Vitamins....

Over the past few years we have changed our lifestyle quite drastically, in large part due to Mason's cancer diagnosis, which was a huge wake up call.  Never before then had we ever worried about the food that went into our bodies, much less taking vitamins.  I grew healthy food, but the problem was the need for convenience.  If we were out, we would stop anywhere that sounded good for a meal or if we didn't feel like cooking we would order take out.  We are probably not much different than the typical American family.

Now days, we watch what we consume and actually have a guilty conscience if we eat something we know is "bad". One of the things that have been a huge concern for us is picking out the right vitamins. Unfortunately, all vitamins are not the same. In fact, most vitamins bought at the store are neither complete (whole) vitamins nor real (most are synthetic or man made in a lab). It gets more confusing from there.

Certain websites will tell you it is ok to take synthetically (man made) produced vitamins and that the body can't tell them apart.  The thought that "a vitamin created in a lab to simulate the real thing is perfectly fine and the body will be able to use it effectively", seems a little off base in my opinion.  I assume that most of these synthetic vitamins get flushed through the body and end up in the toilet through the display of bright yellow colored urine.  I know that was the case with me in the past.

We discovered, through research, that the whole food vitamin is the best thing to give our bodies. Vitamins derived from plants, fruits, and vegetables in whole form give your body the nutrients they need in a complete package, without missing components.  God created it this way for a reason, right?

The majority of commercially grown foods are grown in depleted soils using basic 10-10-10 synthetic fertilizers for quick growth.  The fruits of those plants have only three basic elements to pull from, leaving a wealth of nutrition out of the fruits they produce.  This in turn leaves our bodies lacking vital trace minerals and vitamins that are essential for proper growth and immune health.

Organically grown foods are typically produced from healthy, living soils.  These soils have a bounty of trace minerals that develop healthy, nutrient rich plants and fruits.  If eaten right after harvest, you are getting the most nutrition out of that fruit or vegetable.  That is another reason to buy local.

Why Do So Many People Get Sick In the Winter?...

In the summer we typically get a good balance of nutrition which keeps our bodies healthy and running properly, but in the winter, all of those important nutrients are not being produced.  So what do you do?  Most of these vegetables, if locally bought, are out of season.  The produce that is sold at the grocery store has been sitting, (even organic) for several days, if not more than a week.  The nutrient loss is substantial.  This leads to deficiencies in the body which affect the immune system, hence the reason for colds and all of the other winter aliments that are usually around in the summer.   This is where whole food vitamins come in, especially vitamin C.

The best vitamin source I've found is a company called Innate.  They produce whole food vitamins through organically grown fruits and vegetables.  I highly recommend looking them up and reading more about their products.  That's what our family takes and it works very well.  We have bought ours through Organic Pharmacy, but there are many places online that sell it.  Innate also offers a chidren's vitamin that is wonderful.  Definitely worth checking out!