Vitamins–Not all create equal!

 

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Oh blog family, how I’ve missed you! I apologize for the week-long hiatus. If I were to tell you that I’m a mother, wife, homemaker, AND business owner, you’d probably say –Enough Said! On top of that I’ve been focusing a lot of my time and energy on a very special project that we are nearly finished with, but I am still sorry for my absence.

I want you to know that I put a lot of time, research, and preparation into these posts because I want them to be valuable and accurate for you, so you’ll never see me just throw something together thoughtlessly. This post is no different, and that’s why it has taken me awhile. Sometimes there are posts I write that remind me that I could do better as well. This is one of them. (another blessing of this blog)

We’ve been asked since we were kids, did you remember to take your vitamins? I was bummed to learn that all vitamins are not created equal. Some are moderately real, others are moderately synthetic, and other are clearly synthetic (like the ones I accidentally bought a couple of years ago that were PINK…and not because they had beet juice!)

It makes sense. You figure they have got to attempt to take naturally occurring vitamins, minerals, etc. and pack them into a little pill. Of course if you want to enjoy the full range of benefits from different vitamins and minerals, you can rarely expect to get them from a capsule. They go with the fruits, vegetables, grains, and the like, that they are naturally occurring in. So if you expect to supplement your poor diet with vitamins to make up the difference, I think you’ll be disappointed when it doesn’t work! With that said, it does help sometimes to add to the healthy foods we are already eating.

Below are excerpts from great pages of information. After reading the paragraphs, click on them to read the entire article. This first one discusses the difference between some of the compounds you’ll read on the side of different vitamin bottles.

Most vitamins available for sale are synthetic, and are very difficult for the body to absorb.  In fact, they can even be harmful due to the unnecessary stresses they place upon the kidneys, and the overall immune system.  As something unknown and unnatural, chemically synthesized 'vitamins' are potentially toxic, and therefore trigger an immune response, which makes a body fatigued, and more prone to illnesses.

This next article goes into detail about the different compounds found in vitamins. I had never thought of some of these points! Take your vitamin bottles out and read the following article. You’ll see what they are talking about! They also have a chart educating you on how to read the labels. I'll be printing it out for my next vitamin purchases! 

When we say natural or whole food supplements, we're speaking of products that contain the total complex family of micro-nutrients (known and unknown) just as they are found in nature. These micro-nutrients are indispensable for proper vitamin absorption and maximum utilization. That's the only way you can have optimum nutrition. Synthetic vitamins lack this wonderfully marvelous supporting family.

I know…it’s eye opening! These are “vitamins” we read on the side of our cereal boxes, and other boxes of processed food where we are thinking…Look at all the vitamins and minerals found in this food I’m eating! I’m speaking to myself here as well! Just further proof that nature still always knows best!

Here’s one more for the road. It’s full of useful information on discerning which vitamins are beneficial…and which are the opposite!

The problem is that vitamins, when isolated or synthesized are not in their original form (apples, oranges, broccoli, spinach etc.) and they are merely chemicals. Our bodies do not recognize chemical vitamins as usable nutrients, because they don’t work the same way as whole foods.

Foods contain more than just vitamins; they also contain cofactors, enzymes and helper nutrients that allow vitamins to work. Foods are never found in high potency, so you won’t suffer any toxic side effects that have been proven to exist with all chemical vitamin pills. It is nearly impossible to overdose vitamins in its original whole food form.

As always…just some food for thought. I hope that this brings clarity for the next time you’re walking down the vitamin aisle and have THOUSANDS of little bottles staring you down!

del.icio.us Tags: Vitamins,Whole Foods,All natural vitamins,synthetic vitamins,chemical vitamins,Minerals,Children's Vitamins,Prenatal Vitamins,Multi-vitamins