Why do we do what we did?
When I was about 5 years old, my parents gave me a yellow liquid medicine. Since it was yellow, they insisted it tasted like banana. And considering I still remember it to this day, you can imagine how it tasted. Not like bananas. So obviously, I didn't want to take it. They kept on insisting it was just like banana!
I was having none of it. It wasn't until they tried it themselves that they realised it tasted like liquid shoe sole. The worst.
Every day we are told "This is good for you." But what's the facts behind it? For instance, a hamburger is a hamburger, right? Is it pure beef with some onion?
Or is it "Beef, Reconstituted Vegetable Protein, Colourant, Onions, Rusk, Salt, Corn Starch, Vegetable Protein, Spices, Flavouring, Emulsifiers, Potassium Chloride, Dextrose, Sodium Erythorbate, Sodium Ascorbate?" (This is an actual frozen burger ingredient list.)
So what about your supplements? Vitamin C is Vitamin C, right? Right?
When I formulated The Daily Shake, a lot of thought went into each ingredient, weighing efficacy with concentration, price and flavour and smell.
For instance, magnesium. We use magnesium citrate since it is highly bioavailable, doesn't taste or smell too bad and is a reasonable cost. But other options include:
Magnesium Glycinate - Excellent absorption. Known for promoting relaxation, improving sleep quality, and reducing muscle tension. But, it smells and tastes like rubber.
Magnesium Oxide - Cheap, but low bioavailability. Often used as an antacid for heartburn and indigestion, as well as a laxative for constipation.
Magnesium Sulfate - Known commonly as Epsom salt, primarily used in baths to relieve muscle soreness and tension. Tastes terrible.
Magnesium Malate - Known for managing fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome symptoms, but also probably the most sour thing I have ever tasted!
Magnesium L-Threonate - Promising for brain health; may help with cognitive function, depression, and age-related memory loss. However, it is patented and extremely expensive. Like 20 times the price expensive.
And then there are still Magnesium Orotate, Magnesium Taurate, Magnesium Lactate and Magnesium Chloride...
What about Vitamin C? It also comes in many different forms.
We use Ascorbic Acid, the purest form of Vitamin C. But you also get:
Sodium Ascorbate - A mineral salt of ascorbic acid that is less acidic and suitable for those with sensitive stomachs. Less concentrated.
Liposomal Vitamin C - Vitamin C encapsulated in liposomes (fats) for enhanced absorption. Effective for higher doses without gastrointestinal side effects. Not necessary in our use case.
Ester-C - A patented form that includes calcium ascorbate along with metabolites. Very expensive.
Rose Hips - The fruit of the rose plant, particularly high in Vitamin C content. A natural form, but not necessarily better absorbed.
Acerola - Known as Barbados cherry, acerola is one of the richest sources of Vitamin C, significantly more than oranges or lemons. Also natural, but a strong flavor.
And that's just some of the thinking that goes into choosing 2 ingredients out of the 33 in The Daily Shake. Aren't you glad we did the hard work?
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