From Magic Pills to Magic Beans
Feb 08, 2023Something for Nothing
We all want to look and feel great, if not for our own reasons then for societies. Social media, in all of its many forms, leaves us longing for the trimmest shape, and the clearest complexion, to go along with our picture perfect lives. We are constantly barraged by healthy looking, beautiful people who seem to effortlessly enjoy these gifts. Effortlessly. Who doesn't like the idea of something for nothing?! Easy sounds great - effort sounds hard. The idea of winning the lottery or getting something for nothing is an idea that really sells. And the majority of us - keep buying.
Even though experts have been telling us for decades how health and wellbeing are most likely achieved, the greater majority of us discount their voices. Their admonitions are too simplistic and require disrupting our comfortable lifestyles. Who wants to cut back on cheap and easy processed food and replace it with whole foods prepared in our own kitchens!? Who wants to take time out of their busy schedules to move their bodies in some form of exercise? What really grabs our attention is something easy, that doesn't interrupt our lifestyle much at all. Like a pill.
An Apple A Day
Since the turn of the 20th century dieters have succumbed to all sorts of "magic pills" with their myriad side effects, including addiction and death, to name but a few. Then around the 1970s another "magic pill" craze took flight in the form of the vitamin pill. This miniscule package promised health in just one swallow. The old adage "an apple a day keeps the doctor away" was swapped for the ideal - "a multivitamin a day keeps the doctor at bay." But what have we learned in the decades since trading the apple for the vitamin? Do vitamins promise health in every swallow? Can these pills make up for a diet lacking in balanced nutrition? Can we eat whatever we want then rely on vitamin pills to supply us with health all the way to the finish line?
The fact of the matter is, there is much more to nutrition and health than simply vitamins and minerals. Those promising health in a pill or any other substance are selling you magic beans. A variety of whole foods, things that grow and come from this earth, were designed to provide your body with compact, complete nutrition. Science cannot yet replicate the complicated synergies of nature. Each whole food contains a host of magical ingredients that have yet to be identified, and the ingredients that have been identified, work in unison with the other ingredients in each respective whole food. Whole foods, the way Mother Earth created them, is where you will find nutrition for optimum health.
Whole Nutrition
What I'm teaching is nothing new. There is a plethora of information, research, and studies on the health and healing benefits of whole nutrition.
If you already fully grasp this idea but are concerned you still may be lacking in essential nutrients, herbs are your best aim at a "magic bullet." Herbs are whole foods, densely packaged. You might have expected this coming from an Herbalist, but let me restate that herbs are food, not magic pills or even magic beans. In order to receive the benefits of these nutrients you will need to consume more than a pills worth. Just a word of caution as you consider swapping vitamin pills for herbal supplements. There are a host of companies happy to accept your herbal business, but, like any other industry out to make a profit, there are some who cut corners and some who focus on quality. Quality products equals quality results. At the bottom of this post we have listed some companies we have frequented and believe offer quality products. We receive no endorsement for sending you their way.
Kristi Taylor is a Master Herbalist, Clinical Herbalist and Natural healing Guide®. She endeavors to share her knowledge and passion of natural healing with whomever will listen – because nature’s wisdom never ceases to delight and amaze!
Links
Dr. Christopher's: http://www.drchristopher.com/
Mountain Rose Herbs: https://mountainroseherbs.com/catalog/herbs-spices
Herbally Grounded: https://herballygrounded.com/
Starwest Botanicals: https://www.starwest-botanicals.com/?ad_id=607793701111&gclid=CjwKCAiArY2fBhB9EiwAWqHK6k3d0PNTFhsllBu-28y8Y-oauDhDwoBjto86wqtuJ5_LlN3s3dUkOBoCdQEQAvD_BwE
Reference
https://herballygrounded.com/products/amazing-greens
https://www.encyclopedia.com/science/applied-and-social-sciences-magazines/diet-pills
