Chances are, your first foray into “vitamins” involved a cartoon character in your preferred flavor—which, if you’re like my posse and me, was a tiny purple rendition of the Flintstones’ pet, Dino. They were a cute, artificially colored addition to your breakfast. And sure, they felt more like candy than the wholesome supplement your mom intended them to be. Still, that modern Stone Age family taught a lesson early on: that perhaps our modern ways of eating may just need an extra boost of nutrients.

Like you, the vitamin and nutritional supplement industry has since grown—and now pulls in $37 billion in annual sales, according to Nutrition Business Journal. You can still pick up your yabba-dabba favorites, of course. But nowadays, the choice ranges from popular brands by big corporations to upstarts toting natural, less synthetic benefits—and all in an array of formats that vary from capsules and powders to gummies, melts, sachets, and liquid shots.

Frankly, the selection can be overwhelming, especially if your goal is to make mindful decisions about what you put in your body. Moreover, the industry has been scrutinized of late due to what some critics see as a lack of regulation. (Unlike prescription drugs, it’s up to dietary supplement manufacturers to ensure they meet FDA guidelines, and not the other way around.)

That said, this is definitely an area to strap on your savvy, question-everything consumer hat.

“With dietary supplements, you really want to do your homework,” says nutritionist Nikki Ostrower, founder of NAO Wellness Center in New York City. “Investigate what the company is about and who owns it.” Ostrower advises inspecting the ingredients, making sure there are no fillers or preservatives. “Check for organic,” she explains, “Then look where they’re sourced.”

Robert Craven, CEO of FoodState, maker of MegaFood supplements, agrees. And with his company’s whole-food product, he challenges consumers to take that questioning a step further. “Consumers should ask not only, ‘Where does it come from?’ and ‘How is it made?’ he says. “But also, ‘Who is the farmer?’”

Founded in 1973 in Derry, New Hampshire, MegaFood differentiates itself from other multivitamin manufacturers in one way: It’s the only brand buying fresh organic fruits and vegetables from family farms, and using that produce to make its own ingredients. Since the building blocks of health come from the vitamins and minerals of the food we eat, the company believes it should create products that are as close to food as possible.

In that spirit, Craven explains, he and his team get to know the suppliers behind their ingredients, forming long-lasting relationships with organic and sustainable farmers across North America. “Most people don’t hear enough about where their food comes from and how it’s grown,” he says. “We’re committed to telling these farmers’ stories because we think everyone should know them—the people who put love and attention into the soil, year after year… who put people to work and treat them fairly and don’t spray chemicals on them.”

One of those farmers is Phil Green, owner of Kauai Organic Farms in Hawaii. Phil and his wife Linda bought their farm more than a decade ago, after he retired from North Carolina’s reforestation industry. Married for more than 30 years, the couple fell in love with Hawaii together, and it became their dream to run a farm there. In 2004, they took the leap and chose an established one on the island of Kauai, just near the cliffs of the Napali Coast. Craven calls it “a farm in the middle of paradise.” It’s nestled in a valley with mountains surrounding it. From the fields, in the distance, you can spot the ocean.

The small farm was already certified organic, and Green was determined to keep it that way. (“That was a no-brainer,” he explains.) The property had four acres of ginger, which Green learned to harvest on the job. Soon, a customer requested turmeric; Phil tested it on a quarter acre. Demand increased. And today, Kauai Organic Farms is MegaFood’s turmeric supplier, thanks to Hawaii’s ideal growing conditions, the deeply colored root of the farm’s product, and its owner’s passion for sustainable farming.

“It’s the best way to farm,” says Green. His methods often require more labor than conventional ones. Kauai Organic doesn’t use pesticides and herbicides, as Green believes they’re directly correlated to the last few decades’ rise in cancer. Throughout the growing season, the crew hand-weeds the crops. “It is a bit more work,” he says, “But it’s really rewarding.”

Once Green’s turmeric makes it to MegaFood’s facility, preserving the care he put into his produce is of the utmost importance, says Stacey Gillespie, MegaFood’s Director of Product Innovation. The food goes through the company’s unique “slo-food process,” a gentler manufacturing method developed to protect the nutrient content of the turmeric (and the other half million pounds of fresh produce the company buys each year). MegaFood then self-certifies that its supplements are everything from gluten-free and vegetarian to non-GMO. “Staying true to the intention of food is at the heart of what we do,” Gillespie explains.

