The following is a very long article, but if you're seriously considering nutritional supplements, I believe it will help a great deal as you go about choosing the best investment for your own health. If you don't have time for this now, bookmark this page and make sure to read it before finalizing your decision!
This information is the product of yours truly, Steve McCardell. Everything here is based on my own extensive research and amounts to my personal conclusions. I am degreed as a Holistic Consultant and have ghostwritten books on health and nutrition. I do not hold any medical or chemistry degree, but have spoken with the developers of several nutritional supplements (doctors and chemsists) in coming to the following conclusions. I hope this helps.
A NOTE OF CAUTION: People can have allergic reactions to any food and, as a result, you should always take care when trying a new supplement. If it's in liquid form, rub a bit inside your elbow and see if your skin reacts. If it doesn't, take the supplement in SMALL DOSES to begin and see how your body reacts. Even if you're not allergic, you may experience detox effects, and it's better to go through those gently.
The two supplements I recommend, for instance, both contain aloe, which is widely considered a sort of miracle plant, but some people don't do well with aloe. Likewise, one supplement I recommend contains sea vegetables that Westerners are generally unaccustomed to in their diets. If you were to follow my recommendation on this one, give your body some time to adjust!
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Nutritional supplements are an important health investment in today's world for several reasons:
- Nutrients in the soil are generally depleted far below levels of 100 years ago, so that our food supply has fewer nutrients.
- We tend to eat more packaged foods.
- We're bombarded by environmental poisons, like smog and radiation, far more than we were 100 years ago.
- And our fast-paced lives lead to a lot of stress.
But if we're going to take supplements to help our bodies through these conditions, choosing between supplements becomes something of a big deal. We want to be well, but we want to make sure that we're investing in the best option at hand.
As a Holistic Consultant with a special interest in nutrition, I've explored my supplement options carefully and want to show you how I've selected the supplements I take ... in the hope that my process can be of use to you.
FIRST: A Word of Introduction
Before we get started, it seems wise to point out that there's a LOT of money to be made in health supplements these days, and therefore there's a LOT of hype and there are a lot of claims. (I talk more about the money side later in this article.) Obviously everyone wants to tout their supplements as the best.
The fact is, you can get plenty of health testimonials about any product out there. I have seen people respond very well to the products I recommend and to other products as well. Yes, I have seen some astounding results. There are claims of everything from increased energy and clarity to people getting off medications, healing from cancer and diabetes, and so on.
I personally know people who HAVE seen symptoms immediately disappear (inside of 5 minutes in one case), who DID decrease medication use, who started going through winters without colds, and so on. I have also seen people get quite ill and others go through substantial detox from products on the market.
Some of these results could be due to the placebo effect. (Though there have been many claims of similar results with animals.) Some could be rumors. Others are almost certainly due to the body suddenly getting nutrients it needed.
The point to this article isn't to put down any supplements on the market, but to point out how I have selected the products my family uses and why I feel they are likely to provide the some of the best results for the most people.
Keep in mind that a major benefit of health supplements (as with a healthy diet) is the potential to PREVENT disease, so we don't always see results except in what we DON'T get. That makes it challenging to objectively compare the results of various supplements. In the end, there's an element of faith in the benefits of nutritional supplements.
But if you understand that the body operates -- for better or for worse -- on the nutrients we provide it, then you understand up front that supplementing is one of the best health investments you can make. So if it's worthwhile, yet it's hard to objectively compare products, then it makes sense to me to go by an underlying principle when choosing:
Get the widest variety of nutrients, as unaltered as possible, into the body. Then let the body do its thing.
With that in mind, here are my criteria for choosing health supplements, followed by the products that our family uses and that I recommend.
A Wide Spectrum of Nutrients
First in my equation is choosing something that provides a wide spectrum of nutrients. I don't want to spend half my income on health supplements, so I want to minimize the number of products I'm taking.
Yes, I'm familiar with premium products that, for instance, provide you with one specific mineral per product. If someone were very wealthy and had a lot of time on hand for taking supplements, or someone was constantly testing his/her body for precise nutrient needs, I might recommend that type of product.
But for most people, that just doesn't make sense. We need something that supports many, most, or even all of our body systems. I believe the best way of doing this (as with diet) is through a "well balanced supplement" -- that is, one that draws on the health benefits of many foods.
Note: There are a lot of supplements, one of which I used to take, focusing on the health benefits of anti-oxidants and claiming themselves the #1 option based on ORAC testing. (And these results can really confuse you if you don't understand ORAC tests.) Anti-oxidants are certainly important, but this singular focus neglects the body's needs for scores of nutrients. I recommend keeping this in mind.
A High Rate of Absorption
Of course all the nutrients in the world won't do you any good if your body isn't absorbing them. Since common sense tells us the body was designed to absorb nutrients best from whole foods (i.e., what was available from the beginning), it seems to me that we ought to look for supplements that come directly from whole foods ... and in the LEAST ALTERED STATE POSSIBLE.
