“I’m mindful of everything I put into my body,” says Sarah R., a Crossfit enthusiast and competitive weightlifter. “Even if I wasn’t an athlete, I’d still use organic supplements. My daughter and I once read the list of ingredients in one of the synthetic supplements I had been taking. I was shocked to see how many unnecessary and unhealthy chemicals were in it.” That’s when she switched to organic. “I figured if I’m making the effort to eat organic, clean foods, I should do the same for my vitamins and supplements, too.”
Sarah’s story is not unique. As more people become health-conscious, the availability of organic options has grown significantly. While some argue that “organic” is just a buzzword, an increasing number of people are choosing organic food and personal care products.
What Does Organic Actually Mean?
The term “organic” refers to the way agricultural products are grown and processed. Organic ingredients are cultivated without pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, or genetic engineering (GMOs). According to the Organic Trade Association, it is the most consumer-driven and heavily regulated food system. For a product to have a certified organic label, 95 percent of its ingredients must be organic.
In the United States, organic products are regulated under the Organic Foods Production Act and overseen by the National Organic Standards Board. Any farmer or company that sells organic products in the U.S. must follow strict guidelines to protect natural resources. Farmers must grow vegetables or herbs in soil that has been free of all prohibited pesticides for three years or more. Organic standards also forbid the use of artificial food colors, flavors, and chemical preservatives.
Are Organic Supplements Better?
The best way to get your vitamins and minerals is through a healthy diet that includes a variety of vegetables, fruits, seeds, and nuts. However, sometimes you may need an extra boost in nutrients, and supplements can fill those gaps.
Organic nutritional supplements are superior in several ways. They are free of artificial fillers and excipients, contain no toxic chemicals, are more readily absorbed by the body, and have higher levels of antioxidants and other nutrients. The purity of organic supplements makes them better for your body and the environment.
“Fillers” and excipients include compounds like corn maltodextrin, silicon dioxide, magnesium stearate, and titanium dioxide. These ingredients typically don’t occur in nature and can be harmful to your health.
Many vitamins and nutrients in supplements are synthetic, meaning they’re manufactured in a lab to mimic the molecular structure of natural nutrients. However, it’s more optimal to extract nutrients, vitamins, and minerals from whole foods, herbs, fungi, and other natural substances. In some cases, synthetics may not be easily absorbed or used by the body at all. For example, calcium carbonate, which is like chalk, has been found undigested in the gut months later!
In contrast, certified organic dietary supplements are typically made with simple, natural processes. Freeze-drying herbs for capsules or extracting them in a liquid retains the full spectrum of nutrients available in the whole plant. The body more readily absorbs nutrients from organic supplements.
Top Reasons To Choose Organic Supplements
Choosing organic nutritional supplements offers several benefits. Organic crops, such as apples, blueberries, and carrots, have substantially higher concentrations of antioxidants and other nutrients than non-organic ones. Organic supplements usually come from these organic foods.
When you take a certified organic dietary supplement, you know that you are using a product that has not been exposed to hundreds of toxic chemicals. Many pesticides and herbicides are carcinogenic or cause endocrine disruption. Choosing organic means making a conscious effort to keep these harmful toxins and chemicals out of your body.
Your taste buds will tell you — organic food tastes great! Healthy soils produce nutritious plants that become nourishing food (and sometimes, wholesome supplements). When you consume a supplement derived from the whole plant, you’re consuming a range of vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients that the body uses. The body more easily absorbs nutrients from organic products. For instance, your body absorbs natural vitamin E twice as efficiently as the synthetic form. In another case, one-quarter of the amount of natural vitamin K is as effective as the synthetic version.
Organic farmers work in harmony with nature, promoting sustainability and building healthy ecosystems. Organic farms have 30 percent more animal and bird species on average than non-organic ones. These animals live on farmland and assist in natural pest control — a win-win situation!
