Wild Nutrition Food-State B Complex Plus

I was pleased to be asked to review a food state product as it gave me the opportunity to really dig down into whether this type of food supplement is actually better than 'normal' supplements. Wild Nutrition were fabulously helpful with my awkward queries so I have to thank them for that.

Food state supplements are quite the rage at the moment, although they've been around for a long time. It sounds great ? taking a supplement in a food form that your body can assimilate better, but can it? And, importantly for us freefromers, is it actually free from? Let's look a bit more closely.

The actual process of producing food state supplements is really complex (to me, anyway) and is still largely proprietary, which makes it devilishly difficult to assess properly. In essence, food states ? and incidentally a lot of 'normal' supplements like citrates ? are made by inserting a nutrient into a peptide food matrix so that it 'bonds' and becomes recognisable by the body and able to be assimilated and used.

In this B Complex, for example, the base used is yogurt and sometimes yeast, mainly because both are already naturally rich in B vitamins. In citrates made by Nutrigold, for example, they use an algae. I asked Nutrigold purely because the director Andy Wren was one of the first to bring food state nutrients into the UK via Cytoplan so he knows his stuff here. Fascinating, and I could bore you to death, but suffice to say I am still none the wiser about the absorption difference as there is much heated debate on the subject! It needs more digging?

From our freefrom point of view, the products are tested at the end of the process to check they have none of the antigen protein left ie. the yeast or dairy in this case. In other words, they are tested for the standard allergen proteins for classical allergy and have none left so are traditionally 'hypoallergenic'. However, there can be some fractions of yeast and dairy remaining in the end product so people who are hyper-sensitive to other peptides or starches etc could still have an issue. The vast majority of people would be fine, but some wouldn't. I am assured there is no live yeast left in the finished product.

The labelling online and on the product label is nice and clear. This B Complex Plus supplement is aimed at those coping with stress and needing more energy, so most of us then! The B vitamins are supported in that aim by the addition of Vitamin C (citrus 'grown' so again watch the fractions if super-sensitive), magnesium, manganese, CoQ10 and the adrenal adaptogen ashwaganda. A nice mix that should really give you a bit more support when needed.

I think in general this is a well thought out range and represents one of the goodies in food-state supplement options as it is nice and pure with no added fillers. Some sensitives simply cannot tolerate the fillers and stearates etc in usual supplements and I have successfully recommended food state alternatives in those cases. This B Complex would be a good choice in those cases especially.

Nutrition Tip: If your issue is stress, add some extra magnesium and start meditation. If you are tired all the time, eat every 2-3 hours to balance your blood sugar, hydrate yourself properly and take extra CoQ10 for energy.?

Wild Nutrition Food-State B Complex Plus

July 2015