Consumers today face a new challenge. Not only do they need to know which foods and health aids make up a healthy diet, they need to know how to get non GMO vitamins and supplements. Mainstream American farmers and food producers have enthusiastically embraced genetic modification. It's harder than ever to get truly natural, untainted foods and nutritional products. The only way to do it is to grow your own or find producers whose integrity you can rely on.
So far, the 'organic' certification should mean that no genetically modified ingredients are in a product. However, this could change if forces that want to weaken the standards succeed in getting the FDA to change the rules. Those who care should make their views known to the government and should ask questions of supplement providers to be sure of their standards.
It's also important to ask manufacturers directly about quality control policies. Few supplement producers make their own ingredients. Most buy raw materials and then compound their products; some merely buy already finished products and re-label them. The third-party 'organic' certification will mean that all ingredients are 'clean'. However, it's still the integrity of the producer that really matters. Remember, too, that an 'all-natural' claim may be virtually meaningless, since this term has not been legally defined.
Know your manufacturers. All reputable companies will post purity information on websites and display it on their labels. Never rely on advertisements, no matter how impartial or informational they seem. Few supplements are truly natural, anyway. Vitamins do not usually occur in nature in the concentration we have come to expect from our supplements. An orange contains 60 milligrams of Vitamin C; we want 500 to 1,000 milligrams in a single pill.
Be aware that many of the original and highly-regarded companies have been sold. Some of the best-known names in the industry now belong to huge, mainstream food and drug companies. Once a brand has been sold, consumers must do the research all over again to ascertain the level of commitment of the new owners.
Many products will have a non-GMO seal on the package. This means that no active ingredient, filler, flavoring, coloring, or capsule should be made of genetically engineered matter. Purists in the health food community hope that growing customer awareness will force even mainstream producers to avoid using modified substances.
Confusion arises because industry-backed research says including genetically modified ingredients in a supplement does not pose a threat. Other studies, however, do raise concerns, especially for infants and young children still developing and for those already weakened by age, illness, or chronic disease. Those who like their food and supplements as clean and unprocessed as possible are used to erring on the side of caution when it comes to products on the market.
Claims of safety may be premature. GMOs have not been around long enough to really know their effects. To be sure of getting the health benefits you need, choose health aids without genetically engineered ingredients.
So far, the 'organic' certification should mean that no genetically modified ingredients are in a product. However, this could change if forces that want to weaken the standards succeed in getting the FDA to change the rules. Those who care should make their views known to the government and should ask questions of supplement providers to be sure of their standards.
It's also important to ask manufacturers directly about quality control policies. Few supplement producers make their own ingredients. Most buy raw materials and then compound their products; some merely buy already finished products and re-label them. The third-party 'organic' certification will mean that all ingredients are 'clean'. However, it's still the integrity of the producer that really matters. Remember, too, that an 'all-natural' claim may be virtually meaningless, since this term has not been legally defined.
Know your manufacturers. All reputable companies will post purity information on websites and display it on their labels. Never rely on advertisements, no matter how impartial or informational they seem. Few supplements are truly natural, anyway. Vitamins do not usually occur in nature in the concentration we have come to expect from our supplements. An orange contains 60 milligrams of Vitamin C; we want 500 to 1,000 milligrams in a single pill.
Be aware that many of the original and highly-regarded companies have been sold. Some of the best-known names in the industry now belong to huge, mainstream food and drug companies. Once a brand has been sold, consumers must do the research all over again to ascertain the level of commitment of the new owners.
Many products will have a non-GMO seal on the package. This means that no active ingredient, filler, flavoring, coloring, or capsule should be made of genetically engineered matter. Purists in the health food community hope that growing customer awareness will force even mainstream producers to avoid using modified substances.
Confusion arises because industry-backed research says including genetically modified ingredients in a supplement does not pose a threat. Other studies, however, do raise concerns, especially for infants and young children still developing and for those already weakened by age, illness, or chronic disease. Those who like their food and supplements as clean and unprocessed as possible are used to erring on the side of caution when it comes to products on the market.
Claims of safety may be premature. GMOs have not been around long enough to really know their effects. To be sure of getting the health benefits you need, choose health aids without genetically engineered ingredients.
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