Whole Food Natural
Vitamin Supplements
Avoid synthetic Vitamins (e.g. beta-carotene, pyridoxine hydrochloride, retinol, palmitate, pteroylglutamic acid, thiamin mononitrate, thiamin hydrochloride, ascorbic acid). Instead look for natural whole food vitamins that use names of foods you can recognize such as green pepper, wheat grass, brewers yeast, soybean, alfalfa, or acerola cherry.
Units seen on the Label: mg = milligrams, IU = International Units. Individual nutrients are usually listed with the mg amount or IU for the nutrient.
Whole food ingredients are usually listed in a “Proprietary Blend” with the total mg of the blend listed.
Common Types of Vitamins Used in Supplements
- Crystalline: Means it had a natural food as its original source but was treated with various high-powered chemicals, solvents, heat and distillations to reduce it down to one specific pure crystalline vitamin or amino acid and hence is no longer natural. It no longer has its synergistic components, that is, its enzymes, coenzymes, minerals, mineral activators, and co-vitamin helpers. It has been reduced to a pure crystalline powder with one definite simple chemical structure. In this form it is but one simple phase of the complete VITAMIN COMPLEX.
- Synthetic: Means that in the laboratory the scientist has reconstructed the exact structure of the CRYSTALLINE molecule by “putting together” or chemically combining the same molecules from other sources. On the label for either synthetic or crystalline vitamins, only the chemical name of the single vitamin is usually given. Legally it is not necessary to give the sources from which the synthetic chemical is derived.
- Natural: Natural means vitamins as found in natural foods untampered with in anyway that might change their molecular, their biological or biochemical combinations, or their action. This usually means that only the fiber and moisture are removed. The natural vitamins and other nutrients are still intact as nature intended. All labels of truly NATURAL food concentrates should indicate the exact food source from which the vitamin is obtained. Naturals are much more expensive because they are perishable and every precaution must be taken to preserve their LIFE and INTEGRETY. Synthetics are “dead”, inert, cheaper and present much less expensive handling problems. As with inert material, greater mass production creates bargain prices. Whenever possible, natural whole-food supplements are preferable to synthetic or crystalline forms of vitamins.
|
ASIDE: Every factor needed in human nutrition that has ever been isolated by scientific man from any vegetation is found in the cereal grasses (e.g. wheat grass, barley grass, etc). These natural potencies contained within the grasses are infinitesimal compared to synthetics or crystallines, but they are in
nature’s own balance
. They carry
their own synergists
(minerals, mineral activators, enzymes, coenzymes, amino acids, vitamins, etc.), all closely balanced and bound together by nature.
They are “alive” and ready to function
without chemically upsetting nature’s delicate balance in the human body. They are not a man-made chemical or drug. |
|
When reading Labels:
- Avoid synthetic Vitamins (e.g. beta-carotene, pyridoxine hydrochloride, retinol, palmitate, pteroylglutamic acid, thiamin mononitrate, thiamin hydrochloride, ascorbic acid). (This Page)
- Look for amino acid chelated minerals (e.g. chromium chelavite, magnesium chelazome) that are easily identifiable by their suffix of chelavite, chelate or chelazome.
Chelated Minerals
- Many herbal supplements have begun to use “standardized extracts”. A standardized extract simply means that the manufacturer has extracted the portion of the herb that is believed to be the active ingredient.
Herbs for Medicine
- Look for a plant enzyme supplement and avoid pancreatic or animal enzymes. Be sure that the supplement label uses FCC units, such as LU, DU, CU rather than milligrams on the label.
Enzymes Supplements
- Probiotic supplements should include several different types of bacteria (at least eight different strains), and should list each of the individual microflora found in the supplement by their Latin name with a count of how many of these live cultures are found in each capsule or serving.
Probiotics
Return to
How to Read Supplement Labels.
Top of page
Whole Food Natural Vitamin Supplements
|