When food is altered through heat or cold, grinding, compression, etc., it either loses nutrients and/or the cellular structure of those nutrients actually changes. In this case, the body may not get the same benefits from the nutrients. It's even possible that the altered structure causes more harm than good. I'll talk in a moment about the issue of pasteurization (heating), but if you choose a pasteurized supplement, look for those that have been "flash pasteurized," which minimizes damage to the nutrients.
Because absorption is so critical, I choose to look for liquid supplements rather than pills, as evidence suggests that liquid is more easily assimilated in the body. And, with what was said above ... I look for liquid supplements that are created from a variety of whole foods providing an even wider variety of nutrients. Supplements that are juiced, but otherwise unprocessed.
Pasteurization or Preservatives?
In the United States, due to FDA regulations, virtually every liquid supplement on the market is either pasteurized or preserved. (One of my recommended supplements is the only one I know of that uses neither process. More on that when I talk specifically about that supplement.) Because the heat from pasteurization can affect nutrients, many companies prefer to preserve, usually with potassium sorbate and/or potassium/sodium benzoate.
Neither option is ideal. In a perfect world, you would make your own juice fresh and drink it right away for optimal nutrition. (And in that ideal world, you would even "chew" your drink while it was in your mouth in order to mimic the natural digestive process, which starts in the mouth, and provide time for nutrients to absorb under the tongue. You can add these steps to taking any liquid supplement, however.)
Although "the establishment" pretty much says that these preservatives cause no harm except in the rare case of allergic reaction, many people have spoken out against them. I have NOT found conclusive evidence that they are harmful outside of allergy situations, so I don't avoid them as I do with many other additives. But I am cautious and prefer foods that don't contain them. If you do choose a preserved supplement, make sure to watch for allergic reactions early on.
The real issue I've discovered with preservatives comes up when the benzoates are in a drink that ALSO contains ascorbic acid (so-called vitamin C; ascorbic acid isn't actually vitamin C, though it's DERIVED from it). When benzoates and ascorbic acid meet, they can combine to form benzene, which is a known carcinogen (cancer-promoting agent). Heat, light, and shelf life all affect how much benzene may have formed within a drink. So be cautious of supplements mentioning both ingredients on their labels.
Meanwhile, I have spoken with the lead scientist of a Mangosteen juice that uses flash pasteurization rather than preservatives, and he assured me that, from their tests, the pasteurization causes minimal harm to the nutrients, and he strongly recommends avoiding the preservatives. Experts will disagree on this issue, so simply be aware of these two "unideals," and use them as a reminder that eating whole foods is really the best scenario of all.
Avoiding Other Problems
Other possible problems with supplements are those that contain:
- Fillers (many pills/tablets)
- Synthetic nutrients (such as ascorbic acid being considered vitamin C, even though it's different than the vitamin C found in whole foods)
- Additives. For instance, one VERY WELL KNOWN COMPANY that's supposed to have an outstanding commitment to pure supplements and environmental support includes caramel coloring in their tablets. Although there are various grades of this coloring (some worse for you than others), I couldn't figure out why they would include it at all, except as a matter of visual appeal. So I have bypassed that company for now.
With these criteria in mind, I understood that I could best supplement my diet with a wide variety of nutrients in liquid form through one of today's many beverage health supplements. There are plenty to choose from, but my criteria helped me to wade through.
- Some fell short because they had the bezene-forming combination.
- Some fell short because they focused too heavily on one health benefit (and/or one fruit or vegetable) rather than many.
- And frankly, some fell short because the company didn't make them easy enough to buy from stores or order through websites.
The Products We Use as a Family
Through that process, I came down to two products that I currently recommend. One, our family uses, but it's considerably more expensive than the other. So we recommend the second as an excellent alternative for those needing to minimize their investment. In fact, we provide both as choices to our clients after they take footbaths in our health center -- each can help to minimize detox symptoms and replenish nutrients in the body after the bath.
Incidentally, you should know the following: our top recommendation is a product sold only through qualified health practitioners and centers. It is sold "retail only."
The second is sold by word of mouth -- that means "network marketing." While the term leaves a bad taste in many people's mouths, understand that you can buy this product as a customer only -- you don't have to join anything. You don't have to sell anything. And you can get wholesale pricing even as a customer.
If you ever wanted to share this second product with others and earn some money from doing so, you would have my support. But this is NOT expected of a customer, and I recommend you only do this if you truly believe in the drink. For the purpose of trusting my recommendation, though, please know that we make more money selling products "retail" than we do by word of mouth.
Body Balance
This is the product I use from a company called Life Force. It's got a sharp cherry flavor that takes some getting used to, but it's well worth the adjustment period because of the variety of nutrients -- more than 120 -- inside.
