I recently had the opportunity as a guest blogger to attend MannaFest, the International conference for Mannatech associates. I’m not an associate, and prior to the conference, had never heard of the company, but I am so glad I went! I learned so much about real nutrition, and I can’t wait to share it all with you. Today I want to focus on the difference between synthetic supplements and real food supplements.
Synthetic vs Real Food Supplements
starting on top left you see: #1 Doctor Recommended Multivitamin, Popular 'Nature Produced' Multi-Complete, and #1 selling 'Natural Food-Based' Multivitamin/Mineral. In the middle (left side) you see the #1 selling Children's Complete Cartoon Gummy. On the middle right you see kids' chewable MannaBears (glyconutrients and phytonutrients), then top right down: Phytomatrix (100% real food complex vitamin/mineral), and Plus (Phytosterols for endocrine support).
First of all, before attending MannaFest, I had no idea how the vitamins and minerals I take for my health are made. I was floored to find out that most of the ingredients are synthetic, and those that aren’t are paired with synthetic fillers. Many vitamins on the store shelf contain petroleum products. Or rocks. Or Coal Tar. Ewwwww! Don’t believe me? Have a look at the picture on the right. These vitamins were baked till the nasty stuff seeped out…
You can try this with your own supplements! Just bake at 350 for 15 min. Petroleum oozes while food browns. It’s very revealing!
A Real Food Supplement is plant sourced. Besides sounding a lot better, it’s healthier. Take minerals for example: Our bodies were created to get their nutrition from the foods we eat. Not rocks. Plants absorb minerals from the ground when they’re growing. The plants predigest some of these minerals; minerals that our bodies can’t digest and absorb on their own. Synthetic suppliments may contain minerals, but what good are they if our bodies can’ absorb them?
Mannatech provided this fabulous PDF for me to share with you. It explains supplements and provides some amazing helps for reading the nutrition labels on your supplements.
Did you know?
- There are analytical machines readily available today, including those in Mannatech’s own R&D laboratory, that can blindly distinguish plant-sourced compounds from “bioidentical” compounds synthesized from fossil fuels such as coal tar or petroleum. – Expert Advice on Natural Vitamins Today
- Every food that is ‘fortified’ has synthetic vitamins!
- 500,000,000 people take daily supplements
Water or Fat Soluble?
Veggie from My Own Garden - Great Source of Real Nutrients!
There’s been a lot of skepticism in the media concerning vitamin and mineral supplements. Some of these articles and studies even suggest that taking supplements can be bad for you. I was really excited to learn where this idea comes from! You see, vitamins like C are water soluble. So, even if you’re getting straight up absorbic acid (our bodies need the whole C complex to benefit from vitamin C, not just absorbic acid!) your body will flush what it can’t use and no harm will be done. The danger is when you take a fat soluble supplement like vitamins E, A, and Beta Carotine. These synthetic fats build up in our systems.
Does your family take supplements?
We do, and I know I’m seriously considering Mannatech’s Real Switch Challenge! I was given a few products to try, and so far, we have absolutely loved all of it! I can’t wait to share more of what I’ve learned!
If you’d like to try out some of their products, head to ChooseReal.com and enter my member number, 3161232, when you sign up!
Disclaimer: I was invited to Mannafest as a blogger, to learn about real food nutrition. I was given a few products to try, but was not required to write about my experience or the products. I’m simply sharing because I learned so much and I wanted to pass it on! Also, I’m a member, not an associate. If you sign up using my member number I will receive credits towards the products I order, but I will not make any cash. And yes, you can do this too!
great info. I always buy plant sourced supplements for this reason.
See, before this I had no idea there was such a thing. I cleaned out my vitamin cabinet yesterday. 😛
There is only ONE company that has REALFOOD in it.. It’s called REALFOOD ORGANICS.. by Country Life Vitamins. If you read on the back of the bottles that say they are “from food” or “whole food based”.. you have to SEE the food listed on the back of the Supplements Facts Panel. There are two other companies.. New Chapter and Garden of Life.. that use these synthetic or isolated vitamins and add them to yeast and ferment them.. that is NOT FOOD.. it could be called .. “LIKE” food.. but, there is no subsititute for eating the food that we have.. ( as long as it’s organic, because that is a whole other subject!!) But, REALFOOD ORGANICS has over 30 different WHOLE FOODs in it.. (not juices, or extracts etc)..
I think you may want to look further itno your claim. The Mannatech products that include Real Food technology, including the new one, are grown and are absolutley RealFood. I have taken Mannattech products for over 16 years as has my wife. I am not degradingthe product youmention only informing you that your statement is not correct.
Yes I am a distributor.
As well, I might add that you said you just wanted to share about the Mannatech products.. they are great products.. very well known with EXCELLENT reviews, EXCELLENT information on their glyconutrients, which I have lectured about as a National Educator.. they are great products, although being a Multi-level marketing company, they are very expensive and not available in stores.
Tracy,
I have been hearing wonderful things, and not just from Mannatech people, but people who’ve had friends whose health improved.
Mannatech is bringing a new product out, and a new way to buy/share, on May 1st that will be a more affordable way for families to get products. They still won’t be available in stores, but they will definitely be more affordable!
I have been taking mannatech vitamins and minerals for over 10 years and feel great!this also shows in my yearly blood work/check up!
Nadia,
That’s great! I love hearing success stories. 🙂