Like fine wine and fromage or just peas and carrots, our Mineral Formula formulas were designed to complement our other daily supplements. But you know what they say, timing is everything - even when it comes to your multivitamins.

Our Mineral Formula formulas can be taken with or without food, as the label says. However, to get the most from your minerals, we recommend taking them at a different time than our formulas that contain fiber or when eating a high-fiber meal. This is because fiber can interfere with mineral absorption. We like taking these chews separately from our gummies, like in the evening. Some customers even say that the magnesium helps them relax, but we'll let you decide. When it comes to texture and flavor, our Mineral Complete formulas are slightly different from our gummies due to the natural characteristics of minerals. They're more chewy, similar to Starburst. Taste masking is a little trickier with minerals than with gummies. So, we carefully-select each ingredient to ensure the taste of our chews, while different from our gummies, is still delicious (especially when compared to other mineral chews on the market). Call us chew-sy.

Great question! We designed Mineral Formula to complement many of our vitamin products.† Just as our vitamin products contain essential vitamins that are difficult for some people to get consistently from diet alone, our mineral products include essential minerals to help fill in common dietary gaps. Vitamins and minerals often work together to help the body perform many critical metabolic functions. Additionally, our products are meant to complement the average American diet, so the amount of each vitamin and mineral in each of our products is well below the Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL). Our mineral and vitamin products can also be taken with Probiotic Complete. That being said, we always recommend that you consult your health care provider before taking any of our products or before adding any new products to your daily regimen. They can help determine whether our products are right for you. †We do not recommend taking Mineral Complete and Complete and Fiber at the same time.

Everyone knows calcium is critical for strong bones and teeth, but did you know that magnesium play an important role as well?* Vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium, but before it can do that, it must be converted to its active form. Magnesium is one compound that helps convert vitamin D to its active form. A balanced ratio of magnesium to calcium also is key to proper calcium uptake and metabolism. Magnesium helps regulate the amount of calcium in our blood and directs any excess calcium to our bones for storage. Consuming excess calcium without sufficient magnesium can cause calcium to deposit and accumulate in our joints, kidneys, and arteries instead of our bones. Magnesium also enables smooth muscle relaxation and helps reduce occasional aches and pains associated with strenuous exercise.* Currently, approximately 60% of Americans' diets are deficient in magnesium, so we've included 250 mg of highly absorbable magnesium citrate to our Adult and Kids Mineral Complete.

Some minerals are already consumed at adequate levels in the Western diet and are not a concern for most Americans. These include minerals such as sodium, chlorine, and phosphorous. So we chose not to include these minerals in our Mineral Formula formulas because we focus on the nutrients hardest for some to get from diet alone. Our products are designed to complement a well-balanced diet, not replace it. We strive to help fill in those pesky dietary gaps. Other minerals, such as calcium, magnesium, zinc, selenium, copper, manganese, chromium, and molybdenum, are often consumed at levels below the Estimated Average Requirements in the American diet. Some minerals, when consumed in large quantities, may inhibit the absorption of other minerals, so we, along with our scientific advisory board, think it's better to take smaller doses regularly to optimize absorption and efficacy. As for potassium and iron? Well, it's complicated. Potassium is one major-mineral that most Americans are deficient in, but we don't include potassium in our Mineral Complete formulas because it can cause stomach irritation when taken in supplemental form. Additionally, because high blood levels of potassium can cause major side effects, it is best to consume this major-mineral in your diet over the course of the day so you kidneys can keep your blood levels regulated. We think potassium is best obtained bit by bit through lots of nutrient-dense foods like avocados, sweet potatoes, potatoes, spinach, black beans, beets, and, of course, bananas.