The Truth Behind Vitamins: Ritual's Fight for Better Standards in Health with CEO Katerina Schneider

On this episode of the SHE MD podcast, hosts Dr. Thais Aliabadi and Mary Alice Haney are joined by Katerina Schneider, founder and CEO of the innovative vitamin company Ritual. While pregnant, Katerina discovered that many multivitamins on the market contained questionable ingredients she didn’t feel comfortable putting in her body. Determined to change the industry, she created a transparent, science-backed vitamin line for women. Together, they discuss Ritual’s mission to improve supplement standards, what to look for on a vitamin bottle, and the three key policy changes the company advocates for in Congress. If you’ve ever asked yourself, Do vitamins work? Am I taking the right ones? How can they improve my health?—this episode is for you!

Sponsor:

Ritual: Visit Ritual.com/shemd40 for 40% off your first purchase.

IN THIS EPISODE:

• [00:44] Kat shares how Ritual was conceived
• [4:44] Traceability - Where are the elements for the product coming from
• [7:01] Why does a woman need a prenatal vitamin
• [10:35] An overview of the FDA's regulations and the three policy initiatives Ritual is advocating for in Congress
• [15:09] What should you look for in a prenatal vitamin and on its label
• [21:34] What’s next at Ritual, and what vitamins Kat takes
• [28:27] Kat’s podcast, For The Real Bodybuilders, is coming out in January

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

1. Women Should Never Feel They Are "Nothing" In A Man's World. Success isn't about gender or background; it's about silencing self-doubt and embracing your leadership power.
2. The Vitamin Industry Needs More Transparency And Efficacy. Ingredients are often untraceable, and many multivitamins need more forms and dosages of the nutrients people need. Clinical research in the category needs to be more extensive, highlighting a need for evidence-based formulations that address actual nutritional deficiencies rather than relying on broad assumptions about dietary gaps.
3. Prenatal Vitamins Are Vital For Healthy Pregnancy And Support Fetal Development And Maternal Health. Folic acid prevents neural tube defects, iron combats anemia, omega-3s aid brain development, and calcium with vitamin D strengthens bones.
4. Ritual Advocates For Three Key Policy Changes To Improve Supplement Safety: mandatory ingredient listings for transparency, strict limits on heavy metals with more transparent labeling, and a standardized definition of "clinically studied" based on human trials of finished products. These steps aim to enhance trust and accountability in the industry.
5. Choose Vitamins With Trusted Certifications And Clinical Backing. Clean Label Project tests for toxins, while USP and NSF verify ingredient accuracy. Opt for supplements with clinically studied ingredients in proper dosages, backed by peer-reviewed, published research for safety and efficacy.

Resources:

Ritual - Website

Visit Ritual.com/shemd40 for 40% off your first purchase

GET IN TOUCH WITH SHE MD:

SHE MD - Website

SHE MD - YouTube

OVII - Website

GUEST BIOGRAPHY:

Katerina Schneider is the Founder and CEO of Ritual, a health technology company that is reinventing the products women use every single day.

To date, Kat has raised over $40 million in funding from Forerunner, Founders Fund, NEA, and Upfront Ventures, among others.

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