Go to National Vitamin Company at 7440 Industrial Road and you'll learn the answer. The factory offers self-guided tours that will show you how vitamins are made, what they do for your body and how people made vitamins back in (honest!) 850 A.D.

The tour allows you to view super-sanitary rooms dedicated to cosmetics, blending, encapsulating, coating, weighing and pressing. Down the hall is a display case of candy -- well, what looks like candy. Actually, it's a variety of soft-gel capsules manufactured in appealing pearlized colors, gumball sizes and animal shapes.

At the end of the tour is the gift shop where you can get a free sample and load up on high-quality Life-Line vitamins. One of the hottest selling items? Glucosamine-Chondroitin (for joint pain and arthritis). You'll also find health-related books, aromatherapy candles and a great smoothie bar.

A world of healthy options awaits you at the National Vitamin Company. As they say, "You can have your cake and eat your vitamins, too."

National Vitamin Company offers free self-guided tours 8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. For more information, call (702) 269-9600.

--J.T. Ireland