It’s a certain truth that dynamite comes in small packages. I want to discuss just such a shot of dynamite in the form of a powerful, 52-page booklet that was hidden among my favorite health reads: Why Your Doctor Offers Nutritional Supplements by Stephanie Selene Anderson with Mark R. Anderson.

Above the title of the book is the mind-jarring line that prompted me to also use it as the title of this blog post: “The Quest for Superior Nutrition.” This quest is illustrated with a sketch on page four titled Indians Hunting Buffalo, by Charles M. Russel. The image speaks powerfully to the determination required to secure the right food. And with it, Anderson lists thirteen ways the buffalo provides every nutrient the human body needs.

This succinct yet power-packed booklet gave me the inspiration I needed to write about a truly important subject: the desperate need to supplement our diets. This idea eludes not only many of my own clients but also thousands (if not millions) of people around the country. Yet in this current environment of terrible farming practices, why do we think that food alone, even organic food, is enough to bring us long-term, sustained health?

Rather than go into great detail about supplements, Anderson instead discusses the many ways food is rendered void of the nutrients we need. She outlines “The Seven Deadly Fallacies of the Western Diet” and also discusses what’s truly good for us at the “health” food store. Once this information begins to sink in, the need for supplementation and the importance of finding superior nutrition outside of conventional means becomes clear.

Those of us (and I hope, dear reader, you are one of them) who want to live our lives as painless and sick-free as possible must necessarily look to supplement the foods in our otherwise healthy (or, for that matter, unhealthy) diets.

The question that follows is this: How do we choose the best way to supplement our diets? After reading Anderson’s precious little book and applying my knowledge of whole food concentrates, I’m fully prepared to endorse the product I’m going to tell you about, so please keep reading. Additionally, I believe that all holistic practitioners should offer this book in their practice for their clients to purchase for themselves or their loved ones during office visits. If your practitioner does not carry it, you may purchase Why Your Doctor Offer Nutritional Supplements directly from SRP.

You Guessed It! Whole Food Supplements

Now before you turn away and think this is just another push for yet another brand of vitamin supplements, please keep reading. I’m about to tell you about a specific company whose supplements are entirely different to the synthetic vitamins you’ll find stocked on the shelves of so many health stores and sold online. (Merriam Webster defines “synthetic” as relating to, or produced by chemical or biochemical synthesis.)

Allow me to tell you of this company’s unique qualities and why they make whole food supplements. Additionally, I will tell you how this company came to be and how their supplements are made. I know that you will not find any other product with these unique features, which is why their truly concentrated whole food supplements will top off the missing nutrition in your diet. When used properly (which I will discuss below), these whole food supplements work to restore damaged tissue and maintain your health so you keep feeling as good as you’d like to.

Dr. Royal Lee, Founder of This Unique Whole Food Supplement Company

 Dr. Royal Lee was a scientist and an inventor of dental, mechanical, automotive, and electrical equipment. In 1929, he founded the Vitamin Products Company, which he eventually renamed Standard Process Laboratories. During his lifetime, Dr. Lee promoted dietary supplementation through superfoods such as liver, wheat germ, blackstrap unsulfured molasses, brewer’s yeast, and raw honey. I quote from page 52 of Why Your Doctor Offers Nutritional Supplements:

“Dr. Lee believed the key to maintaining the quality of nutritional supplements was a unique manufacturing process. He designed high-vacuum, low temperature drying equipment to preserve the living enzyme systems of whole foods. These technologies continue to be used today.”

The technology that Dr. Lee invented is known as cold-processing. Now let’s talk about how the foods that go into making these unique Standard Process whole food supplements are grown and processed.

The easy-to-read information in Why Your Doctor Offers Nutritional Supplements makes the reader truly understand what it takes to grow and raise the kind of nutrient-rich plants and animals (including animal parts such as the liver, heart, kidneys, etc.) that can provide such real, health-giving qualities (nothing synthetic here.) These ingredients are then cold-processed to preserve the living enzymes and nutrients available in each and every bottle of Standard Process whole food supplements.

