What are whole food supplements and are they really necessary?

Well in a nation of overfed, undernourished people they just might be. Most of the prepackaged, already prepared foods we choose to eat are of poor quality and often times void of their original nutrients. I think it's gotten so bad that most people don't even realize what real food tastes like anymore.

How sad is this when God has made sure that we have lots of healthy options.

"Then God said, 'I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed int it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground -everything that has the breath of life in it--I give every green plant for food.' And so it was" ~ Genesis 1:29-30

"Every moving thing that lives and moves will be food for you. And as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything." ~ Genesis 9:3.

And we choose to side step it all and feed our bodies with the substandard fare of fast food restaurants and grocery store shelves.

People, we need to wake up and realize what we are doing. We are setting ourselves up for all sorts of maladies.

* Diabetes
* Heart Disease
* Obesity
* To name a few...

And it doesn't have to be this way. We have control over what we feed our bodies. We can and should arm ourselves with information so we can start making healthier choices and start eating the real foods God intended for us to eat.

We have to stop going to so many fast food restaurants. We have to stop buying so much processed foods. And quite frankly we have to get back to basics. We have to step back into the kitchen and learn how to prepare our foods from scratch. We have lost touch with the whole food process and it is seriously harming us.

Everyone talks about health care costs these days. Well if you want to do something about health care start by fixing your diet and the diet of your loved ones. Trust me, that will go a long way!

Now, what whole food supplements? Can they be a replacement for real food? And can they make up the damage done by the diets most of us consume?

Well yes and no, depending on who you ask.

Whole foods supplements are made by concentrating the combined nutrients of whole foods. For example if you take vitamin C you get vitamin C, but if you eat an orange you will get vitamin C, beta carotene, a bit of calcium, and vitamin A! Now if you take lots of oranges and dry them out and process them into a powder you have a whole food supplement. It's better than just vitamin C, but it's not as good as the real orange which also has fiber. Fiber helps to prevent type 2 diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and constipation.

And don't forget about the phytochemicals. Fruits and vegetables are loaded with them. And they help to prevent cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure. Plus some are full of antioxidants, which helps to prevent and repair cell damage. And real, whole foods come out to be less expensive that whole food supplements.

So as I repeat myself, it is best to eat real, whole foods. But if for some reason you can't, then whole food supplements can be a good second choice.