Ask the Doctor: Benefits of Whole Food Concentrates

Dear Dr. Rona,

I read a quote of yours regarding live whole food concentrates from your book Joy of Health. What live whole food concentrates do you recommend that have been processed under 100 degrees? Do you know of a way of testing to ensure enzymatic activity or negative electrons from the processing? Thanks, Brett

Zoltan Rona replies:

Brett,  Thank you for your good question on whole food supplements. The science of nutrition has not yet discovered the complete range of vital nutrients found only in natural foods. Live, whole food concentrates have the unique advantage of supplying the body with enzymes and cancer-preventing phytochemicals like carotenoids, indoles, isothiocyanates, isoflavones and phytosterols. These substances do not exist in any vitamin or mineral supplement. Additionally, whole foods provide vitamins, minerals, amino acids, polypeptide hormone precursors and other nutrients that support the vital life force needed by all cells for optimal health.

Examples of whole food supplements are as follows:

Spirulina, Chlorella
Cod liver oil, Halibut liver oil
Blue green algae
Other green drinks or green food concentrates like barley green and green kamut
Bee pollen
Whole leaf aloe vera juice
Nutritional yeast, Garlic
Hemp products
Desiccated liver
Salba products
Wild yam extract
Kelp, dulse and other seaweeds in powder, tablet or capsule form
Various tissue concentrates like pancreatin and raw adrenal glandular concentrate
Wheat germ
Lecithin granules and other soybean derivatives
Milled flaxseed
Whole food concentrates of cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, etc.)
All herbs

Given our present state of knowledge, it’s very good health insurance to add one or more whole food supplements to your daily multiple vitamin and mineral supplement.

A note on quality: The only reliable manufacturing practice to guarantee that what’s on the label is actually in the bottle is called HPLC (high pressure liquid chromatography). High quality supplement manufacturers use HPLC and keep the chemicals, lactose and other additives out of their products to prevent potential allergic reactions. These hypoallergenic supplements are also better absorbed. This is especially important in people over age 60, when stomach acidity and digestive juices are produced at lower levels.

Zoltan Rona, M.D., M.Sc.

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