Whole Food Supplements - In Nature's Perfect Balance

No matter which foods we choose and in what ratios we eat them, whole foods are better for you than refined foods or synthetic supplements. Everyone agrees raw honey is better for you than white sugar or that brown rice is better for you than white rice. Why should it be any different for synthetic vitamins and minerals? All refined foods much like synthetic vitamin and mineral supplements have been robbed of all the extra nutrients they naturally come with. So how can we expect them to be healthy for you? Since synthetic supplements are not in a natural form, our bodies have a hard time recognizing them.

The potency of a whole food or whole food supplement has much more to do with synergy than with actual nutrient levels. It is the combined effect of all the parts of the food, rather than the chemical effect of a single part, that is most important. This is because nature is all about balance and not potency.

If you are like me, you may also want to take live whole food based supplements to ensure you are getting an adequate array of nutrients in your diet. I strongly recommend real whole food based supplements as my first choice. Here are some things to look for in a whole food supplement:

• It is as close as possible to its natural form as possible to obtain nature’s perfect balance.
• Be sure the utmost care has been taken in all phases of its production, from growing its ingredients, to short transportation times, to manufacturing, testing for potency and quality control. Make sure the product was not heated to exceed 115 degrees during the manufacturing process which will break down some nutrients.
• Try to select from companies that have a long track record of providing high quality live whole food nutritional products.

Whole Food Supplements verus Synthetic Supplements

Americans are now spending more than $17 billion a year on supplements for health and wellness. Remarkably, the rates of some forms of chronic disease have not changed, while the rates of others have actually increased. I guess it is fair to say that most manufactured supplements aren't helping very much. A big reason is they are isolated nutrients or synthetic nutrients that are not natural and they are never found by themselves in nature. Nature does not produce any nutrient in an isolated form. The nutrients in foods are blended together in a specific way and work best in that format. For an isolated nutrient to work properly in the body, it needs all the other parts that are naturally present in the balance of natural food. Unfortunately, science has not even discovered all the nutrients present yet and they cannot duplicate the natural combinations that give whole foods natures’ perfect balance.

Taking these isolated manufactured nutrients, especially at the ultra-high doses found in manufactured formulas today, is more like taking a drug. Studies show the body treats these isolated and synthetic nutrients like foreign substances. Has your urine ever turned florescent yellow after taking a manufactured pill or capsule supplement? Rapid excretion happens when a foreign substance is in your body but live whole foods and whole food based supplements are never treated like this by your body no matter how much you eat.

Whole Foods - What's Good for You?

Hundreds of diet books place foods into "good" and "bad" categories. Some foods, such as carrots, are considered bad because of their high glycemic index, a ranking system for carbohydrates according to their effect on blood glucose and insulin levels. Meanwhile, blueberries are considered a "power food" because of their antioxidant properties. These claims may lead to confusion and are not always based on sound scientific evidence. Total diet, or your overall eating pattern of food, is the most important focus of a healthful eating lifestyle, according to the American Dietetic Association. All foods can fit within this pattern if consumed in moderation with appropriate portion size and combined with regular physical activity.

Many Americans have become more conscious of diet and nutrition, in part because of the Internet, the media and food labeling, more than 72 million people are obese. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention attributes this contradiction to Americans still looking for the quick fix or magic bullet. With the current American lifestyles and time challenges, physical activity is not always a priority. And in the world of "supersized" servings, we have lost our ability to judge correct portion size. Unfortunately, this trend has also been accompanied by widespread confusion, with complaints that nutrition education is focused on what not to eat, instead of what to eat, according to the American Dietetic Association.

Dangers of Junk Food and Fast Food

Today, consumers are becoming more aware of the dangers of junk food and fast food. Obesity rates are at their highest levels ever and conditions such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol are showing up in young children. The pressure is mounting as bans on Trans Fats are now being passed into law. Super markets are overflowing with unhealthy processed foods that are sold for taste and not for nutritional value.

Parents across the country are insisting that schools shift to healthier foods and more exercise for the kids. People everywhere are searching for answers and looking for what they need from of unhealthy food supply. Their is a need for healthy, convenient whole foods that can replace the junk food and fast food in their lives. This will prove to be the largest mass consumer shift that we've seen in decades because it involves a product that everyone uses every day..... FOOD.

Check out this report to understand the severity of the problem.