THE REASONS BEHIND THE PICKS
What matters.
And what doesn't.
A product listing in the certifier's own database comes first. Then we look at the dose per serving against the label and NIH's upper limits, and at what else is in the serving. For protein, lead is part of that. Last come a year's cost at the label dose and one-time prices, and what you can get back if you change your mind. A product you can't order on the maker's own page doesn't get a pick. We don't rank by the muscle, sleep, brain, heart, bone, immune or hydration claims on product pages, which FDA generally doesn't approve before use. Nor do we rank by "clinically effective dose" claims, purity figures without a published certificate of analysis, or certifications we couldn't confirm in the certifier's own listings. A higher dose isn't treated as better.
01A product listing, not just a facility
All eleven products appear by name in NSF's own Certified for Sport database, not just as a seal on the maker's page. NSF says its mark means the contents match the label, with no banned substances or unsafe contaminants. The mark also requires a GMP-certified facility that NSF audits. So "made in an NSF-certified facility" describes the factory, not the product. The Thorne and Nordic Naturals listings give numbered lots, from 4 on one gummy listing to 66 for Thorne Creatine. Momentous's creatine jar has its own listing with 24 lot numbers, plus a second entry for all lots. Its magnesium, fish oil, whey and Daily Hydration listings show lot "All". NSF lists Momentous's whey under an "Essential" name that its page doesn't use.
What to checkSearch the certifier's database for the exact product, flavor and form. Match your container's lot number where lots are listed, and treat a facility claim as a claim about the factory.
02Form and elemental dose
Read the amount of the nutrient itself, not the weight of the whole compound. Both magnesium products give 200 mg of magnesium as bisglycinate: two Momentous capsules or one Thorne scoop. NIH's upper limit for magnesium from supplements is 350 mg a day, and magnesium from food doesn't count toward it. Thorne's Vitamin D-5,000 gives 5,000 IU a capsule, 1,000 IU above the 4,000 IU adult upper limit. Nordic Naturals' gummy gives 1,000 IU, a quarter of it. Both fish oils pass 1 g of EPA plus DHA a day: 1,600 mg for Momentous and 2,000 mg for Nordic Naturals. Both creatines give 5 g of creatine monohydrate a scoop. A Daily Hydration packet has 100 mg of sodium, which Momentous says suits everyday sipping, not heavy sweat losses.
What to checkAdd up what you already get from food and other products. Ask a clinician before going past an upper limit or combining a supplement with medicines, such as the diuretics, antibiotics and bisphosphonates Momentous names for its magnesium.
03What else is in the serving
The two creatines list creatine monohydrate and nothing else. Thorne's magnesium powder adds only citric acid and monk fruit concentrate. Each Nordic Naturals vitamin D3 gummy adds 2 g of sugar from organic tapioca syrup and cane sugar. Daily Hydration's label gives 1 g of total sugars a packet, from organic cane sugar and organic honey powder. NSF types it as vegan, yet every label lists the honey. Thorne's whey isolate is sweetened with evaporated cane juice sugar and stevia, while Momentous's Chocolate whey uses monk fruit and stevia. Both wheys are milk proteins. Both fish oils come in gelatin softgels: bovine for Momentous, an unstated source for Nordic Naturals. Nordic's full ingredient panels came from Fullscript practitioner listings, not Nordic's own pages.
What to checkRead the full Supplement Facts and other ingredients for sugar, honey, gelatin, fish and milk. Look for the panel on the maker's own page.
04Lead in protein powder
Supplements have no federal limit on heavy metals, NPR reported. Consumer Reports tested 23 protein powders and shakes, with results published in October 2025. More than two-thirds had more lead in one serving than CR's 0.5 mcg daily level of concern. Plant-based powders averaged nine times the lead of dairy-protein powders. Both proteins here are whey. Thorne's page carries a California Proposition 65 lead warning but gives no amount. Momentous says its batch results are published through Light Labs, which we didn't review.
What to checkIf lead is your concern, weigh dairy protein over plant protein, and ask the maker for a lead result for the lot you buy.
05A year's cost and the return terms
Vitamin D costs least: about $122 a year for Thorne's capsules. At Nordic's listed price, the gummies would be about $73 a year, but you couldn't order them on its page. The creatines run $174 to $178 a year. Magnesium costs about $207 in Momentous's capsules and about $316 in Thorne's powder. Daily Hydration is about $304 at a packet a day, and Momentous suggests several. The fish oils cost about $487 and $681. At a scoop a day, the wheys cost about $791 for Thorne and $1,022 for Momentous. Thorne takes return requests within 60 days but charges a 25% restocking fee. Nordic Naturals takes back unmarked, resalable products within 30 days and adds a 60-day satisfaction guarantee. Momentous's refund policy says delivered products generally can't be returned.
What to checkPrice a full year at the label dose, not a first-delivery subscription discount. Read the return policy before you open the container.
