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Why Supplement Labels Matter: How to Know What You’re Really Buying
I have a question for you. When you’re standing in the supermarket or pharmacy aisle, do you automatically grab the same supplement brand you’ve always bought? Centrum? Blackmores? Whatever’s on special? Whatever your parents used to have in the cupboard? No judgement. Most of us do it. But I have another question. Do you read the label? Personally, I find supplement labels difficult to read. The writing is tiny, the ingredient lists are confusing, and most of us are too busy to stand there analysing every ingredient anyway. So we grab what’s familiar and move on. But here’s the thing I’ve learned on my own health journey: when it comes to supplements, what’s inside matters. A lot. The Supplement Aisle Is Loud for a Reason Modern wellness has become very loud and everyone is offering more. More energy. More glow. More immunity. More performance. More everything. The bottles are stylised. The claims are bold. The promises are polished. But underneath all the clever packaging and marketing, many supplements are built around the same idea: isolated nutrients, often synthetic, compressed into something convenient. That doesn’t automatically make them evil. But it does mean they are worth understanding. Because a supplement is not just a supplement. Some are made from whole foods. Some are built from isolated compounds. Some are bulked out with fillers, flavours, sweeteners, colours, binders, anti-caking agents, and ingredients you would never knowingly add to your breakfast. And yet, because they're in the “health” aisle, we assume these little bottles of pills must be doing us good. That assumption is worth challenging. I Know The Label Is Boring. Read It Anyway. I say this as someone who does not enjoy reading supplement labels. They are rarely designed for humans in a hurry. The text is tiny. The names are confusing. And the ingredient list often feels less like food and more like a password you forgot to save. But the label is where the truth lives. The front of the bottle sells you the dream. The back tells you the deal. That’s where you find out whether the product is built from real food sources, or whether it relies on synthetic forms of vitamins and minerals. It’s where you see what else has been added to make it taste better, flow better, last longer, look brighter, or feel more “marketable.” And once you start looking, you can’t really unsee it. You start to think less about, “What does this product promise to do for me?” and more about, “What am I actually putting into my body every day?” And that is a far more important question. Whole-Food Supplements Are Different This is where whole-food supplements deserve a proper conversation. A whole-food supplement starts with food. Real, nutrient-dense food. It's not trying to recreate nature by isolating one nutrient and placing it in a capsule. And real food is what I love. It's what our bodies love too. In my world real food supplementation means grass-fed bovine organs, carefully freeze-dried to retain their natural nutritional profile. When I take Boost, our liver product, I know I’m getting nutrients that occur naturally in liver, in a balance nature already designed. I’m not looking at a long list of synthetic additions or wondering why my “health supplement” needs artificial ingredients. Whole food supplements are simple. Almost suspiciously simple, by modern standards. And that's exactly the point. We have become so used to complicated wellness that real food can appear too obvious. But our bodies were built on food, not trends or gimmicks. Long before supplement shelves existed, humans relied on nutrient-dense animal foods, sunlight, movement, sleep, and community for health. It's not very flashy. But it's incredibly effective. Your Body Knows Food One of the biggest differences between whole-food nutrition and synthetic supplementation is context. In food, nutrients do not usually arrive alone. They come with co-factors, enzymes, fats, minerals, and other naturally occurring compounds that exist together. Your body recognises food because it has spent thousands of years evolving to do exactly that. Synthetic supplements often isolate a nutrient and deliver it without the same food matrix. Again, that doesn’t mean every synthetic supplement is useless or poisonous. There are times when targeted supplementation has its place. But for everyday foundational nutrition, I personally want to start with food. Real food. The kind my body understands without needing a user manual. That shift in mindset changes the way you think about health in general. Instead of asking, “What pill can fix this?” You begin asking, “What am I missing