Vitamins and Supplements

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  • #191488
    jeanp
    Member

    What are the best and least expensive sources for vitamins and supplements? for example, fish oil,TripleFlex, magnesium etc.? We purchase them at Cosco and Walgreens Stateside, but I have never seen any at Pricesmart….??? Thanks! jp

    #191489
    rebaragon
    Member

    PriceSmart does have vitamins and so do the natural food stores in CR such as the Macrobiotica of Plaza del Sol and others…I don’t know if anyone else has had vitamins shipped to them from the States, but I had trouble doing that for my sister. Maybe if you have one of those US PO Boxes that re-direct to your mail to your CR address and don’t get sidetracked in the CR post office– otherwise you will have to pay additional taxes on them. Hope this helps… 🙂

    #191490
    maravilla
    Member

    Gotta be careful about vitamins at places such as PriceSmart. They aren’t of the highest quality especially if they are under the Kirkland Brand. I just threw out a whole bottle of calcium because it had Blue Lake coloring in it, which is a known carcinogen. I bought a big bottle of Fish Oil there but I would only give it to my dogs because I don’t think it was molecularly distilled nor of the highest quality because I could taste it for days after I took a few caps. That never happens when I use Carlson’s Fish oil.

    #191491
    happygirl
    Member

    So Maravilla, can you please advise us as to the best place to buy vitamins or what kind we should be buying in Costa Rica? I sure hate it when those Omega 3 or cod liver oil capsuls start repeating up!! Thanks

    #191492
    crayzrj
    Member

    puritans pride is the place to buy quality vitamins at a decent price. my info is based on consumerlabs.com web-site that vets vits and their claims. full of interesting info and testing of various vits and supplements. to order go to http://www.puritansale.com or call 1-800-749-6172. i have no financial interest in them, just buy from them. also they are not the only honest purveyors, so research may find cheaper purveyors. consumerlabs.com can be fully accessed for a nominal fee or partially accessed for free. and thanks, maravilla for the info re:dogfoodanalysis.com. i now feed my chihuahuas innova evo. no miracle cures (of course, like most dogs, they have no major endemic problems to begin with), but,at least, they like it! smells good too!

    #191493
    maravilla
    Member

    I haven’t found a good source of vitamins in Costa Rica, or a particularly good brand even. The macrobioticas have the basic things, but not a big selection. E, C, D, and CoQ10 seem to be pretty ubiquitous. I bring down a 3 – 4 months supply with me because I take things I’ve never seen in Costa Rica. What I buy in the states I get at vitacost.com — they carry all name brands at a fraction of the cost. When it comes to fish oils, I think Carlson’s fish oils are the best — and about as pure as they can get it. As for the dog food issue, feeding your pets well is a lot cheaper than the vet bills that will come from feeding them common varieties of dog food. A neighbor of mine in CR was feeding her dogs Dad’s brand and they suffered horribly from allergies, etc. The first listed ingredient was corn and there wasn’t even real meat in the mix, just a bunch of meals and by-products and stuff I sure wouldn’t want to eat. I encouraged her to start making them homemade food, et voila, their allergies disappeared. We used to call her dogs “Cone Heads” because they were always in a Victorian collar. LOL

    #191494
    rebaragon
    Member

    Just to clarify, Omega-3 needs to be distilled/purified to avoid heavy metals and other toxins that have polluted our oceans and are found in the fats of animals including fish. This process will not stop the fact that you seem to be having the oil produce a digestive side effect, that can be ameliorated by not taking it on an empty stomach and dividing your dosage so that you’re not taking too much at a time. I found that when I took it in the liquid form (not encapsulated) I had much more of this problem, but working your way around this is well worth it for the benefits it provides.

    Also, the best way to get most of your vitamins is thru fresh wholesome (hopefully organic) foods it will make a world of difference in how you feel and then the supplements will also provide an added umph without taxing your digestive system…

    #191495
    ticopaz
    Member

    Hi JeanP,
    If you are asking for purchasing in CostaRica your only real quality Vitamin Supplement option is GNC which is located in Multi Plaza Escazu and I believe they have another store in Escazu as well, and are opening soon in Santa Ana. They may not be the least expensive but probably the best local option. Trying to order online and bring to Costa Rica is next to impossible as this will require almost an act of God to get thru the customs bureaucracy. There are many “Macrobiotic” stores throughout the metropolitan area as well that offer supplements and you could most likely find some quality products at reasonable prices. Happy hunting 🙂

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