The Standard Process organic farming page offers some interesting videos if you’d like to learn more.

When Clients Cannot See the Value of Supplementation

Many people who receive allopathic care from a medical doctor but then see little, if any, improvement in their health condition will eventually give a holistic practitioner a try. Unfortunately, I’ve seen new clients who can’t see the value of supplementation for a variety of reasons. Some simply want a short, easy list of easy dos and don’ts to follow. Some aren’t happy with the cost of the supplements I recommend. Some don’t show up for consistent care. And some complain about the changes they need to make to their diet based on Nourishing Traditions methods.

However, when we discuss their concerns, all I can do is remind them that it’s been several months since they came in to work with me, and that if they don’t take the supplements consistently and in compliance with the recommended dosage, they cannot expect any good from them. Supplements are, after all, an addition to an otherwise healthy diet. Not a cure for poor eating habits and/or an unhealthy lifestyle (including smoking, drinking, late nights, and stressful days). Although feeling better has caused at least a few to change their bad habits!

How to Use Standard Process Whole Food Supplements

The best way to use these unique supplements is through a legitimate SP holistic practitioner. This is why they are ONLY sold through holistic practitioners trained in the use

of different combinations for particular conditions. SP practitioners are highly qualified to test their clients and determine what supplements and dosages their clients may need. Standard Process therapeutic concentrates are not one-size-fits-all, so you need guidance from someone who is trained and experienced in their use.

This is why it’s very important that you DO NOT PURCHASE STANDARD PROCESS PRODUCTS ONLINE. Such products are considered black market as they are not licensed to be sold this way. They may not have been stored properly, are usually overpriced, and could very well be expired. Again, look for a competent practitioner in your area who carries and uses Standard Process extensively in their practice.

That being said, you may use certain SP whole food supplements (obtained through your practitioner) as a stand-alone addition to a healthy diet. These are supplements that don’t necessarily require testing from a practitioner in order to reap the benefits. For example, see below for my favorite raw milk smoothie that uses two different SP supplements as stand-alone ingredients. Ask your holistic practitioner about other SP supplements that don’t require testing for your particular needs or dosage.

Examples on the Usage of Standard Process Supplements

There are many opportunities for practitioners licensed to carry Standard Process whole food supplements to be trained in their use, including classes, seminars, books, CDs, webinars, and even the famous restoration of Dr. Royal Lee’s recordings. Visit the SRP shop to see the many gifts and products available.

Bottom line: Standard Process whole food supplements are a major part of the practice of many holistic practitioners, and if used properly will bring the best that can be had of additional supplementation to your diet.

Here’s one of my own healthy recipes using Standard Process supplements as a stand-alone:

Calcifood-Protefood Raw Milk Smoothie

Ingredients
1 cup raw milk (preferred) or organic non-homogenized milk
1 tablespoon Calcifood Powder
1 raw egg from pastured hens eating organic, soy-free feed (optional)
Blueberries or a banana (optional, but these are good additions)
1 Protefood capsule
(Note: no extra sugar, please.)

Instructions

1. Mix all ingredients except Protefood and blend in a Vitamix or blender.
2. Open Protefood capsule and mix with smoothie.
3. Enjoy with raw butter on toast.

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Afterthoughts from the Traditional Cook…

If we teach children at a young age that by their eating habits they will determine the health of the next generation, they will learn responsibility in all areas of life. It might even be said that the lack of a sense of responsibility that characterizes so much of modern government and industry today is an outgrowth of the attitude that the way we eat has no bearing on the health of our children and grandchildren.
—Sally Fallon quoted on p. 44 of Why Your Doctor Offers Nutritional Supplements

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Note from Maria: I am a Certified Natural Health Professional, CNHP, not a medical doctor. I do not diagnose, prescribe for, treat, or claim to prevent, mitigate, or cure any human diseases. Please see your medical doctor prior to following any recommendations I make in my blogs or on my website.

Images from iStock/nicexray, Selene River Press/main image, Catalyn.