Our Education Foundation

When Betsy first got interested in the health foods industry more than 30 years ago, she was actually a registered nurse, which means she was used to the rigorous question and answer practices that made her want to know as much about the health industry as she had learned about the nursing field.

This devotion to learning has become the foundation to how Betsy’s Health Foods does business.  When you ask us a question about the products we carry, our goal is to be able to answer those questions for you.

The Right Stuff

To really know about supplements, it takes more than wanting to be able to answer questions about them.  We have to dedicate resources, time, and energy each week to make sure we continue to learn.  Through manufacturer training sessions, we learn about product straight from the source.  In addition to these sessions, we do one-on-one mentor training that focuses on our most popular products and customer needs, as well as keeping our customer service at its very best.

To stay on top of changing trends, we attend national trade shows and read the latest magazines and blogs from our industry’s top publishers.  We try to concentrate on studies that involve actual human trials, and we do our best to delineate between fads and actual, sound nutrition.

 

Your Media Filter

In a world where information overload is a daily routine, our education goals help us help you filter through the hype to discover what is truth and what is just fancy headline.  We strictly follow the legal guidelines for our industry, as they have been laid out in the act known as DSHEA, which states that supplements are food and may have structure and function support claims but do not diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.  Since most of us don’t or can’t get all the nutrition we need from our diets, supplements play an important role in helping the body stay in balance and filling the nutritional gaps of the typical American diet.

As an example of how we keep you as well as ourselves educated, here’s a story from Natural Insights for Well Being that sets us straight on the latest controversy concerning the validity of taking a good multivitamin:

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Multivitamins: No, or Yes?

 Filling nutritional gaps, increasing chances of good health

 Satisfying “hidden hunger”

Doctors are beginning to use the term “hidden hunger” to describe nutritional deficiencies in those who may consume enough, or even too many, calories every day, but who still lack the micronutrients essential to good health; in other words, a diet that is energy-dense, but nutrient-poor. “Even when a diet is well planned, it is not always possible for most people to choose foods containing the recommended amounts of all essential micronutrients; and chronic, relatively minor nutrient shortfalls can cause health problems,” according to the authors of this new multivitamin review.

Researchers also said the typical American diet falls far short of what experts recommend for the fruit, vegetables, and whole grains that are important sources of essential vitamins and minerals, and that multivitamins may be particularly beneficial for those who, for a variety of reasons, have poor nutrition, including missing food groups, advanced age, and chronic illness.

After completing this comprehensive survey of multivitamin studies over the last several decades, the authors conclude that, “Current data suggest minimal, if any, risk associated with multivitamin-mineral preparations containing 10 or more vitamins and minerals at recommended daily intake levels in healthy people, and a possibility of modest benefits that include a reduced risk of cancer and cataract of the eye, for a relatively low financial cost.”

The study also found that people who took multivitamin-mineral supplements had higher circulating levels of essential micronutrients compared to those who did not take the supplements. This may be because multivitamin users eat a better diet and have a healthier lifestyle overall compared to those who don’t take multivitamins.

Even though people should not expect multivitamins to be their primary source for preventing disease, multivitamins can and do play an essential role in filling the small, but critical, nutritional gaps in the typical American diet, and taking multivitamins can help ensure a healthy life.

Reference: Nutrition Journal; 2014, Vol. 13, No. 72, Published Online

Article copyright 2014 by Natural Insights for Wellbeing. All rights reserved.  Used with permission.

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No Opportunity Wasted

Staying educated also means that we never waste an opportunity to learn.  We have been busy with national educator training sessions as well as trade show attendance lately.  We also have a wealth of literature in the store provided by our manufacturers that we are happy to share with those of you who like to do more in-depth study of products yourself.  Finally, we take opportunities like this blog, our website, monthly emails and our unique, in-store newsletter to share health information with you as much as possible in ways that are convenient for you.

So, talk to a real, educated person, visit our website or blog, sign up for our emails, or get literature in our store–no matter how you look at Betsy’s Health Foods, you see a store dedicated to being educated:  Always Taking Your Health and Your Budget to Heart® in one of the most important ways possible.

In health,
Ramona