Let’s face it—our eating habits aren’t always in line with what we know is best. Getting all the nutrients we need to stay healthy can be challenging with modern diets. Unfortunately, research shows that most of us don’t meet the recommended amounts of essential vitamins and minerals each day.

 

While supplements aren’t a replacement for healthy eating, they can help us fill the gaps in our diet. And thanks to new vitamins made from real foods, now we can choose supplements that are closer to what we would get from a nutritional diet. Let’s explore the science behind real food vitamins and what makes them unique.

 

Synthetic vs. Real Food Vitamins

 

Many vitamin and mineral supplements provide synthetic nutrients. According to researchers, that doesn’t necessarily mean they are inferior. In fact, our bodies absorb most synthetic nutrients just as well as natural forms of those same nutrients and some are structurally identical to those found in foods. But that hasn’t stopped us from innovating more wholesome, minimally-processed ways to get our supplemental nutrition.

 

Wellness-seekers are becoming more attentive to what we put in our bodies, and rightfully so! We strive to choose supplements for our wellness routines that are as close to whole-food nutrition as possible. That’s where real food vitamins come in, bringing us supplements formulated from nutrient-rich, nature-sourced ingredients that we recognize by name, like quinoa sprouts, lemon peel and holy basil.

 

What’s in a Real Food Vitamin?

 

Real food vitamins are exactly what they sound like—vitamins from real food sources. Scientific advancements have given us the ability to extract nutrients directly from food sources instead of making them synthetically. By finding nature’s richest sources of the essential nutrients we need to stay healthy, extracting those nutrients, then using them in supplemental formulas, we get food-occurring nutrients directly from the source.

 

For example, our Century Formula Multivitamin with Iron provides 15 essential vitamins and minerals, including:

 

 

Also, check out our Vitamins A, C, E & Selenium (ACES), featuring four essential antioxidants in one effective formula.

 

It’s easy to know exactly what you are putting into your body and where it comes from with real food vitamins. Below are the ingredients in our other real food formulations.

 

Real Food Niacin (Vitamin B-3)

 

Niacin, also known as vitamin B-3, is a water-soluble vitamin that benefits the entire body, and it may be particularly beneficial for the heart and cardiovascular system. Niacin also supports energy production, healthy blood lipid levels already within the normal range, brain function, skin health and stress hormones.

 

Niacin is naturally present in certain foods, including chicken, tuna, beef, salmon, and peanuts. But one particularly beneficial and rich source of niacin may sound somewhat unfamiliar. It’s an herb known as holy basil, and this is the ingredient we chose for our Real Food Niacin supplement.

 

If you’ve never heard of holy basil (also known as Tulsi) here’s a brief background. Holy basil is revered in Ayurveda for many general health uses. It’s classified as an adaptogen because it helps reduce the effects of stress on the body. Compounds in holy basil also have antioxidant effects.

 

Modern science confirms that holy basil has a lot to offer, including healthy nutrients like ursolic acid, rosmarinic acid, and oealonic acid, which provide a wide range of benefits to our health.

 

By choosing organic holy basil as the source of niacin for Swanson Ultra Real Food Niacin, we are able to provide 125% of your daily value (DV) of Niacin, plus beneficial co-factors and co-nutrients from those same holy basil leaves, together in a simple, healthful formula.

 

Real Food Folic Acid (Vitamin B-9)

 

Folic acid, also known as folate or vitamin B-9, is another water-soluble B-complex vitamin with unique benefits for the body. Folic acid is vital for new cell growth, DNA synthesis, healthy red blood cells, iron use and more. It’s also one of the most important prenatal vitamins for supporting a healthy pregnancy. Healthful diets with adequate folate may reduce a woman's risk of having a child with a brain or spinal cord birth defect.

 

Foods rich in folic acid include leafy greens, root vegetables, brussels sprouts, lima and soybeans, beef liver, orange juice, and more. 

 

Real Food Biotin (Vitamin B-7)

 

As another member of the B-complex family of vitamins, biotin is also known as vitamin B-7. It plays a role in metabolism and improves the body's keratin structures, which are needed for strong nails, thick hair and healthy skin. That’s why biotin is often referred to as the beauty vitamin, and both men and women can benefit from this nutrient.

 

Food sources of biotin include organ meats, eggs, and nuts, but one of nature’s richest sources of biotin is Sesbania grandiflora, also known as hummingbird tree. While most Americans may not recognize hummingbird tree as a food source, it is cultivated in South East Asia, Northern Australia and parts of India for its edible flowers (which are eaten as a vegetable) and for its beneficial health properties. Hummingbird tree is a rich source of vitamins, minerals and protein.

 

Real Food B-Complex

 

Individual B vitamins like the options mentioned above are excellent for filling in specific nutrient gaps, but all 8 B-complex vitamins are needed for optimal wellbeing. They all play complimentary but unique roles, so to cover all the bases we also developed a Real Food B-Complex Vitamin.

 

Our scientists and nutritionists took a close look at the available options for creating a well-rounded B-complex supplement from whole food sources. The answer was nutritionally-dense, organically-germinated quinoa sprouts.

 

Staying true to our promise of providing simple, effective solutions for modern wellness, this single superfood source gave us everything we needed to create a real food B-complex supplement. Swanson BALANCE B-50 is a treasured product which contains Vitamin B at an affordable price.

 

Real Food Nourishment for a Healthier Life

 

At Swanson Health, we are continuously working to develop superior products that make a real difference to your wellness journey. That includes bringing you cleaner, more transparent labels and supplement ingredients backed by science.