Food form and organic supplementation
In these modern times, when we are exposed to various environmental toxins and a large proportion of the foods in our diet contains added chemicals, additives and preservatives, there is an increasing demand not only for organic food items, but also for organic skin and beauty products and, most notably, dietary supplements. There is arguably little point going to the effort of trying to cleanse and detox your body, only to then take health supplements which include synthetic, man-made ingredients themselves!
Therefore, not only are people “going organic” when it comes to their vitamin, health and dietary supplements, but they are also requesting (quite correctly in our opinion) that those supplements be in “food form” or “food state”, for maximum absorption and utilisation.
Why go organic?
Organic foods are all about environmental preservation (pesticides and insecticides have been proven to have a huge influence on the global ecosystem) and the eradication of chemicals from our food chain for a healthier way of life. Food manufacturers regularly insert a number of chemicals and preservatives into the foods they sell to prolong its shelf life.
It is also widely claimed by organic food proponents that such foods are better for the health of consumers, because they are produced without the use of toxic chemicals, pesticides and other synthetic compounds and so their natural goodness is preserved and the potential side-effects of toxic chemicals in our bodies are avoided. It is considered by many that such foods also contain more vitamins, minerals, nutrients and digestive enzymes, and even taste better, than intensively-farmed produce.
Animal welfare is also an important aspect of organic food production, because animals bred through organic means need to be kept in the open for a specific amount of time and there are guidelines for the general care of the animals. Routine use of antibiotics on animals is also prohibited, mitigating concerns about the associated risks to human health from their high level of use by non-organic farmers.
What are organic supplements?
Organic food supplements are natural health products, which are produced from organically grown fruits and vegetables. They have had no chemical compounds (including additives) introduced into their plants at any point.
What are food form / food state supplements?
The terms “food form” or “food state” simply mean that the particular product has been specially prepared to be as comparable to real food as possible, which in turn means that the body can soak up the nutrients more easily.
A great example of why this could be useful, is the common example of ascorbic acid used in Vitamin C supplements.
A high percentage of Vitamin C sold is ascorbic acid. You might not know that this is actually a man-made chemical, which is produced in chemical plants by applying heat, pressure and chemicals to glucose (sugar), which converts the glucose to ascorbic acid.
Although not widely known, ascorbic acid and Vitamin C are not structurally identical. The acid is an artificial, reduced form of the natural vitamin. Vitamin C is a naturally-occurring nutrient, found in a variety of fruit and vegetables. However, when it is heated, the vitamin breaks down and becomes largely ineffective.
Being a chemical (and an acid), ascorbic acid is not absorbed or utilised by our body in the same way as food, and can actually often irritate the stomach and aggravate the digestive tract, and even worsen medical conditions.
Natural, unadulterated food is what our bodies were designed to eat; our bodies were not meant to absorb synthetic vitamins or chemically polluted foods.
Food form supplements are widely believed to be more easily absorbed by the body. Another advantage is that they are slow release. A large proportion of a unnatural supplement will simply pass through the body by urination, without any benefit to the body (not to mention being a waste of money!)
Organic, food form supplements are now widely available for a wide variety of ailments and health goals. Health supplements that are organic and natural are thought to have a higher content of vitamins and minerals and contain lower levels of toxic metals (including mercury, lead, and aluminium) than their non-organic counterparts.
Specialist Supplements Ltd has a great range of food form supplements (including Vitamin C) for maximum absorption of nutrients – just as Mother Nature intended. Check them out now!