It takes more energy to produce synthetic fossil-fuel-based fertilizers than to cultivate, harvest, and transport crops — combined! Organic farming uses half the energy of conventional methods. Organic farmers use environmentally-friendly farming methods that not only conserve water but also help keep pesticides out of our clean water supplies. In other words, buying organic reduces your footprint on the earth.
Finding the Best Brand
When you’re in the market for nutritional supplements, you’ll find an overwhelming number of options. Labeling allows you to know what is in everything you purchase, but understanding labels is still a challenge. Here are some suggestions for finding the best options.
The best supplement companies have high standards for customer service and offer policies such as a “satisfaction or money-back” guarantee. A good company will have a trained customer satisfaction team that can answer questions about their products. Excellent customer service includes free shipping and returns!
Product packaging should include the use of the certified organic seal and good labeling practices, such as listing both active and inactive ingredients, indicating potential allergens and contraindications, and clearly listing what is not in the products (i.e., GMO-free, pesticide-free, etc.).
Switching to Organic
Ready to make the switch to organic but still have a cupboard full of non-organic products? Don’t get out the trash bin just yet! It’s okay to transition slowly to organic. Do your research about ingredients and learn how various supplements support your health. Take your time to educate yourself on which products best align with your health goals. Work to slowly replenish your supplements with organic options.
Types of Organic Supplements
Organic supplements come in a variety of forms. There are fully organic-certified products, which must contain 95 percent organic ingredients, and there are products that include organic ingredients. You can buy organic capsules, powders, teas, and liquid herbal extracts of vitamins and minerals, or of specific compounds. For example, you can buy the coenzyme CoQ10, or herbs like turmeric and moringa.
Herbal Extracts
Herbal extracts are one of the simplest ways to enjoy the goodness of herbs. Extracts are made by soaking plant material in solution, which draws out the naturally-occurring phytochemicals (plant-produced compounds). Herbal extracts capture the full nutritional complexity of a plant. When you make a supplement from whole plants or herbs, versus a synthetic approximation, you capture not just its vitamins and minerals, but also the enzymes, cofactors, and other phytonutrients that make it unique.
Global Healing uses a state-of-the-art Raw Herbal Extract technology for its liquid extract line. Herbs, such as tulsi and valerian, are cold processed in triple-distilled water and organic vegetable glycerin derived from mustard seed.
Vitamins & Minerals
Your body needs vitamins and minerals to function. Aim to get your daily nutrients through a healthy, balanced diet. But sometimes, dietary supplements can provide the nutrition you don’t get from food. You can purchase multivitamins or individual vitamins and minerals as pills or liquid extracts. Some people do not like taking large pills, so a liquid vitamin or mineral supplement can be ideal in those cases. Excellent options include Global Healing’s certified organic iodine supplement (Detoxadine), organic Global Healing’s Vitamin D3, and organic Vitamin B12.
Why Organic Matters to Us
At Global Healing, our passion for purity is woven into every fiber of our work. Your health matters to us. We recognize that organic dietary supplements may be more expensive than synthetic options. Nevertheless, the benefits of “going organic” are immeasurable. This is true whether you’re purchasing a standalone vitamin or mineral supplement, an herbal extract, or capsules containing various ingredients.
Our mission at Global Healing is to provide products that revolutionize your journey to better health. We provide the purest supplements on the market to do just that.
Points to Remember
While most of us try to get the nutrients we need from food, our bodies sometimes need the support of dietary supplements. Nutritional supplements come in the form of capsules, tablets, powder, and liquid extracts — or even teas. Supplements can provide your body with the essential vitamins and minerals you need and can be an important part of a healthy, balanced diet. But not all supplements are created equal.
With so many choices lining the shelves, it’s essential to know what to look for in a supplement. When you choose organic, you get the nutritional benefits from whole foods used to produce the supplement, with no chemical compounds. Organic supplements are free of pesticides, insecticides, and other harmful toxins. Organic supplements provide the nutrients your body needs while knowing you’re consuming something good for your body — and the environment.
