Top Ten Products Under $10

While you certainly can spend a lot of money on supplements, you sure don’t have to.

There are plenty of great supplements that you can use to make a difference, maybe a big difference, in how you look and feel and in terms of keeping you healthy.

Let’s look at ten great supplements each of which costs ten dollars or less for a one month supply at the manufacturer-recommended dose.

1) NOW Foods Omega-3 Cholesterol Free. They used to say the only two things certain in life were death and taxes. Well that’s been revised. The only four things certain in life are death, taxes, your need for omega 3 fatty acids and that your diet provides insufficient amounts. In other words, everyone needs an omega-3 supplement, ideally fish oil since that provides the exact omega 3s you need, without the biochemical conversion steps required by flax oil. Entire books have been written about the need for and benefits of omega 3s. You definitely want to take an omega 3 supplement. The current price for a 180 softgel bottle is only $7.25. That means you can take the full manufacturer-recommended dose of 2 softgels 3 times per day and one bottle will last a full month.

2) Alacer Emergen-C The price of a 36 packet box varies, but most are well under 10 dollars. There are a couple of great things about Emergen-C. Emergen-C is an effervescent (fizzes as it dissolves in water) vitamin C drink mix with added vitamins and other nutrients depending on the formula. You can take a few packets with you anywhere you go and mix it up when it’s convenient. What’s in Emergen-C? You’ll get a ful gram of vitamin C in the preferred form of mineral ascorbates. Vitamin C needs probably needs no introduction or explanation, it’s a critical antioxidant and immune factor for humans since we need it on a constant basis, but can neither make it or store it. Besides vitamin C, you get B-vitamins, electrolyte minerals and antioxidants as well. So Emergen-C gives you a great energy or immune boost anytime you need it. You can use a packet or two to enhance the taste of a protein shake or as a way of introducing youngsters to the benefits and ease of using nutritional supplements. Emergen-C is also a great option for the many people who have difficulty swallowing capsules or tablets.

3) Chromium picolinate. Talk about an overlooked supplement. If you are trying to cultivate a robust healthy metabolism and lean up, you need to know about chromium. Chromium caps and tabs are typically very small and easy-to-take. Chromium is a critical factor in the function of insulin in your body. Insulin isn’t just an issue for diabetics, by the way. Anyone who wants more energy and a lean healthy physique essentially wants to do the same thing a diabetic needs to do – keep blood sugar levels low and stable and enhance the body’s efficient use of insulin. Chromium is critical for both functions. Chromium is also very inexpensive, most products are well below $10 even for several months worth.

4) NOW Alpha Lipoic Acid. ($8.99) We’re big fans of any single supplement that can deliver multiple benefits. Alpha lipoic acid is a good example of such a supplement. ALA has received a great deal of attention from both researchers and the public. Alpha lipoic acid is a precursor to one of the body’s primary antioxidant and detox compounds, a liver enzyme called glutathione peroxidase. ALA is also able to enhance the body’s use of insulin, with a beneficial effect on blood sugar levels. What’s more, alpha lipoic acid is a ‘universal antioxidant’ able to work almost anywhere in the body while recharging other antioxidants like vitamin C and vitamin E.

5) Country Life Cod Liver Oil Softgels. Speaking of a single supplement that delivers multiple benefits, another good one is cod liver oil. Cod Liver Oil is essentially 3 supplements in one. In that one softgel, you’re getting 3 very beneficial nutrients that you almost certainly need more of than you’re getting in your diet. CLO provides small-but-significant amounts of the active form of vitamin A. Vitamin A is an antioxidant that supports your immune system, eyesight, skin health and many other things. CLO also gives you vitamin D3 which although classified as a vitamin, functions as a regulatory hormone of particular importance to the immune system. Finally, CLO also provides valuable omega 3 fatty acids which most people are familiar with as being essential to heart and brain health. Most cod liver oil’s have a similar nutritional profile and are extremely affordable. This one currently costs only $6.29.

