Throw Your Supplements Away Immediately If You Notice This

Millions of Americans use supplements every day, including vitamins, minerals, herbs or other botanicals, amino acids, or enzymes (via National Institutes of Health). But many may not be aware of whether or not these supplements come with an expiry date, and what to take note of before taking one.

Multivitamins tend to be the most popular form of supplement, per National Library of Medicine, and it may come as a surprise that these supplements don't actually carry an expiration date (via Healthline). While some companies may voluntary provide "best before" and "use by" dates on their products, it's not required by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This is because vitamins don't expire like other over-the-counter medications. As most of the ingredients in vitamins and other supplements "break down gradually," they become less potent over time rather than expire. However, if you do happen to consume expired multivitamins or other dietary supplements, you run the risk of consuming less nutrients than you thought the supplement contained.

Mold or strange odors mean it's time to throw your supplements away

While supplements like multivitamins don't pose a risk if they do expire, Healthline recommends that you dispose of them as they may "be a waste of time — and money — if it has lost its potency." Some things to be on the lookout for though are signs of mold (via Verywell Fit), a change in color or a strange smell. As Medical News Today advises, you should "immediately dispose of vitamins" that show any of these signs. 

When disposing of vitamins or other supplements, it's not as simple as just throwing them in the trash. If you happen to have children or pets in your household, you run the risk of getting them sick if they manage to get into the garbage. Instead, the FDA recommends that you mix the vitamins with coffee grounds or cat litter, put the mixture into a sealed bag or container, and throw the entire container into the trash.

You can also drop-off expired vitamins at hazardous waste center in your local area. SF Gate notes that household hazardous waste collection events are also an option, as well as taking them back to the store you bought them from.

Unhealthy Foods Most People Think Are Healthy

Trying to be healthy can be overwhelming, if not outright maddening. There's a ton of conflicting information out there, and recommendations seem to change faster than Usain Bolt can run 100 meters. Every week seems to bring new research claiming that what was considered to be bad for us is actually good — and that what was considered good is, in fact, not good at all. 

It can be crazy-making, and for those of us who aren't professional nutritionists, it's hard to get a good sense of what's genuinely healthy, what's just hype, and what we should avoid. Luckily, there are some excellent resources and research are out there to help all of us — in the words of Jamie Lee Curtis' character in Freaky Friday — make good choices.