Supplements

One of the questions I ask my patients is ‘do you live to eat or eat to live?’ Many people enjoy the process of creating nourishing food; just as many see food as little more than a survival necessity. I’m sure many in the latter category would love it if we could just pop a pill instead, but supplements are not substitutes.

So what is the role of supplements and do we need to take them, or can we get all of our required nutrients from food?

Ideally a healthy balanced diet should provide us with all the nutrients we need. Unfortunately, even with a perfect diet, food these days simply isn’t what it used to be. Factors such as nutritionally-depleted soils, storage and transportation of food, pollution and toxins, increased stress and nutritional demands make it hard for us to get everything we need from our diet alone. 

Why is it our grandparents weren’t worrying about this? They didn’t ask if food was organic or if it contained hormones, antibiotics or toxins. Animal welfare also used to be much better. 

That doesn’t mean it’s impossible to eat well now, but you have to make a conscious effort to do so by choosing the highest quality foods. Even so, research shows the presence of large-scale nutritional deficiencies in our population. Supplements fill these gaps. Supplements should never be used in place of a healthy diet, but to supplement one in areas of individual need. Be wary of marketing claims and remember too much of a nutrient can also be harmful.

Are all supplements the same?

NO. Quality is key. The cheaper products contain fillers and additives. Vitamins and minerals also come in different forms which affect their absorption. The cheaper supplements usually contain the poorly absorbed forms which means they are effectively passing straight through you – a false economy.

So how do you know what supplements you need?

Get tested. Testing not only shows if you have deficient or insufficient levels of essential nutrients but also the degree of insufficiency, which helps inform your nutritional therapist of the correct dose that you will need to bring your levels swiftly back to optimal. Although testing can be expensive, so too are supplements, especially over time. 

And lastly, if you are on prescription medication, make sure you tell your nutritional therapist so they can ensure there are no potentially harmful interactions with your supplements.