How to Tell If Your Wellness Shot Is the Real Deal: 3 Simple Ways To Check

1. Check the Sediment

More sediment = more potency.

When you see golden or orange sediment gathering at the bottom of your wellness shot — that's a good sign. It means you're looking at real, fresh-pressed turmeric or ginger, not a clear liquid flavored with extracts.

Think of sediment like pulp in orange juice: it may not look pretty, but it's proof of the real stuff. High-quality shots often separate naturally, so give them a good shake and feel good knowing there's actual plant material in there.

Why Sediment Matters for Your Health

That cloudy, separated appearance comes from:

• Fiber particles from the actual root that support digestion
• Essential oils that contain many of the therapeutic compounds
• Natural plant matter that hasn't been filtered out or artificially clarified
• Whole-food nutrition in its most bioavailable form

Red Flag: A perfectly clear shot with zero settling may be a sign of over-filtration or that it's made from powders or extracts, not the real root. While it might look more "polished," you're likely missing out on the full spectrum of nutrients that make wellness shots effective.

2. Check the Sugar Content

More fruit juice = less functional value.

A lot of shots on the market look healthy, but flip the label and you'll see 7g, 9g, even 12g of sugar packed into a tiny 2 oz bottle. Why? Because they're diluted with apple juice, orange juice, or fruit purées to save on costs and mask the strong taste of the active ingredients.

A truly potent wellness shot made with high amounts of ginger, turmeric, or beetroot doesn't need much fruit juice — and definitely shouldn't taste like a smoothie.

The Sugar Math That Reveals Everything

• 2-3g of sugar : Usually from minimal fruit juice or natural root sugars — this is the sweet spot
• 4-6g of sugar : Moderate dilution, still functional but less potent per dollar
• 7-12g of sugar : Heavy dilution with cheap fruit juices — you're paying for fruit juice, not wellness

What High Sugar Really Means

When brands load up on fruit juice, they're essentially creating expensive fruit drinks with a tiny amount of functional ingredients. You end up paying premium prices for what's essentially apple juice with a splash of ginger.

Look for shots with 2–3g of sugar or less. That usually signals it's made from roots first, fruit second.

3. Check the Ingredient Details

Fresh-pressed roots > powders & extracts

Don't be fooled by vague ingredient lists. If the label just says "ginger" or "turmeric" without clarifying how it was made, assume it's the cheap version — usually a powder or extract imported in bulk, stripped of the oils, enzymes, and full spectrum compounds that make real roots effective.

Look for These Quality Indicators:

• "Cold-pressed ginger root"
• "Organic turmeric juice"
• "Fresh-pressed root blend"
• "Whole root extraction"
• "Raw, unpasteurized"

These phrases usually mean the brand is using real produce and pressing it fresh — not rehydrating dried powders in a factory tank.

Red Flags to Avoid:

• "Curcumin extract" — isolated compound, not whole turmeric
• "Ginger powder" — dried and processed, missing essential oils
• "Turmeric flavoring" — artificial taste without therapeutic compounds
• "Natural flavor" — could be anything, often synthetic
• Proprietary blends — hiding the actual amounts of active ingredients

Why This Matters for Your Health

Whole, fresh roots contain hundreds of compounds that work together synergistically. When you isolate just one compound (like curcumin from turmeric), you miss out on:

• Essential oils that enhance absorption
• Fiber that supports gut health
• Complementary antioxidants that boost effectiveness
• Natural co-factors that your body recognizes and utilizes better

What You're Really Getting

High-Quality Shot:

• 15,000mg+ of fresh pressed roots
• Minimal dilution (2-3g sugar)
• Cold-pressed within days of harvest
• Third-party tested for purity
• Cost per dose of active ingredients: High value

Low-Quality Shot:

• Maybe 1,000-3,000mg of powder or extract
• Heavy fruit juice dilution (7-12g sugar)
• Mass-produced from bulk ingredients
• Cost per dose of active ingredients: Poor value

How to Become a Smart Wellness Shot Shopper

Before You Buy:

1. Shake the bottle — look for natural separation and sediment
2. Read the nutrition label — aim for under 3g of sugar
3. Scan the ingredients — look for "cold-pressed" and "fresh" terminology
4. Check the source — does the brand specify where ingredients come from?
5. Consider the price per mg — more expensive doesn't always mean better, but extremely cheap usually means compromised quality

At Home:

• Taste test : Real ginger should have a strong, spicy kick. Real turmeric should be earthy and slightly bitter. If it just tastes like fruit juice, that's probably what you got.
• Color intensity : Deep, vibrant colors usually indicate higher concentrations of active compounds.
• Texture : Some thickness or viscosity suggests real plant matter, not just flavored water.

The Elixir Shots Difference: Transparency in Every Bottle

At Elixir Shots, quality isn't an accident — it's the foundation of everything we do:

✓ Visible Sediment : Our shots naturally separate because they're made from real, fresh-pressed roots — not clarified extracts

✓ Minimal Sugar : Just 2g per shot, because we believe in roots first, fruit second

✓ Clear Sourcing : We specify "cold-pressed organic turmeric root" and "fresh ginger juice" — no vague language or hidden shortcuts

✓ Third-Party Tested : Every batch is tested for purity, potency, and heavy metals — because transparency matters

✓ Fresh Processing : Cold-pressed within days of harvest, never from rehydrated powders

Final Thoughts

If your wellness shot has…

✓ Sediment at the bottom
✓ Low sugar content (under 3g)
✓ Real, cold-pressed root ingredients

…then you're getting the real deal. If not? You might be paying for a watered-down, over-sweetened, powder-based shortcut.

Your body — and your wallet — deserve better.

The wellness industry is full of shortcuts and marketing tricks, but armed with these three simple checks, you can cut through the noise and find products that actually deliver on their promises.

Remember: the most important ingredient in any wellness shot is integrity — and that starts with the brand choosing to do things the right way, even when it's more expensive and complicated.

Next time you're in the wellness aisle, take 30 seconds to check the sediment, sugar, and sourcing. Your health is worth that extra moment of scrutiny.

Ready to experience the difference?

Elixir Shots are cold-pressed from 15,000 mg of fresh roots per bottle, with just 2g of sugar, no powders, and full transparency on every label. Shake it up, and taste the difference.