When vitamins were first discovered and then, over time, linked to certain diseases a new world of possibilities opened up. It appeared that we could heal simply by giving a person something that they lacked – an extraordinary and exciting breakthrough. That promise evolved into the vitamin and supplement industry that we have today, and now you can buy hundreds of products in the pursuit of better health and performance. After many decades and the accumulation of much more knowledge, we are coming back around to the idea that nothing can replace a good diet. Here’s three reasons why.1
To Maximize Your Nutrition, Real Food Is Your Best Bet
Vitamins, minerals, and supplements are marketed as powerful potions of performance. The marketing implies much, but the reality is usually more modest. “I think we have kind of gotten stuck in this magical qualities of food idea,” says Dr. Pamela Koch, Executive Director of the Laurie M. Tisch Center for Food, Education, and Policy at Columbia University. While a concentrated dose of something that has been shown to be beneficial seems good, nutrition is much more complex than that. Real foods not only contain macro – and micro-nutrients, but also compounds like enzymes, phytochemicals, and even micro-organisms. We are only just beginning to scratch the surface on the ways that all of these compounds and organisms interact with each other and with our bodies. That is why, Dr. Koch says, it is critical not to neglect good eating habits in favor of nutrition products. “Supplements have a place when they are supplemental, for specific situations but overall, our best research points to having a diverse diet.”
Over-Supplementation Is All Too Common
”We are over-supplemented in this country,” Mary Jane Detroyer, a veteran dietitian in New York City says. First, it is very common for a vitamin or supplement to deliver far more of a compound than our body can absorb. There are limits to how fast the body can process something. Large doses of a vitamin or supplement move through the system before the body has a chance to utilize them. They, like the money that bought them, go down the toilet.
Second, many people start something in order to solve a specific issue but then never come off. “I have women taking iron, for example, who don’t need it. Their doctor prescribed it for them before menopause and then never took them off.”
There Are Other Ways To Use Our Resources
The problem is not just wasted time or wasted cash, it is also wasted resources and wasted opportunity. “People taking supplements that don’t need them is silly from a societal perspective,” Dr. Koch explains. “We should be spending our resources on the things that we need, not things that we don’t.” Our industrial food system is in dire need of reform if we hope to get everyone the quality nutrients they need in an economically, environmentally, and socially responsible way. Highly processed vitamins and supplements do not support that agenda.
Work On Your Diet, And Supplement Only When Necessary
There are times when we need supplements. Sometimes, they can give us a useful boost that is worth it. However, a healthy and consistent diet is always the cornerstone of solid health. That should be the priority.