Take the Right Kind of Supplements
If you decide to take supplements, it’s important to know which kind to take. Not all supplements are the same quality, and many of the vitamins available on the market are synthetic and are made from petrochemicals, which really are not as efficient as natural sources. The problem is that the chemical compounds in synthetic vitamins are not found in nature and the human body finds it hard to recognize them and, as a result, to benefit from them. Moreover, when you get your nutrition from food, you get numerous vitamins and minerals from the same food source, and it is usually this complex combination of vitamins and minerals in the food that allows for proper nutrient absorption in the body. In other words, the vitamins and minerals in each food work together and interact for better absorption. For this reason, isolated vitamins, unless they are in the right combinations, don’t’ have a salutary effect on the body, and they can even be treated like a toxin.
Water soluble vitamins are flushed out of the body quite easily. But fat soluble vitamins, such as vitamins A, D, E and K, accumulate and are stored in the body’s fat tissues, fat deposits and liver, which makes the synthetic kind of fat soluble vitamins potentially more toxic. So it’s better to avoid the synthetic forms of these vitamins when possible. The many toxic ingredients found in these synthetic vitamins include magnesium stearate (stearic acid), “natural” flavors and sodium benzoate. Sodium benzoate is a preservative that kills everything alive in a product so it can sit on a shelf for weeks and months without spoiling. It is a known carcinogenic. Magnesium stearate suppresses the immune system and “natural” flavors contain MSG (monosodium glutamate).
Here are some tips for getting the most out of your vitamins:
• When shopping for vitamins, look for a range of supplements that are organic and made form 100 percent whole foods. These are processed without using excess heat, chemicals or hash refining methods and therefore are more easily digested and absorbed by the body.
• Choose vitamins and minerals in a powdered form or in the form of natural oils or liquid concentrates as these are more easily absorbed by the body.
• Above all make sure that you eat a balanced, nutritious and varied diet of natural and organic foods, as that is the best and healthiest way to obtain the majority of your vitamins and minerals.
