Health & Healing

Is There A Difference?

...When vitamins occur naturally in whole foods, food concentrates and superfoods...they come with manycofactors - such as related vitamins, enzymes and minerals - which ensure that vitamins are absorbed and properly used... [Eat Fat, Lose Fat, page 97]

...most commercially produced supplements contain vitamins that are either crystalline or synthetic...Crystalline vitamins have been separated from natural sources by chemical means. Synthetic vitamins are produced 'from scratch' in the laboratory... [Eat Fat, Lose Fat, page 97]

Although synthetic vitamins can be useful for short periods of time, in the long run they can be problematic. Synthetic vitamins may have unknown side effects and high doses may be harmful. Natural vitamins have no restrictions.

Crystalline and Synthetic Vitamins Act Like Drugs

Both crystalline and synthetic vitamins are ...fractionated concentrates that act more like drugs than nutrients, disrupting body chemistry and causing many imbalances. An additional danger is that synthetic vitamins [lab created] often occur as the [electro-magnetic] mirror image of the natural vitamin, thereby causing the opposite effect. Synthetic forms of fat soluble vitamins can be especially dangerous...[Eat Fat, Lose Fat, page 97]

...For example, synthetic vitamin B1 derived from coal tar did not cure beri-beri in Korean prisoners-of-war but rice polishings containing natural vitamin B complex did...

....research indicates that synthetic vitamin D2 has the opposite effect of natural vitamin D, causing softening of the bones and hardening of soft tissue such as arteries. The dairy industry used to add D2 to milk but quietly dropped it in favor of the less toxic (but not completely natural) D3 when they realized how dangerous it was... [Eat Fat, Lose Fat, page 97-99]

Source details: Eat Fat, Lose Fat: Three Delicious, Science Based Coconut Diets by Dr. Mary Enig and Sally Fallon (Weston A Price Foundation). Also, available on Amazon.com.

Synthetic Vitamins are Mirror Images

When vitamins are synthesized under laboratory conditions, the molecular formula may be the same as the organic nutrient found in nature (minus the co-factors), but there is a problem with the spin. The synthetic versions are mirror images of their natural counterpart....

...For some reason, in the lab, the proper rotation cannot be mastered. The natural version molecules are dextro-rotatory (right hand spin), while the synthetic are levo-rotatory (left hand spin). Thus the attachment sites for the synergistic micronutrients are not available. Gilbert Levin, Ph.D., states the following on this subject: 'Because its structure is reversed, a left-handed molecule cannot take part in chemical reactions meant for a right-handed molecule any more than a left hand can fit in a right-handed glove, its odd geometry would prevent it from being metabolized by the body. ~ Robert Parker, B.S., D.C, [Download Parker Health Solutions PDF]

Source: Parker Health Solutions, Vitamin Supplements... Is There A Difference?

Whole Food Concentrates

This is by no means a comprehensive list. It is just a start on food concentrates and whole food staples that are as close to their natural form as possible.

• Guide to Superfoods
• Cod-liver oil contains high levels of vitamin A and D.
• Coconut oil, coconut milk, coconut butter, coconut shredded.
• Red Palm Oil for vitamin CoQ10, E, A, carotenoids, tocotrienols.
• Whole dairy products contain high levels of vitamin A and D.
• Butter oil (high vitamin from pastured animals) contains high levels of vitamin A and D and K2.
• Dessicated liver contains high levels of vitamin A and B, iron, CoQ10, trace elements including selenium.
• Acerola or Amla tablets or powder contain high levels of vitamin C.
• Wheat germ oil contains high levels of vitamin E.
• Brown rice for vitamin B complex, selenium, manganese and iron.
• Potatoes contain potassium, magnesium, iron, copper, manganese, vitamin B and C.
• Dietary Supplements: What the Industry does NOT want you to know