Why Supplement?

There are many reasons why we should consider adding nutritional supplements to our daily diet and I would like to talk about a few of them.

1. Our food isn't like it used to be. My grandparents were farmers. We ate true free-range chickens, pork and beef. And the eggs were straight from Mother Nature, too. Today, ever-increasing amounts of pesticides, fertilizers, hormones, antibiotics, additives and perservatives are being added to our food supply.

2. Our food isn't like it used to be....there are ever-decreasing amounts of nutrients in our foods today. Nutrient content is lost first of all due to nutrient depletion of the soil. Secondly, early harvesting, transporting, storage, cooking, overprocessing and pasteurization further decrease the nutrient content of our food supply. I remember several years ago I was in south Florida and noticed trucks in the fields loaded to overflowing with round, green things...tomatoes! No wonder they are hard and tasteless - and nutrient poor.

Many people use the excuse that they get all they need from their diet. Do they really? Studies have been done which say that we don't. 96% of the US population dies of a disease. We are NOT getting proper nutrition. The American Medical Association says "...it appears prudent for all adults to take vitamin supplements."

Today's foods may fill our stomachs, but they do not feed and fortify our cells. Is it worth the risk not to supplement?  OK, so now you have decided you want to start taking vitamins you may be wondering about what are good supplements.  Not all supplements out on the market are good supplements, in fact most are not good and can cause long term issues because they contain things synthetic (man made) ingredients while may appear to work in the beginning, cause bigger problems later.  Cheap vitamins are usually not good vitamins.  Click here to read blog on how to choose a good supplement.

Selecting Good Quality Supplements

We are living in a health-crazed society. There are so many different companies out their selling so many different vitamins and supplements. So how do you know which brands are good and which are just a waste of money?

Here are some questions and answers to guide you:

Q. How do I know what is in my vitamin; can I trust what the label says?
A. Unfortunately, some manufacturers’ labels do not accurately reflect their supplements’ contents and there is very little legal pressure for them to do so. Nobody is proactively watching out for consumer safety, much less monitoring label claims or ensuring efficacy. Manufacturers are legally obligated to formulate their supplements to only 90% of their label claim (Do you find that shocking?). Since they know they probably won’t get caught, some formulate to only 60% (or less) of claim. That means that what you see is not necessarily what you get, and poor quality products may contain ingredients and impurities never listed on the label.

Your best bet is to buy from a company you trust and educate yourself about the products you buy. For instance, call your supplement company and ask them questions about their formulation standards, ingredient sources and bio-availability tests. If you get lots of marketing hype and little useful information look elsewhere. (You have to listen carefully because they can make it sound really good when it’s not).

Q. How can I be sure I am digesting & absorbing the vitamins I take?
A. Individual supplement manufacturers may conduct their own dissolutions and bioavailability tests, or may pay to have them conducted by third-party labs. Good manufacturers will also take care to supply nutrients in dosages, combinations and ratios that encourage their proper absorption and interaction. Know your supplement company - their philosophy, formulating, testing and quality-control methods - that’s your best guide.

Q. What should I look for in a multivitamin?
A. ABOVE ALL look for a a reputable dietary supplement company. “Reputable” means they have their products analyzed and tested by third-party independent labs and that they have developed their products with quality and optimal health (vs. just high profit margins) in mind.
Don’t assume that just because a multi is a best-selling brand and shows 100% of most Daily Values that it is a good product. Some of the leading brands, and yes, even some very expensive ones, offer poor quality formulations that ignore important nutrients and use cheap ingredients. A good product will contain natural vitamin E (d-tocopherol vs. synthetic dl-tocopherol), won’t skip on expensive ingredients like biotin, and won’t overlook important trace minerals and amino acids.

There are good quality supplements out there. You just have to do your own due-diligence and not depend on marketing hype as your method of selection. GOOD LUCK!

Consumer Checklist for High Quality Vitamin Supplements

 You have to be very careful with supplements these days.  Here are a couple tips.  For me I use one which is quality tested by third party and has been published in numerous peer reviewed medical and nutrition journals worldwide.  Not to mention it is all natural and made from raw materials.

*Do you have a way to tell if the supplement (vitamin) that you’re using is being absorbed & assimilated? 

The place to begin is to see if your supplement dissolves when placed in water within 30 minutes
or less.  That is the same standard the pharmaceutical industry uses for tablets. Otherwise it goes in one end and out the other. That is just the very beginning. 

The second and most critical question is...  

• Are the supplements you are taking being absorbed and assimilated into the
bloodstream where they are available to the cells?   Always ask the company for peer reviewed research on their products.  The key word here is peer reviewed.  That means it is unbiased, legitimate research vs. advertising research where you pay someone to publish your research in what looks like a legitimate journal. 

