Why Whole Food Supplements?

A vitamin is an organic molecule that is an essential micronutrient which an organism needs in small quantities for the proper functioning of its metabolism. Essential nutrients cannot be synthesized in the organism, either at all or not in sufficient quantities, and therefore must be obtained through the diet. In nature, vitamins are present as part of a vitamin/nutrient complex in whole foods which contain all the related nutrients – vitamins, minerals, trace elements, enzymes, coenzymes, amino acids, fatty acids, unknown factors – that function together.

In a perfect world, the foods you eat would supply all of the vitamins and nutrients your body needed and there would be no reason to take dietary supplements. In the world of pesticides, genetically modified foods, depleted soil, and diets high in processed foods and sugars that we live in, most people can benefit from the addition of whole food supplementation to their diet.

Most vitamin supplements on the market (approximately 95%) are synthetic. They are manufactured in a lab, either with the molecular structure identical to the same nutrients occurring in nature (“Nature-Identical Synthetic”), or with the same chemical constituents, but a different molecular shape (“Strictly Synthetic”) because they are cheaper to manufacture than natural ones. Other vitamins called “Natural Source” contain nutrients from vegetable, animal or mineral sources which are significantly processed and refined to separate fractions and can contain up to 90% synthetic ingredients. “Food based supplements” can be synthetic vitamins either added to food or grown in a yeast substrate. None of these vitamins contain the enzymes, coenzymes, antioxidants, and trace element activators and more contained in whole foods which are necessary for the body to fully utilize those vitamins.

Supplying single vitamins in supplements, as separated fractions or synthetic chemicals separated from their natural counterparts can lead to further depletions and imbalances. Initially, synthetics might improve symptoms due to extreme deficiencies, but over time, synthetic vitamins can create even deeper deficiencies because the body must supply the missing co-factors in order to assimilate them from it’s own tissues. At best, these vitamins cannot be assimilated by the body, but often the body will recognize them as toxic and they will cause more harm than good.

The goal of whole food supplementation is to provide nutrients for the body that are as close as possible to how they are found in nature. Whole food supplements supply the body with nutrients it is not getting from food—all the vitamins, minerals, trace minerals, and phytonutrients that foods possess in a way that nature intended, in a whole food form. Whole food supplements will show a much lower potency in milligrams or micrograms. This is frequently interpreted to mean they are less effective, but in reality, because they contain the whole vitamin/nutrient complex found in nature, they can be utilized much more readily by the body, they are thus far more effective than the high dose synthetic versions.

As the world’s first company to make whole food supplements, Standard Process brings authority and leadership to the whole food supplement category. Standard Process is a Wisconsin-based family-owned company dedicated to making high-quality and nutrient-dense therapeutic supplements for three generations. Since 1929, Standard Process has been dedicated to the whole food philosophy introduced by Dr. Royal Lee. Dr. Lee’s goal was to provide nutrients as they are found in nature—in a whole food state where he believed their natural potency and efficacy would be realized.

Standard Process applies a wholistic approach to how they farm, manufacture and quality-assure their products. This comprehensive approach ensures that their nutritional supplements deliver their complex nutrients as nature intended. The great majority of the raw plant ingredients that go into their products come from the Standard Process certified-organic farm. For the foods they don’t grow, they actively source the best-quality nutritional ingredients from around the world. They process the crops from their farm to minimize the loss of phytonutrients. Their state-of the-art manufacturing safeguards the nutrition within each whole food ingredient.

Their full-scale Quality Control laboratory performs over 1,000 tests a week at all manufacturing stages to ensure quality and consistency of claimed ingredients. They also test for ingredient identification, gluten, and adulterants by using advanced analytical instrumentation.

Standard process is the exclusive U.S. distributor of MediHerb. MediHerb, an Australian company, is a leader in herbal products for health care professionals in the United States. For over 25 years MediHerb has been a pioneer, dedicated to the research and development of premium quality professional products. MediHerb products are developed by experts and leaders in the field of herbal therapy, drawing on the latest scientific evidence, as well as centuries of traditional knowledge. The positive health results achieved are the strongest possible evidence of their potency and superiority. MediHerb herbal solutions reflect the Standard Process philosophy and commitment to quality, purity and high manufacturing standards.

Dr. Royal Lee believed that each individual's unique nutritional requirements are best evaluated through a consultation with a health care professional. Therefore, their products are available only through consultations with qualified practitioners.