I try to get all the nutrition I need from food.  The best way to ensure this is to eat SLOW plant foods.  Seasonal, Local, Organic and Whole Plant Foods.  Brown rice instead of white (because white rice is not a whole food).  Beans over meat for protein. Asparagus grown locally when its in season (not in the middle of fall coming from New Zealand).  And always, always organic- because organic soil is healthier soil producing more nutrient dense foods – without harmful pesticides!

But of course there are times when I feel like I need a little extra boost, like in the winter when it’s harder to get a wide variety of colorful fruits and vegetables.  So here is a quick summary of what’s in my “medicine cabinet.”

First of all:  If you’re going to take supplements you must always check with your doctor, especially if you are taking medications or being treated for a health condition.

Second of all:  It’s best to take supplements made from real food, organic food, and real herbs/plants.  Most vitamins, unfortunately, are produced synthetically in a laboratory, NOT from food.  The body knows how to use real food.  If you’re going to buy vitamins or supplements make sure they are made from real food!  My two favorite companies for vitamins and herbal supplements are:

• New Chapter
• Bear Wallow Herbs

This is what I take (in no particular order)

• Women’s Multivitamin by New Chapter
• Probiotic Capsule (for good bacteria)
• Elderberry Tincture (to increase immune system)
• Dandelion Tincture (to support the liver)
• Nettles Tincture (for iron and other minerals)
• Vitamin B12 spray (NOT Cyanocobalamin)
• Green Powder (spirulina, wheat grass, barley grass, chlorella, etc.)
• Oregon Grape Root (if I have an infection- it’s like a natural antibiotic).

Why We Should All Eat More Organic Food (Organic Consumers Association)

Organic Food is More Nutritious

Organic foods, especially raw or non-processed, contain higher levels of beta carotene, vitamins C, D and E, health-promoting polyphenols, cancer-fighting antioxidants, flavonoids that help ward off heart disease, essential fatty acids, and essential minerals.

On the average, organic food is 25% more nutritious in terms of vitamins and minerals than products derived from industrial agriculture. Since on the average, organic food’s shelf price is only 20% higher than chemical food, this makes it actually cheaper, gram for gram, than chemical food, even ignoring the astronomical hidden costs (damage to health, climate, environment, and government subsidies) of industrial food production. Levels of antioxidants in milk from organic cattle are between 50% and 80% higher than normal milk. Organic wheat, tomatoes, potatoes, cabbage, onions and lettuce have between 20% and 40% more nutrients than non-organic foods.

Organic food contains qualitatively higher levels of essential minerals (such as calcium, magnesium, iron and chromium), that are severely depleted in chemical foods grown on pesticide and nitrate fertilizer-abused soil. UK and US government statistics indicate that levels of trace minerals in (non-organic) fruit and vegetables fell by up to 76% between 1940 and 1991.

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Yup, it’s true… organically grown food is healthier for You, the Farmer, and the Planet.  You’ll get more vitamins and minerals in organic foods, no toxic pesticides (that harm you, the farmer and the planet), and no GMO’s.  Buy Organic!!!

Here’s a link to a site where you can look up what non-organic food you’re about to eat/buy and how many pesticides you will also be eating… (more…)