When I was a student in Medical School in the late 1980’s the answer to the question “do I need to take supplements?” was a resounding “No”. We were told we were creating “expensive urine” and that a good diet was all that was needed. The irony is that at the time, nutrition was not part of the curriculum.
I was too intellectually curious to accept that answer. What I have learned outside of my formal training is that the soil is tired…very tired after decades of poor farming techniques and incomplete restoration of the mineral content in the soil.
This problem was presented to Congress in the 1920’s. Poor soil quality equals poor crop quality. Poor crop quality begets pesticide use. And that is where our food comes from.
Choosing organic produce certainly helps, but does not solve the problem completely. A hundred years ago, the produce was nutrient dense so the volume needed daily was reasonable. Not so today.
Synthetic Supplements vs. Whole Food Supplements
Synthetic supplements do indeed cause expensive urine. Our bodies are designed to utilize food, not synthetic chemicals that are related to what our body really needs.
If synthetics are absorbed in the gut, they may not gain access to the cells and are destined to be passed unused out of the body. Hence that quip about expensive urine is true only if the supplement is synthetic.
Whole food supplements are food and the body knows what to do with food. It is recognized as valuable, accepted into the cell, and utilized. Vitamins are needed as cofactors in countless metabolic reactions, producing far reaching effects on metabolism and vitality.
So what should I do?
First, make the best food choices that you can. Buy organic and local foods whenever possible. (Not sure which foods you need to buy organic? Check out EWG’s Dirty Dozen/Clean Fifteen list here.)
Second, choose a daily, whole food, non-GMO, organic vitamin and mineral supplement to provide a safety net for you nutritionally.
So where do you find a supplement that fits these criteria? It’s not going to be in your supermarket. One excellent option is NeoLife. They are a 60 year old company that produces the type of high quality supplements I am describing. It is a company I personally use for myself and my family. You can check out some of my favorite NeoLife’s products here or visit my NeoLife page to see a wider selection.