There are hundreds of thousands of vitamin supplements available
on today's market. You can buy them at health food stores, drug stores,
grocery stores, various retailers, through health care professionals and on the
Internet.
When Choosing A Supplement, How Do You Determine Which One To Buy?
·
The package design?
·
The manufacturer?
·
The ingredients?
·
The label claims?
·
Where it's made?
How do you know for sure you are getting the best supplement for
your body and your health?
There are two basic types of nutritional supplements.
1.
Brand A (whole food supplement) Whey (milk) protein powder, flax
meal powder, brown rice protein powder, calcium citrate, magnesium citrate,
buckwheat juice powder, Brussels sprouts (whole plant), kale, choline
bitartrate, inositol, barley grass, alfalfa juice powder, soybean lecithin
powder, grape (seed) extract, carrot powder, red wine extract.
2.
Brand B (isolate-based supplement) Calcium Carbonate, Magnesium Oxide,
Potassium Chloride, Cellulose, Ascorbic Acid, dl-alpha Tocopherol Acetate,
Acacia, Croscarmellose Sodium, Zinc Oxide, Di calcium Phosphate, Steric Acid,
Dextrin, Titanium Dioxide, Niacinimide, Silicon Dioxide, Hypromellose, Gelatin,
Soy Extract, Magnesium Sterate, Calcium Silicate, d-Calcium Pantothenate,
Magnesium Sulfate, Polyethylene Glycol, Corn Starch, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride,
Mannitol, Cupric Oxide, Resin, Lecithin, Riboflavin, Thiamine Mononitrate,
Vitamin A Acetate, Chromium Chloride, Folic Acid, Dextrose, Betacarotene,
FD&C Red #40 Lake, FD&C Blue #2 Lake, Sodium Selenate, Biotin,
Phytonadione, Cyanocobalamine, Ergocalciferol.
In Brand A, vitamins and nutrients are derived mainly from
recognizable food sources. In Brand B, the vitamins and nutrients are
man-made chemical isolates not recognized as food sources.
How To Properly Read A Label
It can be very confusing to determine the true value of a
supplement. Understanding the label will help you know if you are taking
a quality supplement.
Where do the nutrients come from?
Look at the ingredients on the food label. Do you recognize
any of them? Just like any other food label, the nutrients are listed in
a particular order and some manufacturers put the source next to the
nutrient. In a quality, wholesome product, you will recognize and be able
to pronounce most of the ingredients on the label.
What is the importance of whole food ingredients?
Only whole food ingredients can provide you with all the
nutrients contained within the food. For example, in brand B, the sixth ingredient
is dl-alpha Tocopherol Acetate. This is not a food ingredient. It
is an isolated component of the vitamin E complex. These nutrients are
only available by consuming natural, whole food forms of vitamin E, such as
wheat germ oil, pea vine, green leafy vegetables, nuts, and sunflower seeds.
To be Effective, Don't I need 100 % of the Daily Value?
We often think that more is better. However, when choosing
supplements, quality is far more important than quantity. A small amount
of a vitamin in whole food form is far more important to the human body than
the large dose of an isolated vitamin. This is because the isolated form
is just a fraction of the whole and is missing important nutrients that the
body needs. Taking more of the isolated form will not make up for these
deficiencies. In fact, it will create larger deficiencies within the
body, as the body will have to lose vital nutrients from its stores in an
effort to process the excess of the isolates.
Going Beyond The Label
Just like any recipe, the quality of the ingredients you use
affects the quality of the final product. Therefore, it's important to
answer these questions when evaluating a supplement and its effectiveness.
1.
Where Do The Ingredients Come From?
Manufactureres
who grow many of their ingredients have the unique ability to control quality
of the ingredient from seed to supplement. Some of the manufacturers own
certified organic farms to further enhance the quality of their ingredients.
2. When Are Ingredients
Processed?
When you
buy a tomato, you inspect it for quality. You wouldn't knowingly buy one
that was mushy and bruised. This same principle holds true for when
ingredients are prime for harvest. Different foods reach their peak
nutrient value during different times within the growing season. Pea
vine, for example, is at its peak during the flowering stage. Once
harvested, food begins to lose its value. It is perishable like the
tomato. If there is a delay of hours, days, or months from when the
ingredient is harvested to when it's processed, many of its very delicate
phytonutrients are lost.
3. Are The
Ingredient's Vital Factors Retained?
Each
ingredient has its own set of rules in relation to how to best package its
vital life. The manufacturing process needs to retain the vital nutrients
within the ingredients. Too much heat will destroy enzymes and
phytonutrients. The manufacturer should use a low-temperature,
high-vacuum process to make sure that the ingredient's nutrients are preserved.
Consult With Your Health Care Professional
You trust your health care professional to provide quality
care. It is important to speak with them about the supplements you are
taking. They can provide recommendations and advice to you regarding
quality brands. They can also help you determine which supplements you
need based upon your individual needs. With their help and guidance, you
will know the supplements you are taking are working best for you.
What We Can Offer To You
Dr. Huntoon has always believed in quality over quantity.
This is evidenced by seeing practice members when their body says, not fitting
them into some multiple appointment schedule months in advance. Dr.
Huntoon has always been an advocate of good high quality whole food nutrition,
as well as good high quality whole food supplements. Standard Process is
the main company used within the office because of their integrity and
quality. Since 1929, Standard Process has committed to strict
manufacturing guidelines and has never changed that philosophy. And time
and time again, when a "new" miracle nutrient is discovered and
touted as being a breakthrough in nutritional science, invariably, the
"new" ingredient is already contained in their high quality whole
food supplements.
At Advanced Alternative Medicine Center, we believe that given
the proper nutrition, your body has amazing capabilities of healing
itself. We also believe that nutrition should be individualized to meet
each person's needs. For these reasons and many more, we proudly
recommend Standard Process whole food supplements
specific for your personal health picture.
My Offer To You
For anyone interested in having their current supplements
evaluated for quality and effectiveness, simply call the office and ask us
to put you in for the "I want my supplements evaluated
Evaluation." During the whole summer, I offer this to any
current and potential practice members as a gift to you. That's right, It's FREE!!! But don't wait! This
offer expires on Labor Day, so please take advantage of this $75.00 value during the Summer, and
call to schedule this during your next regularly scheduled office
visit. Bring any and all of your vitamins and supplements with you, and
we will make sure to test all of them. If we find that something isn't
working for you, we will recommend a suitable replacement and be sure to find
the appropriate dosage specific to you. Don't wait for the end of the
Summer to arrive. Take advantage of this opportunity sooner, as your
health can only benefit from the correct nutritional supplementation.
Waiting delays progress. And had we started sooner, we could have
arrived before now!
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