The Bottom of the Vitamin Bottle

“Amazing! The first time ever, I saw the bottom of the vitamin bottle.” This statement came from a streaker who after wasting money on large bottles of vitamins over the years and swallowing guilt every time the cupboard was opened and the full vitamin bottles revealed, decided to set a streak to “take at least one vitamin every day.” That streak did for her something that she had never done, empty a vitamin bottle.

What changed? Why did a streak work over spending money, putting the vitamin bottle in a place you would remember, or just plain guilt? Before answering those questions let’s talk about vitamin spend versus vitamin consumption, and by the way, the premise of this article is that vitamins are good for your health and it is good to take them. If you disagree, no problem, Streaking still works and you can use it for something other than vitamin consumption. Okay, now that that is out of the way, let’s down a few facts.

According to a 2016 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, American’s spend approximately $30 billion annually on vitamins.[1] Another study in 2019 conducted by the Council for Responsible Nutrition found that the spend on vitamins was $52 billion annually. [2] That’s a large chunk of change and you would think that spending the money would motivate a person to partake of the vitamins; however, that is not the case. A large portion of pills go unswallowed.

In 2014, the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics found that 40% of people who bought vitamins still had them in the cupboard and a 2016 Consumer Reports study found that nearly30% of adults who purchased vitamins and supplements admitted to throwing them away. When asked why people who purchased vitamins didn’t take them, responses ranged from “I forgot” to “I’m to busy.” Then after several years on the shelf the vitamins were finally thrown away.[3]^,[4]That is a lot of money in the trash.

With the premise that vitamins are good for you and you are not into wasting money, how do you “remember” to take these tiny pills and overcome, “being too busy?” You set a streak to “take at least one vitamin every day.” And guess what, the streak works!  Why?

The streak fundamentally changes your focus from taking the pill to “how many days in a row can I take the pill?”This simple yet profound change engages the game center of your brain. You challenge your ego to a competition and your ego doesn’t like to lose. You also engage guilt for good. Rather than looking at those full vitamin bottles everyday and whipping yourself with guilt, you use your guilt to complete the streak.And let’s be honest with each other, how long does it take to swallow one vitamin pill? 5 seconds maybe 10 if you need a couple more gulps of water. So, can you really claim that your “too busy” to take a vitamin? I don’t think so.

So what are you waiting for? An invitation?Okay, here is your invitation. Start a streak to take at least one vitamin daily and start seeing success and something you have never seen before, the bottom of the vitamin bottle.

[1] Kantor, E. D., Rehm, C. D., Du, M., & White, E.(2016). Trends in dietary supplement use among US adults from 1999-2012. JAMA,316(14), 1464-1474.

[2] Council for Responsible Nutrition. (2019). CRN 2019Consumer Survey on Dietary Supplements: Consumer Confidence in Quality,Efficacy, and Use. Retrieved from https://www.crnusa.org/2019-Consumer-Survey

[3] Bailey, R. L., Gahche, J. J., Miller, P. E., Thomas, P.R., & Dwyer, J. T. (2013). Why US adults use dietary supplements. JAMAInternal Medicine, 173(5), 355-361.

[4] Consumer Reports. (2016). Consumer Reports Survey:Almost 30 Percent of Americans Throw Out Expired Vitamins and Supplements.Retrieved fromhttps://www.consumerreports.org/vitamins-supplements/consumer-reports-survey-almost-30-percent-of-americans-throw-out-expired-vitamins-and-supplements/

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