Despite efforts like MegaFood’s, the supplement industry continues to get negative press, even though, Craven states, “there’s reams of science on supplementation” as well as an “awareness that you can’t get the kind of nutrition you need in your food.” But telling the stories behind its farmers, as well as striving to be completely transparent (you can even peek inside its New Hampshire plant 24/7 on a live internet feed) is part of MegaFood’s objective to build a more positive image for the industry. “The more trust our industry has and the more trust our brand has, the more lives we can improve,” says Craven. “That’s the goal.”

“The company is super transparent,” nutritionist Ostrower concurs. And though she prefers her nutrient-deficient clients take a vitamin intravenously (which the body absorbs 100 percent, unlike some supplements, which she says may only be 30 percent absorbed), Ostrower thinks MegaFood’s whole-food supplements are a worthy, lower-cost alternative. “The ingredients are so fresh in quality, your body has a much better chance at absorbing the nutrients,” she says. “Plus, I believe in their mission.”

It’s that mission that moves Craven, and MegaFood, forward. “To me, there’s nothing like watching a customer connect the dots; that the bottle they’re holding has ingredients that not only go back to Kauai and a U.S.-made turmeric, but also back to Phil and Linda Green,” he explains.

“The more we’re able to tell the story about the farmer that runs the farm that produces that amazing, organic ingredient that ends up in our bottle—or just promote [farms like] them in general—that’s what the world needs more of,” Craven says. “It matters where this stuff comes from.”

Quick Look: THE SLO-FOOD PROCESS

HERE’S WHAT HAPPENS WHEN INGREDIENTS LIKE PHIL GREEN’S TURMERIC HIT MEGAFOOD’S ONE-OF-A-KIND MANUFACTURING METHOD.

• QUARANTINE The turmeric arrives fresh-frozen to maintain its peak of nutrition. It then goes into quarantine to be tested for pesticides, herbicides, gluten, dairy, and soy, making sure the turmeric passes MegaFood’s specifications for purity.
• COLD-MILLING The root, skin and all, goes into a cold-milling blender. (“Think of it as a giant Vitamix,” says MegaFood’s Stacey Gillespie.) This breaks down hard-to-digest fibers to make the nutrients more bioavailable. After another milling process,
  a soup-like turmeric emerges.
• DRYING The turmeric enters a unique dryer that avoids using direct heat to maximize nutrient retention. It exits looking like fruit leather. “The raw form is as close to how it would be when you first pull it out of the field in Hawaii,” explains Gillespie.
• ET VOILÀ! POWDER Once dry, MegaFood mills the turmeric into a fine powder for use in different products. Gillespie says, “We can put it into a tablet or a booster powder or even into products like [farming partner] Uncle Matt’s Organic Orange Juice.” **For more info, visit megafood.com

Megawatt INGREDIENTS

THIS ALL-STAR LINEUP OF INGREDIENTS COMES TO MEGAFOOD FRESH FROM FARMS ACROSS AMERICA.

TURMERIC
∑ SOURCED FROM: Kauai Organic Farms in Hawaii
∑ LOVED FOR: The trendy superfood helps everything from arthritis to cholesterol to depression. “It’s amazing for mind, body, and spirit,” says nutritionist Nikki Ostrower.
KALE
∑ SOURCED FROM: Foxy Organic in California
∑ LOVED FOR: The low-cal leafy green has plenty to boast about: tons of iron, calcium, vitamins C and K, and antioxidants. “It’s also a great food for detox,” says Ostrower.
CRANBERRIES
∑ SOURCED FROM: James Lake Farms in Wisconsin
∑ LOVED FOR: A savior of urinary tract infections, cranberries contain fiber, vitamin C, vitamin E, and loads of antioxidants, phytonutrients, and avonoids.
BEETS
∑ SOURCED FROM: Stahlbush Island in Oregon ∑ LOVED FOR: Among its many benefits, beets can improve circulation and help you relax. Adds Ostrower, “Drinking a glass of beet juice may even lower your blood pressure.”
ORANGES
∑ SOURCED FROM: Uncle Matt’s Farm in Florida ∑ LOVED FOR: Known as a champion of vitamin C, oranges are also rich in potassium and soluble fiber and contain photochemicals that help protect the body from cancer.
BROWN RICE
∑ SOURCED FROM: Lundberg Family Farms in California
∑ LOVED FOR: “It’s a safe whole grain with lots of healing benefits,” says Ostrower. Brown rice is high in fiber, packed with selenium, and is an excellent source of manganese.