Talking about natural health has become a bit of a taboo topic lately, I’ve noticed. That’s ok. I’m all about being the wellness rebel and continuing to spread what I know and what works for my family and myself because sharing is caring as the kids say…..well, actually they probably say nothing like that anymore but who can keep up?!
Today I want to talk about vitamins and supplements since I’m a huge advocate of using them. Over the years I’ve heard every opinion possible regarding vitamins. I did my due diligence learning, researching, and studying with integrative doctors so that I could incorporate certain supplements in my family’s life in the best way possible. I know that in a perfect world we would get all of the vitamins and minerals our bodies need in order to have great health strictly from the foods we eat…..but…..we don’t live in a perfect world.
Far from it.
To get everything we truly need to stay optimally healthy, we would have to have access to infinite amounts of perfectly organic and non-genetically modified foods. You would also need a very well balanced menu of meals with copious amounts of this beautiful food. Sounds dreamy…but this can be costly and in many cases impossible. I mean, I fantasize daily of living on acreage with a fully sustainable homestead. Veggie garden, chicken coop, fruit tree orchards….paradise. It’s a dream but I live smack dab in reality (and the desert) though so I make the best of it.
…and I would never want to eat huge mountains of kale anyways.
Enter vitamins.
Oh, let me backpedal for a second here before I start singing the praises of my supplements…..there is another major reason why getting all the good stuff your bodies need just from food may not be enough. That reason is that so much of our soil (and I can only really speak for the US) is so greatly depleted of minerals and nutrients, that we aren’t eating the same quality of food that our ancestors did. It’s all basically diluted, so we just need more of everything to actually get the amounts of vitamins and minerals we need.
Add to that the fact that we’re exposed to and inundated by so many more different types of chemicals and toxins in pretty much everything we breathe, eat, drink, and touch that our bodies need a little extra boost in the right direction to keep up with things.
Then enter a pandemic and whatever other pathogens are bound to surround us at any given moment and it’s hard not to realize how important it is to be even more accountable for our bodies and everything that makes them tick. Believe me, since last March my cabinet of supplement curiosities has grown and I can pretty much label it a holistic apothecary at this point. Hey….some girls love a makeup case full of goodies, but I derive great joy from a pantry full of wellness products. No shame!
Don’t worry though, I won’t bore you (at least not in this post) with a long list of everything in my supplement collection, but I will tell you which ones I think are the most important to dive into if you don’t already use vitamins and are looking to start. Before that I’ll admit that I’m not a doctor, but as I’ve said in prior posts, I worked very closely with an international group of integrative physicians, pediatricians, and specialists throughout my son’s health journey and recovery. I also had the honor of ghost-writing for a few of these doctors’ websites and blogs over the years which allowed me to be privy to a lot of incredible information. So, while I would never say I’m an expert, I can tell you what works for my kids and I and just give you a little insight that may help with your own health journeys!
One thing I will say is that prior to finding and working with the amazing doctors that I have….I spent one too many years dealing with run-of-the-mill docs. Even without any prior education or research under my belt I knew that there was something very wrong with a pediatrician telling me Vitamins C and D were worthless while he handed my sick kid a sugary lollipop. The rebel mama in me knew in that moment that there had to be a better way….and I was right!
So I got to learning about how to supplement our already healthy diet with vitamins. I learned that not only were these vitamins necessary and sorely missing from our foods, but that not all supplements were created equal either. It was one more thing I would need to add to my ever growing laundry list of healthy parenting….now not only would I be reading food labels, and home or body care product labels….but I’d also have to read vitamin labels! Sounds like a lot of work, right?
It is….but I had been dealing with a sick kid for so long that I knew a little extra work on the front end of things would pay off in spades. Also, as any parent knows….having a chronically ill child is more work than is humanly possible to undertake (and yet somehow we do). So, reading extra labels was going to have to be one small sacrifice.
I learned that a lot of the vitamins you buy at the local grocery or big box store are full of junk like fillers, artificial sweeteners, hydrogenated oils, food dyes, and other nasty stuff like titanium dioxide. Products meant to help us support our health yet full of harmful ingredients? How could this ever happen? Well….that’s a topic for another day. Suffice it to say, vitamins are not created equal and if you want to make positive changes in your health then you really do need to know what you’re looking for in the supplement aisle.
Always choose a vitamin that has the least filler ingredients possible would be my number one rule of thumb. Then, if you can, find a brand that derives its vitamins and/or minerals from organic food sources so that you get the most bioavailable goodness which means your body is actually able to recognize and utilize the nutrients. There are quite a few brands that you can choose from like Pure Synergy which is one of favorite health care brands. For the vitamin newbie I would recommend their Pure Radiance C which gets its Vitamin C from organic oranges, came camp, acerola and other fruits. I also would recommend their Zinc Complex made from organic mushrooms, veggies and fruits. Their D3+K2 Complex is also made with organic mushrooms, vegetables and fruits, and then I also recommend their Rapid Rescue which is great for helping keep your immune system in top fighting shape!
The price point is very good considering the quality of these supplements and that allows for you to be realistically holistic (you know how I am!). Vitamins C, D, K and zinc are super important for overall immune function. We’ve entered headfirst into cold and flu season plus we’ve got that other virus trying to engage us in a never-ending waltz…so if you already take vitamins make sure you read those labels! If you don’t take any….think about easing into supplementing with one or all of the ones mentioned above.
I can tell you that taking high quality, food based supplements has made a massive difference in my kids’ health and my own. We double up when we start to feel under the weather and typically knock bugs out in record time and that includes pretty close up bouts with some nasty viruses. Every body and everybody is different, and there is no one hard fast way to health, but every little thing we do to treat our bodies well and give them what they need helps. Helps a lot.
…..and if you made it this far down my post…thank you! I’m off to rebelliously take some vitamins with my mid afternoon meal! Here’s to your health….and mine!
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