-Vitamin E Almonds, sunflowers seeds

-Zinc Wheat germ, black-eyed peas, lean beef, crab, oysters

Foods that enhance stress management -Vitamin B6 Legumes, whole grains, chicken, pork, bananas

Foods that cleanse blood and liver -Garlic, onions, turmeric, cayenne pepper, aloe vera juice, watermelon

-Bulk-producing foods Oatmeal, apples, oranges, bran cereals

Foods that aid in skin repair -Protein Nonfat dairy, beans, meat, poultry, fish, nuts

-Omega-3 Fatty Acids Sardines, herring, salmon, tuna, walnuts

-Selenium Onion, garlic

Although herbs and dietary supplements offer a broad spectrum of benefits to skin, it’s no fun looking fabulous if you can’t afford to go anywhere. So, save some cash and eat you way to clear skin.

WHAT CAN HAPPEN IF YOU PICK THE WRONG SUPPLEMENT If vitamin supplement you are considering doesn't meet standards discussed above, it can pass right through your body and do you no good at all.

To give you an example of this, I have actually seen a photo of an x-ray taken of a person's colon area with vertebrae of their backbone off to one side. In this photo I could clearly see two supplement tablets, still intact, looking like they had just come out of bottle. These supplement tablets were poorly made, never disintegrated and would soon end up in toilet.

Photos like these are a graphic illustration of fact that just because you swallow your vitamin supplement doesn't mean your body is going to be able to use it.

ARE YOU WASTING YOUR MONEY? With this in mind, let's look at this useless, undissolved supplement from a another perspective; a financial one. Let's say you find a great deal on a supplement and start taking it. We'll call it Supplement X. Let's also say this Supplement X costs $20 for a sixty day supply.

You think you've found a great deal, however what if it turns out that your Supplement X has been poorly manufactured and is only 10% bio available. What this means is that your body will be only able to use $2 worth of this supplement ($20 times 10%).

And what happened to other $18 you paid for supplement? It went right through your body, that's what. Looking at it another way, you paid $20 for your sixty day supplement supply yet ended up completely wasting 90% of that $20 you spent. You literally flushed $18 right down toilet.

Just like everything else in life, there is no free lunch. When it comes to choosing a supplement, don't be cheap. Do your homework and find a good quality supplement that your body can actually use.

OTHER FACTORS TO CONSIDER - Are health benefit claims being made by supplement company provable?

Vitamin supplement companies may claim that their product will do certain things or that way they put their product together or package it will create a particular health benefit. This claim may very well be true but only thing that matters is have they proven it. Are there proven health benefits from taking their supplement? In other words, have there been clinical trials that prove health benefit claims?

- Is supplement you are considering safe to consume?

Just because supplement is in a bottle, bottle has a fancy label and it looks like it comes from a big company doesn't mean ingredients in supplement are pure and safe. There can be many substances in that capsule that can have an immediate harmful effect as well as a harmful effect over long term.

WHERE YOU CAN LEARN MORE Specific details on health benefit claims and whether or not supplement you are considering is safe to consume are beyond scope of this article.

However, if you would like to learn more about these health benefit and safety subjects, details on these topics can be found on web pages that I have provided a link to below.

http://www.ajpip.com/vitamin_supplements/res/ind.htm

On these vitamin resources pages you will also find:

- Organizations that can help you figure out what kinds of vitamins, minerals and other supplements may be right for you - Where you can get unbiased evaluations on product you are considering - Some more interesting facts on absorption - Surprising information on colloidal minerals

FINAL THOUGHTS If you have gotten to point where you are looking for a vitamin and mineral supplement to take, congratulations. You have taken a positive step towards improving your health and taking better care of your body.

However, make sure to continue that commitment to yourself by doing your homework and making sure that you choose a good quality supplement. It makes no sense to go that far then end up wasting your money on something that your body can't even use.

- Andy Long

After years of extreme fatigue, severe digestion problems and frequent sickness, Andy Long now enjoys energy levels that allow him to windsurf in 30 mph winds for 3-4 hours at a time.

He now shares with others what he did to completely regain his health through his health related web sites and newsletter.