For years now we have heard that supplementing our diets with vitamins and minerals will help us to be healthier by supplying our bodies with nutrients that are not received by the foods we eat. The media has documented the many studies that have been performed to conclude vitamin and mineral supplements are beneficial to our health. As most of us have been led to believe, the supplements that are sold over the counter can be beneficial to our health if taken as prescribed.

The marketing of some supplements make it sound like these products are wonder remedies that can eliminate certain health conditions. Some companies even claim that their products are the only ones that contain certain key ingredients or are manufactured using unique methods.

Are these claims actually valid though? Do these products really supply your body and your cells with vital nutrients that are needed for optimum health? The shocking truth is that most supplements sold in stores are not beneficial to your health as claimed! In fact, they can even be quite harmful under certain circumstances.

First of all, almost all vitamin and mineral supplements that are sold in grocery stores and pharmacies contain ingredients that are synthetic. This means they are not natural and have been formulated in a lab somewhere.

Another important point is that synthetic supplements contain vitamins and minerals that are only fractions of real nutrients. It is almost like getting only 6 eggs in a 12- egg carton. Thus, most supplement products sold either at a drug store, grocery store, or any other supplement store will contain these synthetic nutrients and are not full factors of vitamins and minerals.

The Dangers of Synthetic Nutrients!

There have been studies done to show that many people who ingest synthetic supplements have these pills still in their digestive tract somewhere. If a supplement is all –natural and in whole food form then this will never happen since the body easily and readily processes the ingredients accordingly because they are recognizable to the cells. When an ingredient is foreign (synthetic), the body doesn’t know what to do with it many times and can sit in your system indefinitely. Don’t let this happen to you!

GOD created fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, roots, and sea plants to supply our bodies with all of the nutrients that our cells require for optimum health. These GOD given whole foods are the only true source of nutrients that our bodies recognize and benefit from. Through photosynthesis and other divine processes, these natural foods draw up nutrients out of the soil through their roots and convert them into a form that our bodies can recognize and absorb.

Synthetic supplements can actually cause a person harm. If taken long term, remnants of these synthetics can be stored in a person’s joints and cause arthritic conditions and other joint problems.

They may even get stored in the liver or kidneys and cause deposits that impact your overall health. Additionally, in an attempt to process these synthetic nutrients, the body will actually use up vitamins and minerals to try to rid it of these unrecognizable compounds.

It does not make any sense to take a product that will strip you of vital nutrients when you are trying to receive these nutrients in the first place. Therefore, most of the products out at the market are a waste of money and can harm you. Additionally, store bought supplements are usually made with ingredients such as artificial colors, crude oils, coal tar, pesticides and other contaminants that can be toxic to your cells.

Many of the products you see in the market have also been sitting on a shelf for indefinite periods of time. Some products on the shelf may be years old. I would strongly recommend staying away from such products. You need to learn how to read labels if you are to find a good supplement but as I have discovered there are not many in most stores.

Your body can only recognize and absorb substances that are natural and in whole food form. Fruits and vegetables contain nutrients in perfect ratios and proportions. Vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, amino acids, bioflavanoids and other bionutrients are in perfect balance in these foods. Your cells can only be nourished with the perfect ratios and proportions of these natural whole foods. God knows best!

Most supplements contain isolated nutrients, synthetic nutrients, and inappropriately combined nutrients. You can not just take individual nutrients from many sources and then combine them into one supplement. This is how many of the supplements on the market are manufactured. This method of combining and manufacturing results in a product that is not useful or healthy to your cells.

Even if a supplement contains all natural ingredients, it may not be serving you well. Nature and whole foods have the only perfect combination and proportions of nutrients. When you start pulling vitamins here and minerals there from many sources, you destroy these unique nutrient combinations and proportions that your cells require for proper assimilation and absorption.

As an analogy, let us take water for example. The molecular structure of water is H20. In this perfect structure you have a compound that is vital to life. Now, let us take the H2 (Hydrogen) away from the O (Oxygen) and you are left with 2 separate compounds. Hydrogen on its own can be very dangerous and highly explosive. Oxygen under certain circumstances can also be very dangerous and explosive.

Before the separation of the Hydrogen and Oxygen we had a substance that was very nourishing. After the separation, we have two volatile compounds that are no longer nourishing to your cells as before.

As you can see from this simple example, you can not go in and start separating substances because you change not only the molecular structure but also the health benefits of a particular compound.

Whole Food Supplements

Creating a whole food supplement is a very complex process. There are many factors to take into consideration when manufacturing a nutrition product. There are not many companies in the world that can create a whole food supplement that retains all the natural components required for your cells. My “motto" is if you are going to spend money on nutritional supplements then buy ones that are in whole food form and benefit your health. Why would you want to waste your money on inferior products, synthetic compounds, toxic fillers and isolated nutrients? Just buy the best and you will feel the results!

So, are there any nutritional supplements that are good for you and provide the benefits that are claimed? Well, through my personal experience and extensive research, there are not many products out there that can deliver nutrients in whole food form that is required by your cells.

There are some great products available at health food stores, however, you really need to know what you are looking for as far as ingredients and processing methods. It would be in your best interest to learn how to read labels and ingredients or find a qualified holistic health practitioner to help you.