One of the most irritating things in life is being misquoted. Taken out of context.
I think this is one of the reasons our body may not respond to vitamin supplementation in the most optimal way. Context. A powerful thing to consider when approaching health through vitamin supplementation.
Is the Vitamin C we find in the bottle the same as the vitamin C in an orange? Of course not. Is it good enough? Maybe. And yet…perhaps not.
A good friend of mine brought this to my attention at a seminar a few weeks ago as we were discussing supplementation. And more specifically, the supplement product that I have spent the last few years researching and developing. Sometimes criticism is hard, however with some reflection I see her point.
Ascorbic acid. One of the vitamins we recognize as important to human health. Even ‘essential’. When we consider that the overwhelming majority of vitamins sold and consumed are of the synthetic variety and quite different from the whole food form, is it safe to assume that we are getting ‘good enough’ when it comes to providing our body with the vitamin building blocks it needs for optimal function? The vitamin C that I put in my product is likely just a shadow of the C that is present in that whole food orange. A simple fact.
So the better answer must be to consume ‘natural’ supplements, if we can and we make them available. And another though, what does ‘natural’ really mean? This term has been so abused in the food industry the word carries very little weight and credence.
For me what makes sense is to provide our body with supplements in whole food form as much as possible. The enzymes, antioxidants, co-factors and other bio-active forms are most available and vital when consumed in whole food context. The challenge is finding adequate nutrition in the food we eat. Are we starving our body of nutrients by eating what is convenient and cheap? Are we willing to dedicate a larger portion of our spending to more nutritious, local and bio-rich food? As our food industry continues to produce and invent foods that are less prone to spoilage…that must survive journeys sometimes of thousands of miles…are we getting ‘natural’ food that has sufficient nutrient value and content?
The way we consume and shop determines this. Every time we check out at the coop, local market, supermarket, convenience store or warehouse retailer…we vote. Are we supporting and voting for farming and distribution practices that support whole food and optimal nutrition? Or are we taking the easier way out and hoping…crossing our fingers…that the super store vitamin at a bargain price will provide our cells the nutrition that is conducive to optimal health?
Granted…I have asked more questions that I have provided answers for here. However that is my intention. Rock the boat a bit, stimulate some thought and personal scrutiny.
We are what we eat! Even more so…we are what we absorb and build our cells from…All 75 trillion of them!
IN-JOY your health!
Perry
Dr. Chinn is a 1986 Life University graduate (Marietta), has been practicing for 37 years, currently in NW Montana. He has served as a board member and vice-president of the Gonstead Clinical Studies Society. As a Gonstead technique diplomate, Dr. Chinn is authorized to teach and coach the Gonstead system to other doctors of chiropractic. He is the author of Symphony of Wellness and Soaring Beyond Fear (www.PerryChinn.com), his book Symphony of Wellness (now in an expanded 3rd edition) focuses on the science and benefits of the Nobel Prize winning science of nitric oxide for cardiovascular health and whole body wellness. He is available for keynote speaking and coaching. Dr. Chinn can be reached at DrPChinn@gmail.com