from my diet?” Often, the answer is not more novelty. It's better nourishment. The Problem With “Health-Washed” Convenience We live in a strange time. You can buy a protein bar with 47 ingredients and call it healthy. You can drink something neon and call it energy. You can eat ultra-processed “clown food” with added vitamins and feel like you’ve made a responsible dietary decision. But adding a few vitamins to something that is otherwise terrible for you does not magically make it nourishing. It just makes the marketing department busier. This is why knowing what you’re buying matters. Health isn't built by outsourcing your judgement to the loudest label. It's built by learning the difference between food and formulation. Between nourishment and novelty. Between something your body recognises and something that looks good on a shelf. That knowledge is powerful. Not in a, throw-everything-out-and-live-in-a-cave way. In a calm, practical, “I know how to choose better now” way. What Changed for Me Since I've added more nutrient-dense foods into my life, especially quality meat and organs, I genuinely feel healthier than I ever have before. People often guess I’m younger than I am. They think I'm in my 50s, and out of curiosity, I uploaded my recent blood work into ChatGPT. It estimated my biological age as early 50s too, which made me smile, because it lines up with how I feel. If you want to start feeling truly alive again, start with real food. What I Look For Now These days, I keep it simple. I look for ingredients I recognise. I look for food first. I look for transparency around sourcing. I look for products that don’t need a long list of additives to justify themselves. And I ask myself one very plain question: Would this make sense as food? If the answer is no, I pause. That doesn’t mean never taking anything synthetic. It doesn’t mean turning every shopping trip into a moral exam. It simply means paying attention. It's so important to remember that the small things you take every day truly matter. Your morning capsule. Your protein powder. Your “just in case” multivitamin. These things become part of your routine, and your routine becomes part of your health. So they deserve a little more thought than habit alone. Supplement Q&A: What Should You Actually Look For? Are synthetic supplements bad? Not always. There can be a place for targeted supplementation, especially when someone has a specific deficiency or health need. But for everyday foundational nutrition, I prefer to start with real food. Whole-food supplements offer nutrients in the form they naturally occur, rather than isolated compounds created to mimic them. What does “whole-food supplement” actually mean? It means the supplement starts with food. In our case, that means nutrient-dense bovine organs sourced from grass-fed New Zealand cattle, then freeze-dried and put into capsules. Nothing added. Nothing taken away. It's not about reinventing nutrition. It is about preserving and presenting it in a more manageable daily format. Why are organ supplements different from a multivitamin? A standard multivitamin is usually a collection of isolated vitamins and minerals. Many of which are derived from synthetic sources. Organ supplements are whole-food nutrition. Liver, for example, naturally contains a broad range of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and other nutrients in their original food matrix. Your body recognises and can use food more readily when it is as close as possible to it's natural form. What should I check on a supplement label? Start with the ingredient list. Look for recognisable ingredients, clear sourcing, and whether the product contains fillers, artificial colours, sweeteners, flavours, or synthetic additives. The front of the bottle offers you a promise. The back tells you the truth. Do I need to understand every ingredient? No. Thank goodness. But you should be able to get a clear sense of what you’re taking and why it’s there. If a label feels confusing or there are ingredients you do not recognise or understand, it's worth questioning. Good nutrition should not need a disguise. What’s the simplest rule for buying better supplements? Choose the products that are as close as possible to real food. Look for natural ingredients. Clear sourcing. Minimal processing. No unnecessary additives. Your body has spent thousands of years recognising nourishment. It does not need health to be complicated. It needs it to be real.
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You Don't Need A Complicated Diet To Feel Better
Modern diets can feel exhausting. This blog explores why simplifying your food, choosing real, animal-based nutrition, and reducing daily food decisions can help your body feel better again.
