Masters of Health Magazine August 2019 | Page 21

A – Absorption: A whole-food, natural nutritional product is the best way to ensure absorption and assimilation. Stay away from tablets or compressed pills containing binders, fillers, waxes, shellac, or added artificial colorings. Never take pills that contain gelatin, which is created by boiling the skin, tendons, and ligaments of animals. Gelatin capsules sometimes contain harmful properties due to animal origin.

Since many animals are given antibiotics and eat foods that contain pesticides, these toxins can show up in gelatin capsules. Instead of gelatin, look for capsules with vegetable or plant cellulose or veggie caps, as these offer better absorption.

To ensure you’re getting whole-food sources, which are also better absorbed, look for words in parenthesis in the ingredients list, such as leaf, fruit, extract, plant, stem, root, or seed. This tells you that the source is naturally derived.

B – Balance: If you look at nature, fruits, vegetables, legumes or nuts, or other plants, do not contain massive amounts of vitamins, minerals, enzymes, or amino acids. Only in pill form do you find hundreds and thousands of milligrams. In nature, it’s about balance, not mega doses! It’s best to supplement your diet with a whole-food, plant-based supplement.

Don’t panic if you don’t see milligrams listed. If it’s truly a whole food source, you may not see any amounts listed, but instead you’ll see a “proprietary” fruit or vegetable blend listed. Keep in mind that many fruits and vegetables contain trace and macro minerals in parts per million. A proper natural balance is healthier than taking man-made mega doses which can create imbalances in the body. With nature, a little goes a long way!

C – Certification: What you see on the label isn’t always what you get in the bottle. Manufacturers are not held accountable for delivering what their label promises. When choosing any dietary supplement, look for a product that is certified as GMP, which means it has passed Good Manufacturing Practice regulations.

This certification ensures a stringent series of tests have been passed, and that proper design, monitoring, and control of manufacturing processes and facilities have been evaluated. Also look for the United States Pharmacopoeia (USP) or British Pharmacopoeia (BP) designation on the label.

This means that the vitamin isolates are the highest quality you can buy, and are the most easily dissolved in the digestion process. USP and BP set widely recognized protocols for the quality, purity, strength, and consistency of dietary supplements in more than 130 countries.

In closing, after reviewing all the food groups and diet plans, what is your final conclusion on the ideal way people should eat?

I believe we should simply focus on adding color and fiber to our meals, rather than focusing on restriction and limiting diet trends. Fruits, vegetables, nuts, and whole grains are rich in fiber and offer a great way to feel fuller without providing excess calories.

Also, stay hydrated to prevent mistaking thirst for hunger. If you eat animal foods, opt for organic eggs, wild-caught fish, and organic pasture-raised chicken. Don’t overeat.

Eat until you’re satisfied, not full. It’s not about following the greatest and latest diet trend. Healthy eating can easily be achieved by using good ole common sense backed by common science.