When people think of supplements, they think of vitamins. And rightfully so because the vitamin industry has been forcing the idea of taking a daily multivitamin down our throats for about 50 years or so. And you know what?
THEY ARE RIGHT!!!
In fact, they are righter now than they were then. Soil mineral depletion, lack of vegetables in daily diets, lack of daily fruits, and longer travel times for perishables are meaning that the food you are consuming is more bulk than it is nutritious. Think of that, it means that when you eat an apple, you are getting an apple that is thought to be rich in vitamins, minerals, fiber, phytochemicals and natural sugars. It is slightly acidic and was part of the mantra “An apple a day keeps the doctor away”. All of this is still true, but mostly it is about 37% true now. You read that right, apples are approximately 63% less nutritious than they were in the past. Or, maybe you could read it like the apple you eat is 1/3 of what an apple used to be. The positive part of this is that you are eating an apple and not a Ho-Ho. It’s still good for you. Let’s examine some stuff related to what I am saying.
Soil is a buildup of dead material that has built up over eons from natural life and death cycles of plants in a polyculture of ecological renewal. This means that soil is basically made up of eons upon eons of multiple species of dead plants constantly growing, seeding, dying, regrowing etc in the same area. (Quick question, does that sound like a farm to you? No, good, you are on board). Farming over the ages has made up for this because technology did not really let you mess with the ecology of a wheat field until about 50 years ago. If you grew wheat, you had one big yield for the year and then your farm was fallow over the course of the winter. You did not have access to pesticides, nitrogen fertilizers, or GMO’s. As a result of these changes, soil began to be depleted of its natural enrichments. So, multiply this by 50 years and add in modern farming, where a farmer is using accelerated growing practices and getting 3 crops of wheat out of the same farmland because of modern technology. I do not bring this up to say that what we are doing is wrong, I am not a horticultural botanist or chemist, but it is not under debate.
With a growing population and a more sedentary population in America, the food supply runs into two major issues. First, it has to travel across the world to provide people with access to things that are typically not available in their area due to seasons or climate. Second, the national advertisers glorify and edify processed foods that have little or no nutritional value, but do have the flavor profile of Awesome!! These two factors mean that we eat less vegetables and fruits daily anyway. Sure, we might grab an apple or banana in the morning, but when was the last time you snacked on 2 cups of celery stalks at your desk for a couple of hours. Nope, we eat a granola bar and drink a bottled water and pride ourselves on making good choices. Keep in mind, the best of terrible choices is not a good choice, and the worst of good choices is not a bad choice. That means that just because you pick a low-fat granola bar filled with Aspartame and HFCS with a couple of raisins in it, does not mean that you made a good choice. A better choice will always be an apple or banana or something else that did not come from a box.
This is depressing. But the good news is that Nutraceuticals (Supplements, if you will) have come a long way and are now better than ever. It is possible to get all of the fun phytochemicals, vitamins and minerals from supplementation. Taking a high quality multivitamin in the morning (especially one that’s isotonic in derivation and delivery) really does have an impact on your health. Aside from just a multivitamin, there are supplements that offer nearly pharmaceutical dosage equivalents of hard to get vitamins like D, B and K. Antioxidants and Minerals are also available in dosages that are extremely hard to find in naturally occurring foods. For example, Resveratrol, a supercharged antioxidant that comes mostly from dark grape skins (red wine) is available in a supplement that is equivalent to drinking 10 cups of wine, which is not good for you.
At the end of the day, the best thing you can do for your health is to mix the two. Eat more vegetables and fruits daily while also supplementing in your daily life. The arguments against supplementation do not ring true anymore. It is unrealistic to expect normal, everyday people to take in enough plants to make up for the deficiencies in the modern Western Diet. Supplementation is the best option to increase health. In addition, it is widely (albeit anecdotally) known that an increase in vitamins and minerals directly correlates with an accelerated metabolism and weight loss. Think about that for a minute, then call someone who knows more than you do to get their opinion about supplementation. Better yet, call a Health and Wellness coach and see what they can do to help you today.
The Healthy Us 