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Healthy People Don't Think About Food All Day
When Food Gets Loud I was feeling stressed last week, and I noticed a real pull towards comfort food. I wanted something easy and soothing. Something to take the edge off. I clocked it straight away because, most of the time, I don’t think about food much. My meals are structured. My nutrition supports my body, my recovery and my goals. But last week reminded me that when your system is working properly, food is quiet, and when it’s not, food gets loud. We’ve Been Sold the Wrong Idea of Discipline Somewhere along the way “being healthy” got tied to constant effort. Planning. Tracking. Resisting. Thinking about food all day. As if the people doing it best are the ones putting in the most mental energy. But that’s not what real consistency looks like. When things are actually dialled in, food takes up less space in your head, not more. Because real consistency doesn’t come from thinking harder. It comes from needing to think less. Habits Are the Real Foundation of Good Nutrition Most people are trying to eat better by making better decisions. But decisions are fragile. They depend on energy, mood, stress levels and how your day is going. And when life gets busy, those decisions tend to slip. Not because you don’t care, but because you’re relying on willpower, and that can be unreliable. Habits are different. They don’t ask how you feel. They don’t negotiate. They don't require a motivational speech. They just run. That’s why someone with strong habits can: Eat balanced meals without overthinking Naturally prioritise protein and whole foods Stay consistent even when life isn’t perfect It’s not willpower. It’s repetition turned automatic. There's more information on habits around eating here: Habits & Behaviour Change When You Eat For Performance, Things Simplify For me now, eating isn’t about reacting, it’s about supporting my health, training, recovery, and my day. That shift changes everything. Because instead of asking: “What do I feel like eating?” I've started asking: “What does my body need to perform, recover, and stay strong?” And the answers become a lot clearer: Protein to build and repair Whole food organs for nutrients Fats to support hormones and provide energy Simple meals that don't require a nutrition plan It’s not restrictive. It's freeing. The Goal Is Predictable, Not Perfect You don’t need endless variety. You don’t need a new plan every Monday. Having a simple go-to list at the supermarket - meat, eggs, butter - makes eating well much easier. Because predictability: Reduces decision fatigue Stabilises hunger Makes cooking easier Makes shopping simple Builds trust with your body When your body knows what’s coming, it stops asking for constant input. And when you genuinely look forward to steak, eggs, fish, or whatever your version of simple looks like, eating well stops feeling like a job. It becomes easy. When Things Are Aligned, Food Gets Quiet This is the place most people are actually chasing. Not perfection. Not control. Quiet. Where: Hunger feels stable Cravings don’t run the show Energy is consistent Food isn’t taking up space in your head all day You still enjoy eating. You still have meals you love. But food's no longer something you’re constantly managing. If you'd like to learn more about self-regulation and eating habits, this is a useful link: Self-Regulation and Eating Habits So If You Find You're Thinking About Food All Day… It may not be because you need more discipline. It may not be because you care too much. And it definitely doesn't mean you've failed. It might simply mean your system is asking too much of you. Too many decisions.Too much stress.Too little structure.Not enough rhythm. So let's start by building better habits, focusing on: Simple meals Real food Enough protein A short supermarket list Meals you can repeat without thinking Because the goal isn’t obsession. It’s freedom. And that freedom comes when eating well supports your health, your performance, and your life - then gets out of the way.
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Working with Winter - Why the Colder Months Ask For A Different Rhythm
Winter doesn’t just change the weather. It changes our routines, movement, light exposure, appetite, energy, and mood. Here’s why you might feel worse in winter, and how to work with the season instead of fighting it.
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Good Nutrition Starts at the Source
The quality of a supplement starts with the land, the animal, and the standards behind it. Here’s why sourcing matters at Homegrown Primal.
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Why Organ Supplements Make Sense If You Don't Eat Organ Meats
I have a vision of a perfect world where we all shop at a local butchers or farmers market and organ meats are readily available for people to cook and eat. But I know for most people, that vision has been swallowed by the pace of modern life. And the trouble is, despite the incredible value of organs, most people are missing them from their diet. Organ meats make sense. Modern life doesn’t make them easy Ideally, we’d all be eating liver, heart and kidney regularly. We’d know where they came from, how to cook them, and how to work them into family meals. But so many of us are in a rush. We shop quickly. We cook what we know. We feed our families while managing work, routines, and everything else that fills a week. And organ meats, for all their value, often fall into the too-hard basket. Why people avoid them For some, it’s the taste. For others, it’s the prep. For many, it starts even earlier than that. They don’t know where to buy good quality organs, how to cook them properly, or how to make them enjoyable to eat consistently. That’s the real issue. It’s not that organ meats aren’t worth eating. It’s that they’re not always practical. But the nutrition still matters Just because something is inconvenient doesn’t make it less valuable. Organ meats have been prized for generations for a reason. They offer the kind of nourishment that modern diets often leave out. The problem is not the food. The problem is access. And it's one of the main reasons Marty and I started Homegrown Primal. We realised how important organs were, and how few people were actually eating them. We didn't want our friends and family to miss out on the benefits of organ nutrition, so we found a way to make them more accessible. A practical way back to real nutrition Organ supplements give people a way to access the benefits of organs without the usual barriers. No sourcing issues.No prep.No cooking.No strong taste.No wasted good intentions sitting in the fridge. Just a simple, practical way to bring organ nutrition into modern life. It's important, because the best nutrition is often the nutrition you can take consistently. Convenience without compromise A lot of modern convenience comes at the cost of quality. This is different. When organ supplements are sourced from reputable farms, from animals raised the right way, and made with nothing added or taken away from them, convenience becomes a real strength. You’re not moving further away from real food. You’re finding a way to include it. That’s the point of modern ancestral nutrition. Not to recreate the past perfectly, but to hold onto what matters and make it work in the present. It doesn’t have to be all or nothing You don’t have to cook liver every week to value nose-to-tail nutrition. You don’t have to pretend you love the taste of organs if you don’t. And you don’t have to choose between doing it perfectly or not doing it at all. For many people, organ supplements are the bridge. They make ancestral nutrition accessible and easy to stick with. Final thought In a perfect world, more people would cook organ meats regularly. But in the world we live in, convenience matters. When organ supplements are made from real whole foods, they offer a hassle free way to include this incredible nutrition in your diet. No sourcing.No prep.No cooking.No taste barrier. That's why I believe organ supplements have earned their place. For many people, they are the most realistic way to bring the benefits of organ meats into a modern diet.
