and links out to the official listings.

LIVE GOOD sells directly to members rather than through retail distribution, which is where its lower pricing comes from; the reasoning is set out on our ingredients & quality page. How the membership and billing work is summarised on the membership page, and delivery timescales on the shipping page. Common questions are answered in the FAQ.

For a panel-by-panel walkthrough with a worked example, see how to read a supplement label before you buy.

Details we cannot confirm from official LIVE GOOD material — current prices, full ingredient panels, allergen statements and any independent testing documentation — are marked [VERIFY] across this site rather than guessed at. Check them on the official product page before ordering.