Food vs Supplements

The supplement industry is booming. Every drugstore has at least one aisle dedicated to supplements, some stores are completely full of them. There is no doubt that people are buying supplements, but do they really need to?

Most people who buy into supplements are either into fitness, or were prescribed a supplement by their doctor after showing deficiencies in their blood work. Both groups believe they need to supplement their diet in order to get all the nutrition they need to thrive. But there are people out there with the exact same lifestyle, whether it be working in an office or bodybuilding, who do not take supplements and do just fine. First lets take a look at what supplements are, exactly.

There are two main types of supplements, one is made by isolating a certain compound, (maybe a vitamin, mineral or a mixture of them) concentrating it and packing it into a pill form. I consider most of these to be a type of drug, because of the chemical procedures that are required, I’ll refer to these as isolated supplements from now on. The other type of supplement is a whole food supplement. Kelp is a good example of this. You can buy kelp powder, which is an amazing source of minerals, including iodine. This is just ground up kelp, maybe put into capsule form. I don’t consider this to be a drug, because the food is not chemically modified in any way. Both types of supplement are taken under the assumption that the body can utilize the essential nutrients inside.

There has been much controversy over the years with respect to the quality and purity of supplements. Analytical companies have taken supplements directly off the shelves, tested them, and found that they did not contain what they reported on the label¹.

Other supplements are being marketed as healthy, but contain toxic substances found in pharmaceutical drugs. Childrens supplements are no different. As an example, if your child eats too many of those tasty chewable vitamins, they could overdose on iron and die².

Even some whole food supplements are misleading. Although they contain some whole food, there are other unnatural ingredients, like isolated vitamins, minerals or fillers. If you take any sort of supplement make sure you are looking at the label to check all of the ingredients. If you are unsure what something is, look it up on Google to find out what it does and if it’s safe.

There is not one single useful compound that you will find in a supplement that you cannot find from a natural food source. Are you low in iron? Eat more beans or quinoa. Want some extra vitamin C? Kiwi, oranges and lemons are loaded with it. If your doctor tells you that you are deficient in a mineral, take a minute to looks up some foods rich in that mineral and include them in your regular diet. There is absolutely nothing else you need to do. The best part about eating whole foods rather than supplements, is that you’ll be getting the correct dosage of the required compound, and it’s usually found in a form that your body can easily recognize and absorb. The supplement industry is full of profit hungry salesmen who want to convince you that you need to buy their product to be healthy. They are lying. You do not need supplements.

As long as a vegetarian is eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, with some nuts, seeds and whole grains, they will not require a supplement. The subject of vitamin B12 is still under review, and there are experts advising that you need it and that you don’t. In fact many experts say that meat eaters have just as high a prevalence of B12 deficiency than vegans³. If you are eating a balanced diet and are still not feeling right, go ahead and try a B12 supplement. Just remember that some are better than others!

Absolutely and without a doubt no. Meat eaters already get about double the protein RDA values (on average), and meat doesn’t come as a simple brick of protein. In fact there is more fat than protein in almost all meat. A high fat diet causes health problems, most predominately heart disease and cancer. Processed meats also contain dangerous chemicals and preservatives that are bad for your health. Too much protein in your diet can put a strain on your kidneys and liver, as they have to filter out the toxic byproducts⁴. So do active people need more protein? Yes of course they do, but they need more of everything. Fulfilling protein requirements with whole plant based foods will ensure that all nutritional requirements are met, with less chance of overdosing on protein.

Supplements are a great way for marketers to make money, and a useless way for so many people to spend their money. Save your hard earned cash and spend it on delicious fresh produce, your body will thank you for it.