I talked about the need for nutrient absorption above. Of course this is a liquid supplement derived from whole foods. But one thing I DIDN'T mention above is the need for cells -- once they've absorbed nutrients -- to properly communicate in order to USE those nutrients. There are 8 essential glyconutrients for our bodies which help with exactly that function ... and all 8 are found in Body Balance.
(For reference, these are: fucose, galactose, glucose, mannose, N-acetylglucosamine, N-acetylneuraminic acid, N-acetylgalactosamine, and xylose.)
The drink as a whole is primarily made up of aloe vera, 9 sea vegetables, and some honey to sweeten it.
Besides the glyconutrients, this combination provides the following nutrients:
Vitamins:
A, B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B12, C, D, E, K, beta-carotene, biotin, folic acid, niacin
4 Fatty Acids:
DHA, EPA, omega-3, omega-6
22 Minerals:
boron, calcium, chloride, chromium, cobalt, copper, fluoride (not the stuff used in toothpaste of course), iodine, iron, magnesium, manganese, molbdenum, nickel, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, silicon, sodium, strontium, tin, vanadium, zinc
Also 16 amino acids ... 29 phytonutrients ... 2 enzymes.
You can see from this list how well Body Balance meets my criteria of getting MANY nutrients into the body and USED. This is the key, and this is the kind of supplement I expect to stay with long-term because I'll know that it's getting a lot into my body that I'm not getting through my everyday diet.
This is the ONE PRODUCT that I currently recommend for EVERYONE to add to their diets, because I believe it has the most potential to do your body good. If you only want to try this product, you can actually get a FREE BOTTLE to try out, though you'll have to pay $7.95 U.S. for shipping and handling. Plus you have to commit to delivery of future bottles, but you can cancel that commitment up to 5 days before delivery.
Still, I recommend using this offer and sticking with the automatic shipments until you've tried the product for at least 2-3 months to experience results. (I recommend this for ANY supplement you try out.)
To enjoy the free bottle trial, CLICK HERE. You will need to enter the following number: 20599440
If you think you'd like to explore other products by Life Force as well, CLICK HERE.
OsteoProCare
This is another valuable product from Life Force -- it's a liquid calcium/mineral blend with glucosamine and chondroiton and is specifically developed for Bone & Joint Health. As a result, I don't NECESSARILY recommend this for everyone. You may not have issues with these.
However, there is something important here for everyone. OsteoProCare provides 120% of calcium in just one ounce a day, and the important point is that this isn't just calcium -- it's CHELATED CALCIUM.
What does that mean for you? It means that this is highly absorbable calcium, unlike much of the calcium we take in with our modern diets. Long-term, this can help to prevent osteoporosis. What I have also learned from a nurse, however, is that this calcium (orotate) can help to eliminate the other calcium that your body COULDN'T use and that it just stuck wherever it could ... which can cause all sorts of problems.
This is why you might consider adding this product to your daily regimen as well, even if you don't currently have bone and joint issues.
If you'd like to try out this product or any others from Life Force, please CLICK HERE.
Allergy Alert: OsteoProCare contains glucosamine hydrochloride derived from shellfish.
Products I Would Avoid
Life Force appears to be a company with real integrity. But I still have my differences of opinion about some of their ingredients, and therefore don't recommend all of their products. While I haven't studied the ingredients of ALL their products yet, there are two that I've found so far that I personally avoid:
FlexeoPlus
This is a product that they recommend you take in tandem with OsteoProCare because, while the latter includes glucosamine, FlexeoPlus offers a highly concentrated dose of glucosamine (as well as MSM and ipriflavone). It is supposed to focus more on the joints while OsteoProCare focuses a bit more on the bones themselves.
However, if you've bravely made it through this entire article, you'll remember what I said about potassium benzoate and ascorbic acid. Together, they can form benzene, so any product that has both of these is a product I avoid. And FlexeoPlus, sadly, has this mixture.
TrueGreens
This is their vegetarian "super-food supplement." There are a number of similar products on the market, and I'll be writing about my recommended product (NOT a network marketing product) soon. These powders are used to produce highly potent "green drinks," loaded with nutrients.
My issue with TrueGreens: soy. Soy is one of its main ingredients. You may personally think that's a great addition, and if so, you can check this product out. But based on my research, I've finally concluded that soy is NOT the miracle food it's made out to be, and that it may actually be a bad idea to consume much of it. I still DO eat soy, but I do so in moderation, and would never supplement my diet with it.
Conclusion
So there you have it ... a wealth of information on MY approach to choosing supplements, and details on the one I actually use. If you're seriously researching and considering health supplements, I hope this in-depth article was useful for you.
If you have any questions about the products I've recommended or you have another product that you think I should take a look at, please use the Contact page to get in touch. As I said much earlier, I'm here to find what will do me the most good and, as a result, what makes the most sense to recommend to others.
