GUEST REVIEW: Garden of Life Supplements (Take Your Vitamins)
by Jenni Simmons

My preferred means of good nutrition is to eat organic veggies, fruit, meat, grains, legumes, dairy, and so on. However, when an annoying health condition arises, like, let’s say, TMJ, then chewing certain items, especially produce and meat, becomes extremely difficult. Even if your jaw and body are functioning normally, overall nutrition is vital to maintaining good health. It is also quite challenging to consume every necessary food group even if you love and strive to eat healthy as I do.A logical conclusion is to take vitamins and supplements along with a healthy diet. The problem is that most vitamins in your local grocery store and pharmacy “often amount to little more than isolated or synthetic, lifeless chemicals. Worse yet, these are laboratory-produced synthetic substitutes for food nutrients that were never meant to be assimilated apart from their natural form in food,” says The Maker’s Diet by Jordan S. Rubin (which is full of valuable information regardless of your religious beliefs). For instance, your body was not created to accept pure B-vitamins. They are not found alone in nature, but are bonded to a whole host of components such as carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins that synergistically work together to sustain your body. In fact, too much of any isolated vitamin or nutrient is either useless or toxic, and a waste of money.I once relied on HEB’s (a grocery store chain in Texas) inexpensive multi-vitamin for women until I learned the information listed above. I did some research and discovered that what I needed were vitamins and supplements comprised of whole foods, something akin to those little pills on The Jetsons.

I located such vitamins through Garden of Life founded by Jordan Rubin, a company dedicated to green and sustainable living. Garden of Life’s supplements are different in that they are “homeostatic nutrients providing vitamins and minerals in the natural form…as living food. They provide all of the necessary cofactors required for assimilation by the body, and they are literally ‘alive’ with probiotics and enzymes [again, from The Maker’s Diet].” Unlike isolated vitamins, Garden of Life supplements are easily absorbed and usable for your body. Our insides will quickly recognize whole, living foods vs. synthetic impostors. I’ve dedicated a whole shelf in one of our kitchen cabinets to Garden of Life vitamins, but I keep two of my favorites on hand at all times: Living Multi Optimal Women’s Formula and Perfect Food Super Green Formula caplets.The Living Multi is the best multi-vitamin I’ve found targeted to women which is good because women and men do require slightly different nutrition for a healthy life (Garden of Life also offers a multi for men). The women’s formula of Living Multi contains balanced levels of B-vitamins, calcium, folic acid, iron, vitamins A (from beta carotene), C, D, and E, iodine (for thyroid health); and a unique blend tailored to females including pomegranate extract, red clover, and wild yam (a hormone aid). Also found in each little pill are a natural antioxidant fruit & veggie blend, sea veggie blend, tonic mushroom blend, veggie juice blend, and even an antioxidant beverage and spice blend - things like green tea, coffee, rosemary, turmeric, and ginger. I guarantee you won’t find an impressive list like that on a Centrum bottle. The suggested serving of Living Multi is 6 pills per day which seems like a lot, but you can take them anytime, with or without food, and I actually like that it forces me to drink several glasses of filtered water per day.As for Perfect Food caplets, well, it really is a near-perfect supplement. I don’t think I need to elaborate on the importance of several servings of fruits and veggies in your daily diet. I first tried Perfect Food in the powder form. I mixed it with juice as they recommended and tried to down the whole glass. I almost literally gagged. It was an accomplishment to finish 1/4 of the glass. Now maybe some of you would enjoy the powder form, and I say go for it. But I was elated to find Perfect Food in caplet form - easily swallowed with water or juice, no suppression of the gag reflex required. It is full of healthiness such as barley grass, flax and lentil sprouts, a green juice blend, spirulina (for healthy immune function), chlorella, kelp, and veggies like carrots, tomato, kale, spinach, parsley, and bell pepper. In addition, Perfect Food contains probiotics to support digestive health. It is best to take 5 pills a day, with or without food, but you should work up to that - start with 1-2 pills per day initially. And if you are eating a lot of organic salad and veggies as you should, you may not need 5 pills anyway.Honestly, these supplements are on the pricey side. As much as I love Whole Foods, I do not purchase Garden of Life products there. I found a wonderful web site instead: Health Food Emporium. They sell the entire Garden of Life line at a major discount. You receive absolutely free shipping on all U.S. orders over $50.00 and when your packages arrive, you will most likely find a sample of an Aubrey Organics shampoo or a Miessence body wash, or something similar. I have never received an incorrect order and my shipment often goes out the very day I place an order. Health Food Emporium is a great company which makes Garden of Life supplements affordable.My husband and I are finally moved into our house, but as we packed and moved, my bottles of vitamins were tucked away God knows where and difficult to locate. Not to mention our diet sucked - our healthy groceries were back at the apartment when we were at the house (or whatever). Now my vitamins are on their proper shelf, safe and sound. When my energy droops from unpacking, I truly do gain more energy and strength when I put down a cardboard box, walk into the kitchen, and take my vitamins like a good girl.