Food supplements
Explore vitamins, minerals, omega-3, herbs and probiotics in capsules, powders and drops. We explain which forms absorb well, what UK guidance says about daily amounts, and how to build a routine you keep up.Read more →
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How to choose vitamins and food supplements
What a food supplement is in the UK
A food supplement is a concentrated source of a nutrient or a plant extract, sold in a measured dose. In the UK it is regulated as food, not as medicine. That has two practical effects for you. The label may only carry health claims that the European food safety authority (EFSA) has approved, and the dose has to stay inside safe limits for the general population. So a product cannot promise to cure anything, and the interesting differences sit elsewhere: in the form, the dose and the company a nutrient keeps. That is where our range of vitamins and the rest of this collection is organised.
The compound on the label matters more than the milligrams
Two products can both say 400 mg magnesium and behave very differently, because the compound differs. A few examples we use when we compare products:
- Magnesium: citrate, bisglycinate and malate dissolve more easily than oxide, which is cheap but poorly absorbed.
- Vitamin D: D3 (cholecalciferol) raises blood levels more effectively than D2.
- Vitamin B12 and folate: methylcobalamin and methylfolate are already in an active form, so the body needs fewer conversion steps.
- Omega-3: a triglyceride oil usually tastes cleaner and absorbs better than an ethyl ester oil.
Format matters too, but mostly for whether you keep taking it. Capsules and tablets are precise, powders let you scale a dose, drops suit children and anyone who dislikes swallowing, and gummies trade dose room for taste. You will find the same logic across our single mineral supplements.
How we decide what earns a place here
We look at three things before a product goes into the assortment: the form of the ingredient, the dose, and whether the combination makes sense. A vitamin D3 with K2 has a reason to exist; a formula with sixteen ingredients at token amounts usually does not. We buy directly from the brands, so nothing reaches you through intermediaries, and our compliance team checks every product before it goes live. We also test products ourselves and independent labs spot-check batches. More than ten years in, we still say no more often than yes. You can read how we select brands and products.
Who benefits, and what to expect
Most people in the UK get their nutrients from a varied diet, and official guidance is food first. Supplements are useful where there is a genuine gap. Vitamin D in autumn and winter is the clearest example, since UK sunlight is too weak from October to March. Vegans need a reliable B12 source. Anyone trying for a baby is advised to take folic acid. Heavy training, restrictive diets, ageing and some medications can all shift needs.
Be realistic about time. Vitamins and minerals refill a store, they do not act like a switch. Expect to give most products two to three months of consistent use before you judge them, and check your combined intake from food and supplements rather than stacking three products with the same nutrient. Botanicals such as ashwagandha or turmeric work differently again: dose and extract strength decide what you get, which is why our Herbs & plants pages list extract ratios where the brand provides them.
Frequently asked questions
A food supplement is a measured dose of a nutrient or plant extract, taken alongside your diet. Think vitamins, minerals, fatty acids such as omega-3, amino acids, live cultures and botanical extracts. In the UK they are sold as food, not as medicine, so they are not intended to diagnose or treat illness. Their job is narrower and more useful than that: topping up an intake that food alone does not cover, for example vitamin D in winter or B12 on a plant-based diet.