• Is there balance in the formulation?
Balance is critical to a well-formulated supplement.  Many nutrients do not work effectively unless
in a certain balance.  . 
For example  The B vitamin Biotin is extremely expensive.  It should offer at least 100 % of the daily
value.  Most vitamins will show none at all or less than 100% That is a sign to you of a poorly formulated vitamin, so read your labels. 

• Is the amount on the label the amount in each tablet? 
A common problem in the food supplement industry is quality control.  It is not uncommon for the
amount in each individual tablet in a bottle of supplements to vary dramatically.  .

• Is the manufacturer using a “cooling” system to preserve nutrients?

When supplements are manufactured at a low temperature, all the vitamins, minerals, enzymes, phytonutrients are not lost in the process. Without the enzymes, the body cannot utilize or absorb
the nutrients effectively.  It is common for companies to use too much heat and pressure in making their tablets, which destroys the enzymes.  

• Are sugars, artificial colorings or sweeteners used?
 It is common for vitamins to have artificial coloring and sweeteners in them.  Read the labels to
determine their presence.

• Are the supplements you are using safe and do you trust the company to have your
best interest in mind over profit?  
While no vitamins are FDA approved, a few have received awards/ recognition from the FDA.  Also check the reviews on the vitamin for side effects and guarantee before purchasing.

• Is there a full money back guarantee?

Whole Food vs. Raw Material Vitamins

This is often a difficult issue because of the conventional perception that whole food supplements can be made from fresh fruits and vegetables and somehow dried and compressed into a tablet. Unfortunately, this is not possible or realistic. A supplement condensed or compressed from a whole food would actually contain little nutrient value, and would require taking an inordinately large number of servings or tablets to get even one serving with adequate nutritional value. Take spinach, for example. If we consider a reasonable serving size for spinach to be one cup of cooked spinach, the spinach in that serving would weigh about 180 grams. Dried and made into a powder, it would weigh about 30 grams. Since a normal-sized tablet holds about a half gram of powder, at best, to get the equivalent of a cup of cooked spinach, you would need to consume a minimum of 60 tablets. And that’s for the nutrients in spinach, alone.

Raw Material Vitamins (whole food concentrates) on the other hand are free from pesticides, chemicals, genetically altered compounds, the good ones are made from 100% organic (better than USDA organic- which by law is only 98%), made from pure (natural as possible) materials which are quality tested through a third party and have ingredients that reflect the most recent scientific and technological advances.  Finding a really good raw material vitamin would need to have clinical testing done (when necessary) and have those studies published in a peer-reviewed scientific and medical journals, such as The New England Journal of Medicine, The Journal of the American Medical Association, The American Journal of Cardiology and others.  I personally have only found one vitamin company that meets these standards.

Flu Season Tips from Janet Witte, RN

Concerned about the Flu Season?  October 2009 Update

Here are some common sense suggestions that also includes products Healthy Generations recommends.

We’ve used this plan successfully for years to avoid getting colds and flu.   

Living pro-actively is the KEY to staying well.

1. Adequate sleep.  8-10 hours for adults is best.  The body regenerates and heals during sleep.  A good old-fashioned nap is good for everyone.  Sleep before 10PM is a deeper, more restful sleep for most individuals.  Children’s bedtime is best by 8-8:30PM.  They do their growing during sleep and need more sleep than adults.  Keep the bedroom as dark as possible.  Light interferes with restorative sleep.   

2. Routine.  Don’t underestimate the value of routine.  Constant change and disruption creates stress, and stress weakens your immune system.  Regular times for meals, bedtimes, bath time, etc., create structure that helps create a peaceful home.  Everyone thrives on the security that healthy routines provide. 

3. Plenty of healthy foods, especially fresh or frozen organic fruits and veggies.  Cut up organic fruits and veggies for snacks.  During the flu season especially, make pots of homemade vegetable or chicken soup with plenty of garlic (nature’s antibiotic), and organic chicken/beef stock if possible.  Avoid junk food--white flour, sugar, alcohol, and caffeine all weaken the immune system.  Plan ahead for simple, healthy meals.

4. Plenty of pure water.  It’s easy to become dehydrated in the winter time.  Water keeps the toxins flushed out of your system.  You need ½ ounce for every pound of body weight.  If you weigh 150 pounds, you would need about 75 oz of water a day.

Children need more water and less juice.  The #1 cause of daytime fatigue and fuzzy thinking is dehydration.  Our immune systems require us to be well-hydrated.  Bottled water is expensive; find a water purifier that does at good job for 18-32 cents a gallon.  Shaklee purifiers make pure, delicious water for just pennies a gallon.

5. Fresh air. Get outside often- enjoy the fresh air whenever you can. The EPA says the air in our homes is worse than the air outside.  Look for a purifier that decreases significantly all the known pollutants, and does it in a way that is economical (figure cost per sq. foot, and upkeep costs). 