6) NOW Calcium and Magnesium with Vitamin D and Zinc. Chromium isn’t the only mineral you’re likely to need more of than your diet provides. Other minerals are important too, and this is a great, inexpensive supplement that covers these 3 most-important mineral bases with just 3 softgels per day. You’re probably familiar with calcium since it gets most of the attention given to essential minerals. 3 softgels provide a full 1000 mg of calcium. Vitamin D is a co-factor for the absorption of calcium and so that’s a good nutrient to bundle with calcium as it is in this product. As important as calcium is, magnesium may actually be more important. Most diets, even poor diets, supply moderate amounts of calcium, calcium being one of the more abundant minerals in food. But magnesium is much more scarce in the diet than calcium. Even good diets may not provide optimal amounts. Like calcium, magnesium is critical for bone health. But unlike calcium, magnesium is a co-factor for over 300 enzymes and is therefore important for wide range of health factors and metabolism, especially so for cardiovascular health. In a similar way, zinc is also an essential enzyme co-factor and supports immune, reproductive and bone health among other things. This multimineral supplement will cover all of your major mineral bases, for 40 days, for under $6. Keep in mind that you probably need more than the 200 I.U. of vitamin D supplied in this product.

7) NOW Foods Vitamin D More information seems to come out every month confirming the ever-increasing significance of this nutrient, which functions as a hormone in the body. Vitamin D is best-known for regulating the function of immune cells and also the absorption and utilization of calcium. Research suggest it has much broader roles to play as well. The other thing the studies seem to keep affirming is that, unless you’re out in the sun every day, you’re not making enough vitamin D. And even fortified foods like milk don’t contribute that much. The moral of the story is, nearly everyone needs a vitamin D supplement. Fortunately, vitamin D supplements are very inexpensive and affordable, most are well under $10. Actually, it’s hard to find a vitamin D supplement that costs more than $10 a AllStarHealth.com

8 ) Yerba Prima Daily Fiber Capsules Fiber sure isn’t as exciting or sexy, but it would be hard to overstate its importance or the benefits of obtaining enough. Fiber literally cleans out your digestive tract and helps to lower cholesterol levels while it does so. Nothing is more important to healthy and trouble-free elimination that fiber, either. But fiber supplements are something the industry has had a hard time formulating for broad appeal. Powders tend to be gritty and unpleasant to use. Fiber tablets may not break down all the way since fiber, by definition, is that which resists digestion. So fiber capsules like these are a good way to go. Yerba Prima actually makes a whole line of good fiber and detox products. Their Daily Fiber Capsules contain a good blend of soluble and insoluble fibers from psyllium husks, bran and pectins. 4 capsules provide 2 grams of fiber. Start with 4 caps per day and, if you wish, gradually work up to 4 caps three times per day. $6.95 for 180 caps.

9) NOW Foods Glucosamine Sulfate Among mature adults and senior citizens, joint problems are common almost to the point of being a foregone conclusion once you reach that stage of life. The longer you wait to use joint-protective nutrients like the undisputed powerhouse glucosamine, the longer they take to start working and deliver noticeable benefits. Do not wait until you have joint pain and stiffness to start taking good care of your joints. As you age, they’re wearing out whether you notice anything or not. Take a proactive stance and start supporting your joints now, with an affordable and high-quality glucosamine supplement like this one from NOW Foods. $9.95

10) NOW Foods Curcumin (High-Potency) $8.49 Curcumin is an herb with centuries of intensive use for both medicinal and culinary purposes. It’s hard to say enough about it or summarize its benefits in a just a few sentences. But curcumin contains compounds that offer a very wide range of benefits for cardiovascular health, joint pain and inflammation, immune health, and a significant degree of protection for the brain and nervous system against various damaging compounds and processes. Curcumin is something you can take for overall health, or for a specific problem like circulation or joint pain.