If you're searching for vitamin supplements, you may be feeling overwhelmed
at the amount of choices available. There are three main types of vitamin
supplements: synthetic, crystalline, and whole food.
Most of the vitamin supplements you'll find available from traditional
retailers and online stores are synthetic vitamins. This means that they
have been created in a laboratory to mimic the molecular structure of
natural vitamins. Synthetic vitamins can never be the same as their natural
equivalent. Synthetic vitamin supplements lack the enzymes, amino acids,
proteins, phytonutrients, and essential fatty acids of their whole food
counterparts.
Crystalline vitamins are derived from natural food sources. For this
reason, they are sometimes referred to as natural vitamins. However,
the nutrients in these vitamin supplements have been extracted using
heat, chemicals, and solvents. The end result is that crystalline vitamin
supplements are nutritionally very similar to synthetic vitamins.
Whole food vitamins are the most difficult vitamin supplements to find.
These supplements have been carefully processed to preserve the molecular
structure and biochemical combinations of the vitamins they contain.
Whole food vitamins don't contain any chemicals or synthetic fillers.
Many people choose to take whole food vitamins because they are easily
digestible and their absorption rate is much greater than that of synthetic
or natural vitamins.
Labels can be misleading when searching for whole food vitamins. Many
vitamin supplements claim to be natural, but some only originate from
a natural source and contain a lot of synthetic ingredients. Vitamin
supplements with this label can be as little as 10 percent natural. Whole
food vitamins usually list specific foods as the source of the nutrients
they contain. Supplements labeled as whole food-based vitamins sometimes
contain synthetic ingredients. Careful research and the advice of a qualified
physician is the best way to select a vitamin supplement that's right
for you. |
