There are thousands of supplements to choose from, and consumers spend billions of dollars each year -- many never get even a small fraction of their money's worth.

How do you choose a vitamin supplement that won't just go down the toilet?

There are three types of vitamin supplement delivery systems: capsules, liquid, and tablets. The trick is to pick one that dissolves properly and does not just "pass through," thus wasting your money.

The liquid would be the best, but unfortunately there are not many choices out on the market. Plus, they can be inconvenient, and they taste like cough syrup. But they are great if you can't swallow pills and are good for kids.

Tablets are the most common form of vitamin supplement. They are made by mixing in an organic or inorganic cement and compressing them into shape. For the pills to dissolve properly, an organic cement should be used, but this costs more and as you can imagine, many manufacturers skimp on this step. There are also coated tablets that resemble little candy-coated MandMs. These are very commonly found in inexpensive drugstore vitamins.