A New Canadian Company Wants to Help You Take Your Vitamins
Updated: Jul. 06, 2021
A new subscription vitamin company takes the guesswork out of finding the best supplements for you—and delivers them in personalized packets, too.
As a kid, taking your daily supplement was a breeze. It probably came in the form of a Flintstone, and was found beside your morning glass of OJ. When you’re older, it’s not quite that simple. With all the options available, it’s not always easy to know which ones to take—and all too easy to forget to take them. A new Canadian direction-to-consumer subscription company is trying to simplify the process.
VTMN Packs offers a selection of supplements to order online, delivered in personalized dose packets. “I think of them as an update to the granny pill pack organizer,” says Laurie Cook, founder of VTMN Packs and a licensed pharmacist. She started the company in December 2019 due to her frustration with her own lack of consistency taking supplements. “Having all of your daily supplements together, and separated for the morning and evening, just makes it so much more convenient to take them,” she says.
Cook has also tried to take the guesswork out of the selection process. She enlisted an Advisory Board, made up of registered dietitians, holistic nutritionists, and naturopaths, to consult on which supplements the service would offer. “We looked for brands that focused on the purist product and offered the active ingredient at the right amounts,” says Cook. Being a pharmacist, Cook was familiar with all Canadian supplement brands, and therefore knew which ones she wanted to work with—the ones that conducted effective third-party testing and were thoughtful with their sourcing practices.
Below, all your other questions, answered.
(Related: 7 Supplements Heart Doctors Take Every Day)
Do these supplements cost more than what I’d pay at a store?
VTMN Packs offers the same brands as you see at your local health food store—and they sell them for the same price. The extra service that’s offered is them being packaged together.
Compared to other options, the VTMN Pack’s options are at a middle price point. “Not all supplements are created equal, and our focus is primarily on premium vitamins, meaning vitamins that contain the most active form of the ingredients with the fewest extra ingredients or non-medicinal ingredients,” says Cook. “So we are more on the premium price range.”
(Related: 5 Supplements That’ll Help You Build a Better Brain)
How are they packaged?
“We are simplifying the process by grouping together your supplements into two monthly packs to be taken twice a day—morning and night,” says Cook. Each pack contains daily dose packets labeled with your name and the supplements included inside.
How do I know which ones to choose?
You can use the site’s health assessment, which gathers information about your diet, lifestyle, and wellness goals, takes into consideration any other medications you’re taking, and recommends supplements accordingly. She does recommend checking with your primary care provider before taking any supplements.
Already know which supplements you’d like? Create your packs yourself by selecting your desired supplements from the products page.
How do I know if I’m taking too many supplements?
“The health assessment will recommend only the absolute basics,” says Cook, “and will cancel out some supplements if they don’t work well together.” In addition, Cook reviews each order personally, and she alerts customers if there are any concerns with their selections.
How do I take each supplement?
Your first package comes with a welcome booklet that includes tips for getting the most out of your supplements —for example, vitamin B12 and melatonin should be not swallowed, but taken and dissolved under the tongue. “We always recommend taking your supplements with food and a full glass of water, says Cook, “and not within an hour of any coffee or tea because that will decrease the absorption of your supplements.”
(Related: 14 Simple Ways to Make Your Vitamins More Effective)
How do I know the supplements are working, and not just giving me “expensive pee”?
There are a lot of low-quality supplements on the market which are made with unnecessary fillers that prevent your body from absorbing the good stuff, says Cook. “If you’re not absorbing it then you’re going to end up excreting most of it.” To see if your (high-quality) vitamins are working for you, check your levels by asking your doctor for a blood test, or try an at-home test kit.
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