Due to the
depletion of minerals in our soil and poor eating habits (e.g., fast foods,
fried foods, diet soda, artificial sweetners), most people need
supplements to maintain even normal health.
Supplements can also be used to
increase holistic nutrition
and correct imbalances in the body and heal illnesses.
Whole food products are
generally safer than isolated supplements or herbs. As a complete food, they
provide all the ingredients, in one portion, in the proper ratio needed to
receive the full nutritional and healing benefits. Isolated supplements may be
missing other substances found in food that are needed to make it work
optimally. For instance, Vitamin C works better when combined with Vitamin E, rutin and bioflavonoids. According to Dr. Charles Elson, researcher at the
University of Wisconsin, studies on individual supplements has been inconclusive
at best. He states, “whenever we try to pick out a single one, we fall on our
faces…there are hundreds, perhaps thousands of substances in vegetables and
fruits (such as wolfberries) that provide protection against
cancer and other diseases.”
One of the
important benefits of taking whole food products is the live enzymes they
provide—if the supplement has been properly processed. Unless you eat a
completely raw diet, your body is probably deficient in enzymes, which
eventually leads to illness. Whole foods can provide a concentrated amount of
enzymes (see
benefits of Spirulina), in addition to many other nutrients.
When searching for a whole-food product, quality (balance and synergy) is
extremely important. To cut costs, the
less
expensive supplements may be processed in a way (e.g., high heat) that kills
the live enzymes, to cut
costs. Also, supplements that absorb heavy metals, such as Spirulina and
chlorella, must be grown in unpolluted
conditions. Otherwise, you will be taking a supplement full of heavy metals
instead of cleansing the metals already in the body (see benefits of Spirulina).
It’s best to work with a qualified practitioner who can guide you to
high-quality products.
Optimum Choices, LLC offers a variety of whole food products,
to promote optimal health. Click on the green buttons below for more information
on our product offerings.
Natural versus Holistic Supplements
After
85+
years of holistic living experience, we have seen many “holistic” supplements come and go.
The ones that aren’t around had holistic intentions, were made from naturally
derived ingredients but in our opinion were allopathically formulated and used.
By allopathically formulated, we mean a scientist observed short-term health
benefits from taking certain isolated or extracted substances and they put
together a formula of natural ingredients to support those health benefits. By
allopathically used, we mean their was a separate supplement for the immune
system, one for the thyroid, one for the adrenals, one to lose weight, one to
normalize hormonal levels, etc. Each supplement had a specific purpose and only
addressed the part of the body that was exhibiting symptoms. By truly holistic,
we mean helping with the whole body condition and not just acting on the
symptoms. By truly holistic ingredients, we mean using whole food sources like
Nature intended us to eat. By truly holistic, we mean eating foods or
supplements with ingredients native to the patient’s diet.
Some
supplements are distilled chemical compounds or have just the active ingredients
extracted. To be totally holistic, we would want the vitamins, enzymes, amino
acids, trace minerals, etc. that Nature included in the original whole food
source also included in the supplement. These complementary substances might
help buffer the action of the active ingredient, help reduce any side effects,
make the action of the active ingredient more potent with less quantity and in
general produce a synergistic relationship not found by using just the single
active ingredient. A perfect example is Vitamin C.
Modern day research
has shown that Vitamin C works better when combined withrutin,
bioflavonoids, zinc, selenium and Vitamin E. We all learned in school that the
Europeans in the 17th century avoided getting scurvy when crossing
the Atlantic by drinking fresh lime juice, loaded with Vitamin C. What is not
commonly known is that by just taking Vitamin C, as pure ascorbic acid, one
could temporarily stop the symptoms of scurvy but the
disease would come back
once the Vitamin C was stopped. But by taking Vitamin C made from an extract of
whole green peppers, not only did the symptoms go away but the scurvy was cured.
All the ingredients that Nature put in the whole food green peppers were indeed
better than taking pure Vitamin C as a ascorbic acid supplement.
Quantum Leap in Holistic Nutrition
So,
rather than
treat the symptoms by taking an isolated supplement that only
addresses part of the body, why not feed the whole body super nutrition at the
cellular level from a whole food product? After all, if all systems, glands and organs of the body are
functioning at 100% we should experience total wellness? For more information
how you can activate your body’s own natural ability to heal, click on the
BioSuperfood button on the left menu. Here are the opinions of the American
Cancer Society and the Journal of the American Medical Association (AMA).
To reduce cancer
risk, the best advice presently is to consume antioxidants
through food sources, rather than supplements. (“Common
Questions About Diet and Cancer,” American Cancer Society)
“…there are
insufficient data to justify an alteration in public health policy
from one that emphasizes food and diet to one that emphasizes
nutrient supplements. (“Essential Nutrients: Food or
Supplements?” Journal of the American Medical Association,
2005;294:351-358)
Note: These
statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. This information is not intended
to diagnose, treat, prevent or cure any disease.
Give yourself
and your family the health
they deserve and the longevity you desire. One Holistic Solution
Nothing on this website has been evaluated by the FDA. This information
is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Please
see a qualified healthcare practitioner for any disease or illness.