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Most Supplements Are Synthetic. But What Does That Really Mean?
Most supplements are synthetic or made from isolated nutrients. This article explores what that really means, how synthetic nutrients differ from whole-food nutrition, and why food may be more than the sum of its parts.
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Can Colostrum Help With Low Iron?
Could colostrum help with low iron? Explore the link between gut health, lactoferrin, immunity, and nutrient absorption.
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Creatine from Meat: Do you really need to supplement?
I got quite a response to my blog earlier this week on creatine supplements vs real food, so I thought it was worth following up. One of the most common questions I got was: “If I’m eating meat, do I actually need to supplement with creatine?” It’s a fair question, especially given how heavily creatine is being promoted right now. So let’s break it down. Why Creatine Is Everywhere Right Now Creatine has become one of the most talked-about nutrients in health and fitness. It’s often marketed as a performance supplement, but what many people don't realise is that Creatine is naturally found in animal foods. What Creatine Actually Does Creatine plays a key role in how your body produces energy. It helps regenerate ATP, the molecule your cells use for quick bursts of power. This supports: Muscle strength Physical performance Brain energy metabolism Recovery How Much Creatine Do You Need? Your body uses around 1–2 g of creatine per day. You get this from two sources: Your diet (meat and fish) Your body’s own natural production How Much Creatine Is in Meat? Creatine is found almost exclusively in animal foods, especially red meat. Food Creatine per 100 g Beef ~0.4–0.5 g Lamb ~0.4 g Fish ~0.5 g If you eat a meat-based diet, for example, around 400–500 g of red meat per day. You're getting: ~1.5–2.5 g of creatine daily. That already meets your baseline physiological needs. So Do You Need to Supplement? For most people: no If you: Eat red meat regularly Follow a meat-based or animal-based diet Are focused on general health Then your diet already provides meaningful amounts of creatine through food. When supplementation might help Creatine supplements (3–5 g/day) are used to: Increase muscle creatine stores above baseline Enhance strength and performance Support high-intensity training This is why they’re popular with: Athletes Bodybuilders High-performance individuals Whole Food Creatine vs Supplements There’s an important distinction here. Creatine from meat: Comes with protein, iron, B vitamins and cofactors Supports natural energy production Is delivered as part of a complete nutritional system Creatine supplements: Isolated compound Taken in higher doses Designed to push performance beyond normal levels The Bigger Picture Creatine doesn’t work alone. Your body relies on a network of nutrients to produce and use energy effectively, including: Iron → assists oxygen transport B vitamins → drive energy metabolism Amino acids → support repair and recovery These nutrients naturally come packaged together in animal foods. This is what whole-food nutrition provides, not just one compound, but the full system. The Takeaway A meat-based diet already provides creatine in its natural form. However, some people, athletes, post menopausal women, vegans and vegetarians need to supplement creatine. For most people, our meat based diet is enough to support: Energy Strength Overall health Supplementation is optional, not essential. Whole foods provide the foundation. Creatine supplements are used for pushing beyond it.
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