At the time of this post, I’m 57 years old. The photo to the left of this text is current. You can click it for a closeup view (grin).
I’ve been using high quality, whole food supplements since I was 17 years old (40 years) with excellent results. I am by definition a “professional food supplementer”. Which means, I take supplementation seriously, make it a daily priority, focus on value over price and my supplements are the FIRST thing that comes out of my monthly food budget. I consider the nutrition I get from food as “value added”.
I’ve enjoyed great health all my life up to the current day, have no symptoms, aches, pains or physical complaints, feel great almost of the time and have had NO health problems requiring medical or pharmaceutical intervention my entire adult life (other than stitches, hernia, a broken ankle and a rare antibiotic for dental related issues). I don’t vaccinate and I can’t remember the last time I ever caught a cold or came down with the flu.
On this page I’m going to share what I believe are the KEYS to optimal results from food supplements based on my lifetime of experience and observation of the benefits not only in my own life but in the lives of others I’ve observed with similar results. I hope you get some value from this post.
#1: Quality Counts!
When it comes to supplements, you get what you pay for.
This doesn’t mean the most expensive are always the best. But it does mean the cheapest are almost always synthetic crap and not worth wasting your money on.
The problem with the supplement industry is it is highly unregulated. Numerous products have been pulled from the retail shelves for not containing what is advertised on the labels or worse, containing toxic substances.
When choosing a food supplement stay as close to nature as possible and look for products backed by scientific research, clinical use by naturopathic physicians and backed by respected 3rd party testing and verification by qualified experts.
These supplements cost more but what’s your health worth to you? If you want the best results from your supplements go for quality backed by research and clinical results. Avoid cheap man made synthetics and don’t buy your supplements at Walmart, Costco or the local dollar store for goodness sakes!
#2: Nutritional VALUE is More Important Than Bottom Line Price!
Consider the nutritional bang for your buck. What would it cost to acquire the nutritional value you are getting from your supplements from food? Could you even do it? How much would you have to eat?
Our foods are processed and adulterated, our food crops are sprayed with toxins and have been genetically modified and our soils have become seriously depleted of nutrients over the last 70+ years.
Common sense should warn us that this is the real cause of many of the degenerative disease conditions we suffer from. We are simply not getting the necessary levels of nutrients to support and promote optimal health from the foods we eat. Many of the foods we eat do us more harm than good. To counteract these negative effects we need MORE nutrition but we are getting less.
Quality Full Spectrum supplementation is essential to good health in today’s modern world.
#3: Build on a Full Spectrum Foundation
Most supplements sold in the retail outlets are cheap synthetic isolated vitamins or fractional nutrient formulas. When a person walks into a store and buys a bottle of vitamin A, and a bottle of Vitamin C etc they are basically playing bio-chemist with their body and only providing themselves with just one small missing piece of their nutritional pie.
These isolated nutrients often trigger bio-chemical processes in the body, many of which are dependent on the presence of other (missing) nutrients or trace minerals to maximize their full benefit.
Taking isolates alone can cause problems at worse or interfere with the effectiveness of the nutrient at best. This is why so many vitamin studies have produced limited results and gotten a bad rap. Most of the research has been conducted using synthetic isolates not whole food based full spectrum formulas with additional higher dosages of specific nutrients!
Nutrients aren’t found isolated in nature. They are found in groups that have synergistic relationships with each other. For example in an egg, the yolk is loaded with cholesterol and the white contains lecithin which helps to emulsify and escort cholesterol though the body properly.
While increasing specific nutrients can have a beneficial effect it’s always better in my opinion to lay a full spectrum foundation that includes ALL the essential nutrients needed by the body in a synergistic whole food based supplement then add to it as needed.
Dr. Megan Saunders N.D. Discusses full spectrum foundational supplementation
#4: Persistence and Consistency
Supplements aren’t drugs. They take time to manifest their benefits. How much time? It depends on the individual. Often people stop supplementing too soon because they haven’t gotten the result they were after right away.
I can’t stress this enough. The key to optimal results with food supplements it consistency. Taking them every day just like eating every day.
The body knows what it needs and in the initial stages of supplementation, the body will often apply it’s new found nutritional support to unseen areas and conditions it chooses to. That may or may not be what you consciously think it should be. This is another reason having a way to monitor yourself and track your progress is important. A good way to do this is with this self health assessment.
However the long term health benefits derived from proper supplementation come from consistent, uninterrupted daily consumption. This is not a part time hobby or a fad that we go on and off. Supplementation becomes a daily priority just like eating, breathing and brushing our teeth.
While supplementation takes effect immediately the benefits may take time to become fully obvious. For instance you might notice a new surge of energy or general sense of well being within a week or two but you might not notice you no longer succumb to colds, hay fever and such for a couple years. It depends on your body and your current state of health and level of nutrient depletion.
Some key times that stand out to me are 30 days, 90 days, 6 months, 1 year and 7 years. Science estimates that every 7 years every cell in our body has been replaced. So if you really want to know what the full benefits of supplementation combined with a healthy diet are… do BOTH for 7 years.
#5: Adverse Side Effects and Symptoms
On occasion, when some people start a nutritional regimen, they initially feel worse before they feel better. Symptoms can include headaches, tiredness, nausea, diarrhea etc. As long as it’s not a food allergy these symptoms are nothing to be too concerned about and typically pass quickly within a few days and one day you wake up feeling like a new person. There are various possible explanations for this. I liken it to a type of detoxification. The body get’s new quality stuff for building cells and it starts taking out the trash. However if you are on medications it’s probably a good idea to check with your doctor (or better still pharmacist) to determine if there are any interactions or if the nutrients could counteract the effects of the drugs then make your own decision on how you wish to proceed.
Conclusion
I discovered the value and power of quality whole food supplementation when I was 17. Unfortunately my initial search for real health solutions that led me ultimately to an understanding and appreciation of diet and nutritional supplementation was prompted by my Mother’s unsuccessful bout with cancer. The first education regarding the value of quality whole food based supplements came through the Shaklee corporation. When I was young they had more nutritional research scientists than the next three leading nutritional supplement companies combined and their products were clinically tested and verified.
Currently I use Youngevity Supplements because my research and experience indicate they are the best of the best. They are based on the infamous 12 year field research project headed up by Marlin Perkins and Dr. Joel Wallach that resulted in doubling the lifespans of animals and eliminating hundreds of diseases in the animal kingdom that still plague human beings. These formulas were adapted to human beings and have been used successfully by numerous highly respected naturopathic physicians in Natural Healthcare clinics for many years with excellent results. They are 3rd party tested… verified and NSF and IFOS certified for purity, ingredients and potency and have produced more consistent health benefits and positive health transformations in more people than any other I have researched. I will let Dr. Glidden finish this article in his own words…
Dr. Peter Glidden N.D. – Why Youngevity?
