How Buying Supplements Saves Money
An Economic report issued by the Council for Responsible Nutrition Foundation (CRN) in 2014 indicated that nutritional supplementation including a good multivitamin can greatly reduce personal as well as national healthcare costs. According to Steve Mister, president, CRN Foundation, “Chronic disease takes a huge toll on people’s quality of life, and the health care system spends a tremendous amount of money treating chronic disease, but has failed to focus on ways to reduce those costs through prevention,” he continued, “We already knew that the dietary supplements identified in the report can play a role in reducing the risk of certain chronic diseases; we felt compelled to find out if they could also contribute to health care cost savings by reducing the medical events associated with those conditions. This new report says emphatically that they do.”
We have a full post about this report here.
We Need A Maintenance Plan
We all know when we are healthy we do not need medical care. That seems obvious. However, unlike their cars, people are often less inclined to provide the extra nutrients needed by their bodies, until they start to feel negative effects of poor nutrition. This is of course, when the body is already in a state of decline, and will take much more effort to bring back to balance. Stable and regular supplemental nutrition such as from a good multivitamin, is like a vehicle maintenance program. Gas, oil, filters, fluids, parts, and service personnel are all metaphorically represented by food and nutrients for our body. If we keep a good schedule, and the right components, we will run longer and better, with less catastrophic failure.
Sadly our food production and distribution system does not provide the highest quality components in food alone. Vitamin and mineral depletion in foods is due to so many factors that would be a whole other post. One I will have to do sometime. Just to quickly cover some things though, here are some basic examples.
Reasons Food is Not Enough Anymore
- The water is deficient in nutrients due to modern processing.
- The soil is over-farmed not allowing for nutrients to replenish. Scientific American had a post about this here.
- The foods are packaged and shipped long distances to maximize profits.
- Local foods are shipped far away to get a better price, and cheaper foods come in from abroad because they can be produced cheaper. This makes it necessary to pick sooner, to preserve for the trip, losing valuable “cooking” time connected to the soil and enzymes.
- Toxins, either directly used as pesticides, or indirectly absorbed from other sources.
- Grain feeding animals instead of letting them eat what they need, like grass. This makes the meat we eat very nutrient depleted, and even unsafe in some cases. Deadly E. coli 0157:H7 bacteria are nourished by the acidic environment in the intestines of cattle created by grain feeding. E. coli bacteria that can actually kill people. Grass fed beef does not have this problem.
You’ve Got The Power
Since foods cannot supply what you need on their own, finding a program of supplements is essential, perhaps even more than just a multivitamin. It is not really optional like we used to think. It would be like putting gas in your car, but never changing the oil. Or maybe filling an aircraft with enough fuel for 800 miles, and planning a trip for 1200 on that fuel. Hopefully it is a good glider, or you will drop from the sky like a stone! You can’t trick physics anymore than you can fool your cells into building from insufficient materials.
When you add a program of supplements, including a multivitamin, you give your body the tools it needs to make the demands you place upon it possible in the long term. If you don’t it’s just a matter of time before you run out of fuel, and your mechanics quit. Then you are gliding along hoping to cheat the natural laws that dictate what it takes to run your body’s machinery.
Most people are deficient in some key components. Fiber, Vitamin D, Vitamin B, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Calcium, Potassium, Vitamin E, Magnesium, and Omega-3 Fatty acids, also called “fish oils” since one of the greatest sources is fish. That alone is a long list! And that is just a few indicated by a number of media and medical sources. You can search for these studies all over the web. There are many more other studies indicate, but each person is different and your own diet and environment will determine your personal deficiencies. Even your level of activity will determine to some degree the Macro and Micro nutrients you need for your system to function at it’s best.
You Get What You Pay For, Why Saving Money is Not Saving You Anything.
When we go to the local supplement store, we may think that reading the label provides valuable information guiding a wise choice in our healthcare and nutrient intake. Sadly this is not the case. The FDA does not regulate the production of supplements as far as accurate labeling. There is no regulatory body that checks for accuracy. A number of studies have been done, and all of them show a sorely lacking ethical concern with proper labeling and accurate levels of nutrients shown on bottles.
Recently the attorney general of New York leveled accusations against Target, Walgreens, GNC, and Wal-Mart. The claim was that they are selling herbal supplements that claimed to contain ingredients they didn’t actually contain. Some dispute the testing techniques, but DNA tests of some of these stores’ supplements found that only about 1 in 5 had the DNA from the herbs and plants the label indicated.
Consider the Source First
So it is not so much what the label indicates that shows you are getting quality supplements. The company who produces the supplements is far more important to research than the claims of the labels. Only a company that is, by it’s own strict self regulating standards, determined to provide quality will actually do so. So paying less for a product, could actually just be wasting money entirely. None of us want that.
So you have a few options with multivitamins from Metagenics. There are many programs, designed for an assortment of needs from general wellness, to the specific needs of men, women, pregnant women, menopause, balancing blood sugar, and joint health. These include a premium multivitamin as well as targeted additional supplements like Omega-3’s for specific circumstances. See the documentation below.
You Pay For What You Get, Why You Pay More When You Pay Less.
We do not endorse bargain supplements. Pay less = get less. But paying more does not always get more. Sadly there are less than scrupulous companies charging big bills for bad pills. Whether you use us as a source for your needs or not, don’t be lured in by price alone. It would be nice if apples were apples. If paying less is the only concern, you will ultimately pay more. 12 apples that weigh 4 ounces are not the same as 10 apples that weigh 4 lbs. What seems less can actually be more, don’t let the numbers fool you.
No one would knowingly pay money with the knowledge they will not get what they are buying. Not getting what you are trying to buy is not saving anyone anything, it is a waste pure and simple. You work hard to earn your money, and a supplement company should not get that money unless they work hard to give you what they say you are buying.
Not to mention, harm can be caused by products that are produced in less than ethical or savory conditions. There is very little value nutritionally in low quality products. You will pay a great deal more later for the medical care you were trying to avoid.*
We offer our own proprietary products as well as over 95 additional brands through our partner Wholescripts.com
What It Does Not Mean
So as with all medical information, no guarantees can be made. When we try to better our health, there are so many factors to consider, one thing alone will not be enough. We at Nutritional Council propose what is needed to maximize overall health and wellness, is truly Lifestyle Change. Only with a fully integrated health plan can we hope to battle the onslaught of corporate sponsored un-health. Let’s face it, there is more money to be made in good tasting, easy prepackaged food. We are all so busy, it is hard not to be sucked in.
We are dedicated to provide guidance and knowledge and quality products that can at least help to support the changes necessary to create a better tomorrow for anyone who chooses to start to make these changes. Consider it an investment in your future. It is also an investment in your family, your children’s families and generations to come.
*These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. No products or suggestions referred to on this site are intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease or condition. Apparently, the FDA is only concerned with deciding if profitable drugs from billion dollar pharmaceutical companies can be used for improving health, and not if food and supplements can be used to mitigate chronic or acute conditions. Since this is the case, we always advise close communication with your physician before changing anything in your diet or exercise program. Most Doctors will likely agree with us anyway!