When LIMINAL launched its first Product Impact Study 4 years’ ago with a bunch of amazing women recruited from social media, there were very few good supplements available.
In fact, the key reason I started this community was that I couldn’t find intelligent formulations tailored to the transition our bodies and minds go through from perimenopause and into part 2. Most capsules in my health food store saw menopause as a single state. And something that occurred, from the imagery on their packs, in our mid 80s…! They were, in most instances, basic multi-vitamins. None were harnessing emerging insight into the potential of plants and botanicals. And no one was looking at the benefit of a wholefood-led approach.
In the UK today, we are collectively becoming more aware of both the distinct biochemical phases of the journey and the impact our hormones have on every single cell in our body too. Our ongoing efficacy studies have led to two carefully considered foundational powder formulations, Peri-Boost and Meno-Boost, that enable us to support you from perimenopause right through to Part 2, for as long as you need. Our two capsule formulations, Mood Food and Gut-Instinct, target the cluster symptoms we see most commonly in the symptom tracking data you share.
I am proud of the work we do - to collect your personal stories, monitor the efficacy of our blends, embrace emerging research in our recipes and shape this community for and with you.
I may be unusual as a founder in that I welcome competition too! We will never be right for everyone. And competition should mean greater and better choice, which means the opportunity for all of us to find solutions to help us feel better, quicker.
And, over time, I am sure it will. But, if you are struggling to distinguish purpose-driven brands doing good things from the opportunists right now, here are 5 tips on what to look for in a supplement, with love from us to you.
1. Before you buy anything new, look at what you already take: One of the most common issues we see in our community is over-supplementation. We may not realise our collagen has added vitamins. We may take single source products and also a multivitamin. Take time to audit your supplement routine for safe levels of ingredients.
This is particlarly important if you’re considering trying LIMINAL Peri-Boost or Meno-Boost. Both are designed to take the complexity (and almost invisible expense) of supplementation away for you!
Unless you’ve been prescribed vitamins or minerals by your doctor, these foundational powders contain pretty much everything you need. And, as critically nothing you don’t! No fillers. No artificial sugars. No E numbers. Just hard working botanicals, selected for the lab research undertaken to date as well as what we see in real life.
2. Embrace your inner sceptic - it’s there to protect you!: Take time to evaluate why you made the purchase and the impact it has had on you. Does what you do today work or has it just become a habit? If you’re introducing something new, commit to consistency for 30 days and track the impact. Unless life takes an unexpected turn - illness..antibiotics…extreme periods of stress - you should begin to feel a difference. If you don’t, pause before you purchase again. Even the best formulations don’t work for everyone.
3. Analysing ingredients for likely impact: It’s unrealistic to expect us all to become chemists! But one easy tip is to see if the ingredients reference artificial sweeteners, stabilisers, emulsifiers, additives or e-numbers. Charlotte Hunter, a leading nutritionist in the midlife space says: ‘You sometimes even find artificial sugar and flavouring in capsules! What are they having to hide? A good supplement doesn’t need that!’
Remembering just a couple of red flags can be helpful too. If you spot Calcium Carbonate or Magnesium Oxide on the ingredient list, both of which have poor bioavailability, it is very likely that the formulation is going to have limited impact.
4. Customer care: Because I respect the potential and potency of plants, I believe passionately that access to real humans to discuss blend safety is a key indicator of the care that goes into the formulation of supplements too! Does the product you’re researching offer easy access to customer care? And when you do speak to them, are they experts or really just sales staff?
5. Look to who they work with: One of my grandmother’s favourite sayings was ‘You can tell a person by the company they keep’. And, like pretty much everything else she told me, I now know this to be true! Take a step back from the product to look a little broader. Do experts rate them? Do brands you already love work with them? Do the Stores you respect list them? You can tell a lot about brands by the company they keep. If they don’t have any presence outside of the advertising spend they’ve used to find you, proceed with caution.
Finally, trust yourself.
We’re all wise enough to know there are no silver bullet solutions. Look to the brands that recognise the real role of supplements…to supplement what we put on our plates and the way we move through life. To the brands that share what we know and recognise what we’re yet to learn; that are committed to keeping track with science, because it doesn’t stand still. And, with the right support, neither should you. This is your time to thrive.
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