Vitamins are designed to supplement the foods you eat to provide the nutrients that might be missing from your diet. Unfortunately, not all vitamins are created equal, and some do not dissolve easily. If a vitamin does not dissolve, it will pass out of your body before you have fully absorbed the nutrients. You can test your vitamins at home by dissolving them in water mixed with vinegar to mimic the acid in your stomach.
Step 1
Fill a clear drinking glass with ¼ cup white vinegar. The white vinegar will create an acidic environment similar to your stomach.
Step 2
Mix in 1 cup of hot tap water. The hot water will heat the vinegar close to your natural body temperature and dilute the vinegar.
Step 3
Drop the vitamin into the water-vinegar mixture. Gently swirl the glass to mimic the churning action in your stomach.
Step 4
Let the glass sit and observe the status of the vitamin. The vitamin should start breaking down within 45 minutes and should fully dissolve within 2 hours. Vitamins that take longer to dissolve are not getting fully absorbed into your body.
Tips and Warnings
- This testing method works on vitamin and mineral supplements.
Things You'll Need
- Clear drinking glass
- ¼ cup white vinegar
- 1 cup hot tap water
- Vitamin
References
- "Earl Mindell's New Vitamin Bible"; Earl Mindell, et al.; 2011
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration: Fortify Your Knowledge About Vitamins
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