Vitamins and supplements are a great way to fill in the gaps in your diet, but there are so many to choose from, how do you know which ones are best? Are organic vitamins really better than synthetic ones?
When we think about overall health and wellness, there are several things come to mind. Some folks choose to meditate or do yoga to reduce stress. Others prioritise a killer cardio workout a few times a week, and most of us try to eat a balanced, nutritious diet.
But, even when we take great care with our diet and fitness routine, we can still have low energy levels or chronic health issues related to nutrition. And, that's why many of us add vitamins and supplements to our daily wellness regimen.
Let's take a look at how organic vitamins and supplements are different from synthetic ones, so you can make an informed choice about which option is the best one for you.
Here are the key differences between synthetic and organic vitamins:
Organic vitamins and supplements come from whole food sources. They are made by condensing and concentrating specific fruits, vegetables, and other natural foods into a convenient form that allows you to get the optimal amount of each nutrient in every serving.
Organic vitamins are readily recognised by the body. This makes them more bioavailable. In other words, they're easier for the body to absorb and use.
On the other hand:
• Synthetic vitamins and supplements are made from chemical compounds produced in a lab. They're made to mimic the natural way the body absorbs nutrients from food.
• The body doesn't as easily recognise synthetic vitamins therefore, it's harder for the it to absorb and use them efficiently.
• Synthetic vitamin formulas often contain very high amounts of nutrients to make up for the body's inability to absorb them these high dosages could lead to health issues due to overdosing.
Your body needs vitamins and minerals to function correctly but it can not produce them on its own. Choosing a varied and healthy diet is a great way to keep your body stocked up on essential nutrition that"s why a clean whole food diet is so important so we can get all
the nutrients we need from diet alone but modern agricultural processes have stripped our soils of crucial nutrients, making our food less nutritious. Even if you stick to an organic diet. your food will have less nutrition than it did in the past.
On top of that. we·re exposed to toxins, pesticides, and pollution in our environment such as the air we breathe, food and the water we drink and use every day, which puts stress on our body systems. We also live a modern, hectic, always on the go lifestyle that's full of chronic stress and anxiety. All of these leads to a greater need for certain nutrients than ever before.
We also eat a lot of refined and processed foods for convenience or by accident because it lasts longer, tastes better and is often cheaper than whole, organic foods. Unfortunately processing our food also strips it of many vital nutrients.
It's no wonder that we·re seeing more food allergies. chronic disease. and obesity in our culture than we ever have before.
Since our food is now nutrient deficient filling in the gaps with organic vitamins and supplements is more important than ever. Sure you still need to do your best to eat a healthy diet but it will be tough to get all of the nutrition your body needs for optimal health and performance through food alone.
Most vitamins are made in a lab with synthetic ingredients that you will never be able to pronounce.
The way synthetic vitamins are manufactured is very different than the way nature makes them.
So companies can't say for sure whether you will receive the same benefits from them.
Synthetic vitamins a lot of time are harder to digest due to the way they are made making the absorption times spread out, this leads to them not being as effective.
We've already established that the body needs a steady supply of nutrients to function correctly. One so-called solution is to add cheap, synthetically made vitamins into certain foods, beverages, and supplements.
Many multivitamins and so-called fortified foods contain synthetic vitamins because they·re cheap to make, and they're more shelf-stable a lot like processed foods.
They can last on the shelf at your local store for months or maybe even years, be pumped into foods in high and unhealthy doses, or used to create dense tablets that contain insanely high amounts of lots of different nutrients.
Sometimes manufacturers even manage to get away with calling synthetic vitamins natural because they"re "virtually identical"' to the nutrients that come from food.
However, these synthetic vitamins are not what the body wants at all. They are made in a way that's not at all similar to the metabolic processes plants and animals use to create them. They also don·t take into account the countless compounds and phytonutrients that come from whole food.
That makes them much less bioavailable than organic vitamins. They can be very hard on your kidneys, and the body might even look at them as toxins.
Some studies have even tied synthetic vitamins to a higher risk of cancer.
Organic vitamins are mainly made from dried whole foods and natural plant ingredients.
This offers you a variety of minerals. vitamins. and enzymes.
This is similar to when you eat a meal of whole foods: you're not consuming a single vitamin. You're eating a food group.
Synthetic vitamins are giving you one or two nutrients, but this isn't the way your body has evolved to attain these vitamins and minerals.
The additional compounds you receive from vitamins made from organic ingredients will interact with your digestive system more naturally than their synthetic counterparts.
Here's how to tell the difference when you're comparing products:
Look for a food source list. If there isn't one, it's probably synthetic.
The ingredients list should be made of whole foods rather than just listing "vitamin C" or "vitamin E" on its own.
Products that contain forms of salt, such as hydrochloride, nitrate, succinate, chloride, bitartrate, and acetate, are usually synthetic. Words that end in "ide" or "ate" or begin with "di" often indicate synthetic ingredients.
