Are All Supplements Created Equal: Important Tips
Which supplements are best?
It is clear that many symptoms and illnesses can appear if we don't get enough vitamins and minerals from the food we eat. Unfortunately, the majority of foods on our grocery store shelves have been stripped of many of these basic vitamins and minerals during processing intended to increase shelf-life and profits. This is why so many people today have turned to nutritional supplements. Choosing a good supplement can be tricky with such a dizzying array of vitamin and mineral formulas to pick from in stores.
Are there differences in supplements, and if so how do you choose?
All supplements are NOT created equal. Most of the vitamins on store shelves are as highly processed as the Twinkies sitting on the shelf two aisles over. If we need supplements because our food has been over-processed, why would we choose to buy over-processed supplements? Most people buy synthetic supplements because they are cheaper, but remember - you get what you pay for.
5 tips for choosing a quality supplement:
- If your vitamin label includes any of the following terms in the ingredient list, it came from sources other than whole foods - namely a laboratory where it was synthetically produced - and indicates questionable quality: acetate, bitartrate, chloride, gluconate, hydrochloride, nitrate, succinate.
- The addition of food coloring indicates questionable quality.
- The addition of refined sugar (corn syrup, glucose, sucrose, sweeteners) indicates questionable quality.
- The easiest way to find high-quality supplements is to look for "whole food vitamins." This indicates that they are actually made from food instead of chemicals. The term "natural" on the other hand has no specific definition legally and can be applied to any supplement - synthetic or not.
One of our favorite sources is Standard Process. Standard Process is the pioneer in producing high quality whole food supplements. They grow their own organic produce on their farm in Wisconsin and have figured out how to concentrate nutritious foods into supplements without losing the nutrients.
Now that you know how to find a high quality supplement to support good health and improved healing, what supplements do you need? A nutritional evaluation can help determine the best supplements to take for specific health concerns, but a quality multivitamin is a good place to start. A multivitamin provides a good nutritional foundation for everyone. The lack of necessary vitamins and minerals in most American diets has led doctors to recommend everyone take a multivitamin daily. It is estimated that almost 80% of Americans don't eat enough fruits and vegetables to meet the recommended minimal level of essential nutrients.
To find out more about choosing the best supplements for you, schedule a nutritional consultation and examination with one of our doctors today.
