Wellness is about more than physical fitness, more than emotional well-being, more than mental vibrancy.  Wellness encompasses all of those things, and more.  Taking care of yourself means taking care of all your needs- physically, emotionally, physically, spiritually, socially, and so on.  There have been numerous studies that show the impact of mental health on physical health, and that's just the tip of the iceberg!

In the past decade, we have seen a surge of enthusiasm for activities such as yoga and tai chi.  These are both physical and spiritual practices, and benefit our mental and emotional selves as well.  When we heal one part of our self, the others are positively affected.  This ties directly into the body-mind-spirit modality that you may be aware of.  Unhappiness or ill health are just two of the areas that indicate an imbalance in all three, and the reverse is true as well.  Oftentimes, the physical issues we experience are the result of emotional blocks in our bodies.

What does this mean in action?  It means making sure that you attend to your needs appropriately and be willing to look at larger causal issues when something does arise.  It means treating you- the whole you- rather than just the part of you that is sick, and finding practitioners who will do the same.  It means loving every part of yourself and continually seeking out activities that help you heal, grow, learn, and experience. 

The debate between whole food vitamins and pharmaceutical vitamins is ongoing, and you will hear different stories from different sides.  To begin with, let us clarify what this article is specifically addressing.  When we reference pharmaceutical vitamins, that reference is to over-the-counter vitamins that are produced synthetically, not to pharmaceutical grade vitamins, which are only available via prescription.  Whole food vitamins are exactly what they sound like-- vitamins made from whole food sources.

Whole food vitamins are far superior to anything manufactured genetically.  The reason for this is bioavailability.  When a vitamin comes from a food, it comes with the entire vitamin complex that is necessary for that vitamin to be absorbed into the body.  A synthetically derived vitamin is singled out from all of that, and it some cases, the body will pull from its own supply to make the vitamin more complete.  By taking a synthetic vitamin, you could actually contribute to vitamin deficiencies in your body! 

Whole food vitamins can be taken with or without a meal, as the body will be able to break them down into usable nutrients at any time.  You may have noticed that the dosage in whole food vitamins is often lower than in synthetic vitamins- this is because of the efficiency factor.  When a nutrient can be easily broken down, more of it is absorbed by the body.  Vitamins that aren't easily absorbed usually end up exiting the body in much the same form they entered, having provided no benefit at all. 

The best way to get your vitamins is to eat them in the form of food, although most of us need a little bit of assistance in getting our full daily doses of each and every nutrient, which is where whole food vitamins come in.

This colorful and healthy recipe from chef John Verrier at Sid Wainer & Son serves 6

Ingredients: 

2 cups Grandanina pasta or Israeli couscous
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1/2 red onion, cut in half and sliced very thin
1 green pepper, diced
1/2 cup each dried apricots and dried cranberries, diced
8 oz orange juice
 
Directions:
In a medium stock pot, cook couscous in water according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
While the couscous is cooking, heat the olive oil in a small frying pan. Sauté the garlic, red onion, and green pepper until the onions are soft, about 7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Put in a serving bowl. Add dried fruit. Add the cooked, drained couscous. Pour in the orange juice, and keep stirring until thoroughly mixed and the liquid is completely absorbed. Serve warm or room temperature.