The Truth About Supplements

By Kristin Patten

The broccoli on your plate comes from depleted soil; the
banana in your smoothie comes from a different continent;
and the orange that you’re eating is genetically modified.

Eating in a rush, not chewing enough, taking
pharmaceuticals, air pollution, preservatives,
additives, pesticides (should I go on?):
all of these factors disguise food in a nutrient-
rich costume. We eat thinking that we
are nourishing, but too much of our food and
lifestyle makes us nutrient deficient.
The reasons listed above put us in a “perpetual
state of nutritional depletion,” says
nutritional counselor Noelle Quero. Most
people’s digestion is working at around 50
percent, which means the body is not absorbing
or utilizing nutrients properly. And,
the many processed foods, pesticides, and
chemicals in our lifestyle put our bodies in
defense mode: we use so much of our energy
just to get rid of toxicity. Getting the necessary
nutrients from our food today is “like
sucking water from a stone.”
So, let’s all take supplements to balance
our diet and receive all the nutrients we
need, right? Well, if we are not processing
foods properly or digesting optimally,
then how are we going to magically
process a supplement? The answer:
we are not. It is crucial to first heal
the digestive system before adding
in supplements. You can do this by
detoxifying (I like to cleanse seasonally),
as well as by being critical about
the origin of your food. Nourishe offers
free classes and information about how to
cleanse your digestive system.
Once you are cleansed, you may still be
nutrient deficient (remember all of those
factors listed before?). At this point, supplements
can be helpful. But wait! Don’t stop
reading and run to Whole Foods. Supplements,
like food, come in many forms: some
healing, but some useless or even harmful.
The best way to find the highest
quality supplements is to become educated
about labels, recognize the disguises, and
know the sources.
Today “95 percent of all supplements…
have been synthesized by humans in pharmaceutical
laboratories to somewhat resemble
or mimic a function of their natural counterparts,”
writes naturopathic physician,
and Nourishe consultant, Dr. Frank Charles.
These man-made vitamins do not contain
what we think. For example, when you purchase
synthetic Vitamin C, you are actually
buying ascorbic acid, which is only one part
of the Vitamin C found naturally in food. For
short-term use, taking a synthetic Vitamin
C supplement may be beneficial. Yet, “the
downside of excessive ascorbic acid intake
includes collagen disease, rebound scurvy,
kidney stones and diabetes mellitus.” Taking
synthetic supplements can lead to a build up
of toxicity and health problems.
But, don’t give up! There are a few select
companies that create whole-food based,
natural-as-they-come supplements (Find
them at Nourishe) that provide a steady
and genuine increase in health. Whole-food
supplements are made from vitamins and
minerals that come from whole food concentrates,
which are grown in a controlled environment.
They are also easily recognizable,
as the label will show specific ingredients
like “Vitamin C…Oranges,” and “Folate…Broccoli,”
establishing the origin of the vitamin or
mineral. There won’t be two-part names like
“calcium citrate” and “ascorbic acid,” which
are prime tellers of synthetics.
We live in a world of nutrient deficiencies.
It is important to heal your digestive system
so that you can process foods and supplements
optimally and gain the nutrients that
you need. Like the food industry, the supplement
industry is dressing our vitamins and
minerals in disguise. The good news:
there are whole-food, bio-available
supplements that use nature as their
design, and help you become nutrient
sufficient and healthy, without
the confusing costume.