Supplements

I was asked to teach a class next week about supplements. That's a broad subject, so I thought this would be a good place to pinpoint a few supplement considerations.

When I choose supplements I figure that I get what I pay for. I also want to consider where I buy them. Is there rapid turnover and is the shelving out of direct sunlight? Are the bottles opaque?

Right now, I take very few supplements. I take MAXgxl, which increases my body's own capacity to make glutathione. That's a powerful antioxidant that has numerous functions in our body from protecting eyesight to chelating heavy metals out of the body, quenching free radicals, and eliminating inflammation.

I also take Vitamin D, in a liquid form. I prefer Apex Energetics because their product is fresh, needs to be refrigerated and is date stamped. This is a professional supplement line, similar to Standard Process or Biotics Research. These are available through chiropractors, nutritionists, and other professionals.

When you think about taking calcium, consider what will be most usable. It's certainly not calcium from coral or oyster shells. Remember, they are super hard substances designed NOT to dissolve. Your body will need to work harder to break them down than it will to utilize calcium citrate, for example.

I'd love to be able to say that we don't need supplements. I really would! However, our food is only as good as the soil it is grown in. If you eat meat, consider what the food is that your food is eating. If we live in an area that has soil deficient in iodine, our food will be lacking in that important nutrient. If there has been a lot of phosphates added to amend the soil, our food will have an imbalance in that nutrient.

That old saying from back in the day, "You are what you eat." is still true.

So, supplement decisions are complex. We all get that. I advise clients to take a bottle of trace minerals, by a company called Trace Minerals, once a year. I suggest that raw pumpkin seed butter is a good source of zinc. Pumpkin seeds are also thought to be a good way to rid the intestines of parasites. I view it as a supplement that I eat about 3 times a week.

There are great resources at natural food stores. Usually books abound there for resource informaton. Some stores have trained help in this department. Ask questions and educate yourself. If you don't want to take any supplements, I have a few suggestions for whole foods to include in your diet.

Sea vegetables and seaweed, organic bone broths, eat a WIDE VARIETY of fruits, vegetables, and herbs. Eat grass fed beef, poultry, wild game, and wild caught fish. Eat raw dairy if you can tolerate dairy. Whole grains in moderation and variety. Try some that might be new to you: quinoa, kamut, triticale, kasha, wahini rice, buckwheat groats.

Cultured foods provide probiotics that feed the gut and enhance absorption. Try making your own kefir, saurekraut, yogurt, pickles, and more. Remember not to boil them. It kills the good bacteria.

For more information on increasing the nutritive value of food, selecting food, preparing food, and learning how our food is often sub-par, check out Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon. Also see the Weston A. Price Foundation website, headed by Sally Fallon. This is a great organization to be a part of if you really want to maximize your food knowledge in a usable way.