6. Regular Exercise is important, but don’t overdo it if you’re feeling under the weather.  Too much exercise can sometimes cause stress on the body and further deplete the immune system, so to recover eat adequate protein and quality food and get rest. 

7. Regular Hand Washing & disinfecting is important to minimize transferring germs.  Keep hands away from your eyes.  Wash hands before putting anything in your mouth and after blowing your nose.  Common hand-sanitizers should be avoided, as they strip away the natural protection of the “acid mantle” of the skin, allowing germs to pass through.

We use Basic G to disinfect the laundry, bathrooms, doorknobs, phones, computer keyboards, etc.  When you clean with “G,” germs aren’t going to regrow for about 72 hours.  Germ regrowth with bleach is about one hour.  Lysol is effective against 8 of the most common pathogens, but “G” kills 32 different pathogens.  Basic G is approved for hospital use; is very concentrated and economical. 

8.  Supplement with Pure Whole Food Concentrates.  Even the best of diets has gaps. 

We recommend “Prescription for a Healthier Life” as the foundation for any wellness plan.  These provide the best possible nutritional insurance for a healthy immune.   These supplements also has a perfect array of supplements for children, from infancy to teens. The world’s best multi for kids, and Mealshakes healthy and delicious shakes that kids love.

 Says Janet Witte, RN:  “In my experience, as previous owner of two health food stores, I realized that there is nothing like these nutritional science to help boost the immune system.  It wasn’t until I found Shaklee products that I was able to build my immune system. 

For the past 20 years we have almost never been sick. I used to take handfuls of ‘regular’ vitamins from our health food store and was sick A LOT!”    Our daily Shaklee choices consist of Shaklee “Vitalizer” vita strips, Cinch protein shake, VIVIX and Nutriferon to keep the immune system strong.

 Our Shaklee Herbal Medicine cabinet contains Performance Sports Drink powder, Defend & Resist (Echinacea and more),odor-controlled  Garlic Complex, Sustained Release Vita C, Herb-lax, Alfalfa.  These all have a specific benefit in attacking bacteria, and increasing the effectiveness of your immune system.

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9. Our “GET-WELL” Concoction that works!!  You’ll want to make sure you have the ingredients on hand.

At the first sign of a sore throat, or feeling sick, chew (or swallow) 2 or 3 Defend and Resist tablets.   Per instructions on the bottle, repeat 3 times the first day.

If you start to feel really crummy, drink this:
add Shaklee Performance in a big mug (3 to 4 tablespoons of powder)  plus 3 crushed Defend & Resist tablets; 3 crushed Garlic Complex tablets, and 3 crushed Vita C.  (use a mortar and pestle to crush the vitamins, and then add to the Performance in the mug). Add very hot, near boiling water, stir and sip.  You’ll start to feel better right away.  Keep drinking this till you are better.  Performance replaces vital electrolytes; the vitamins and herbs start to immediately sooths the respiratory tract, strengthens the immune system, and goes after the bacteria. Repeat in a few hrs.

10. Keep your bloodstream more alkaline.  Disease thrives in an acid blood stream, and many foods raise the acid level. Junk foods; sugary foods, high trans-fat foods are extremely damaging to the immune system.

Shaklee’s Alfalfa helps make the blood stream more alkaline, has detoxifying properties.

11.  De-stress your lifestyle.  It’s OK to accomplish less.  Prioritize.  What’s really important?  Do you think your family is involved in too many activities? Avoid violence--on TV, in video games, etc.  Even the “nightly news” is often too much of an assault on a healthy mind and spirit.  Who needs to know every bad thing that happened that day. Regular supplements like extra Vita C, B Complex, and Stress Relief Complex are great natural supports if you’re under a lot of stress. 

12.  Take more time for beauty, for quiet, and for music.  Simplify your life.   Meditate/pray, take a nice long bath, go for a relaxing walk, do nothing/putter, enjoy your hobby, absorb the beauty of nature, etc.  Get and give a massage at home or find a professional--there are relaxation/energy points on the bottoms of the feet and the palms of your hands.  Cultivate Gratitude.  Literally count your blessings.

13.  Surround yourself and your family with people you love. Practice forgiveness; hug your loved ones.    Do some kindness every day.  Pay it forward!

14.  Pray and trust God ~ not last, but first.

Janet L. Witte, RN, Certified Wellness Educator                                                                    

The above is not intended as a prescription, nor a promise to cure any disease.

I highly recommend products from the Shaklee Corporation. They meet my requirements for exceptional purity, potency, and performance.  The FDA regards Shaklee as the “standard” to which all vitamin companies should adhere.

I highly recommend that everyone use the foundational nutritional products, and stock their “Herbal Medicine Cabinet” with the items listed in #8 and #9