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If you're just looking for a general, catchall kind of insurance against falling short of some vital nutrient, go for something with close to 100 percent of RDA of everything. All labels display this information so it should be easy to do some side-by-side comparisons in the store.

Some vitamins, especially the water-soluble vitamins like B and C, typically range way above 100 percent, but that's okay since any excess intake is merely flushed out next time you use the bathroom. Many multivitamins also contain minerals, and that's a good thing. In addition to your body needing minerals just as much as it does vitamins, some vitamins and minerals are synergistic and help each other with absorption and efficiency.

Note, however, that a few minerals are less or perhaps significantly less than 100 percent of RDA. This is because of the potentially harmful effects of overdosing, which can be just as bad as a deficiency. For example, men who eat red meat typically get lots of iron anyway, so a multivitamin/mineral supplement with 50 percent of RDA is just dandy -- there's no reason for anyone but a menstruating woman to get a supplement with MORE than 100 percent of RDA of iron.

Fortunately, most brands have thought of this stuff and don't like getting sued, so don't sweat it too much if you notice certain vitamins and minerals being above or below the RDA; if it's the same across multiple brands, there's most likely a good reason for it being like that.

This is a trickier question, especially today when the supplement industry is largely unregulated. Yet a single jar may contain ingredients from dozens of different suppliers in third-world countries. There have been enough reports about tainted products from cheap factories in China and elsewhere to make this a valid concern.

You get what you pay for -- Stick with established brands that have been around for a while and have something to lose if they push through a batch of poor quality. That doesn't necessarily mean the company with the biggest marketing budget; sometimes the low-key guys that put their spare dollars into finding better raw materials for their products have the best stuff. In any case, you get what you pay for so don't automatically reach for the cheapest item on the shelf.

Independent analysis -- Many supplement companies like to parade out guys in lab coats in their ads along with a few sensational claims about this or that miracle benefit. Be very skeptical. Instead, look for independent analyst reports that look at the actual content of various products. ConsumerLab.com is among the more known sources, but there are others; do a Google search for the brand name you're looking for along with "lab" and watch to make sure that lab does indeed report on many different brands, not just that one that coincidentally got raving reviews.

Reading the report -- So, what should you look for in this lab report? First off, watch for lead, mercury and other nasty stuff that has no business in your system to begin with. Secondly, some brands are less than truthful about the content and may have significantly less of some vitamins than stated on the label.

Even with a clean bill of health from an independent lab, there are a few dirty tricks to keep an eye open for when choosing a multivitamin.

Poor math -- Some manufacturers try to pull a fast one by packing their capsules with filler and having you chug multiple capsules per day instead of just one or two. Suddenly, the jar of 200 that is cheaper than the other kind with just 100 doesn't seem like such a good deal anymore when you realize the daily dosage is four capsules instead of just one.

Kitchen sink syndrome -- This fantastic supplement contains not just vitamins and minerals, but CoQ10, amino acids and BCAAs, creatine, green tea extract, and probably a dash of Fairy Dust that cures cancer and sheds pounds while you sleep. Problem is, there are such minuscule amounts of everything it doesn't have one iota of effect on anything except to sucker you into paying more for a clever gimmick.

Expired supplements -- This is more a trick by the store than the manufacturer, but watch for it anyway. Unlike milk or bread, dry pills don't come to mind as a perishable product, but they can lose some potency over time, especially if stored in warm temperatures.