FRESH FOODS VERSUS SUPPLEMENTS: Which Are Better For You?

Can you skip your daily servings of fruits and vegetables and take a vitamin and mineral supplement instead?

Unfortunately, no.

Our bodies function in a delicate balance, with one action or nutrient often causing consequences in other areas. For example, excesses in one nutrient can affect the bioavailability and/or function of another nutrient or action. As stated by the American Dietetic Association's Position Paper on Food Fortification and Dietary Supplements, "Consuming a wide variety of foods in moderate amounts reduces the risk of inadequate or excessive intakes."

Removing an active substance from food and successfully packaging it into a pill assumes that we know and fully understand the intricacies of that substance's properties-chemical properties, nutrient interactions, ideal concentrations, and bioavailability under different circumstances. As of yet, we don't know all these things.

There are many beneficial food components that are difficult to "package" into a pill. Fiber, protein, carbohydrates, and phytonutrients all protect our body from heart disease, cancers, diabetes, and high blood pressure. Supplements have never claimed to do that.

What about the actual joy that comes from eating fresh, wholesome, simple foods? You can't get that from a pill.

However, if you can't, won’t or don’t eat enough of a variety of healthy foods, you may benefit from a supplement, but remember, supplements are just that...supplements, not replacements of a balanced diet.

The role that supplements play is more of a major player in the following cases:

• Vegetarian children
• Pregnant and breast-feeding women
• Adults that don’t eat 1200 calories daily
• Women experiencing heavy bleeding during menstrual cycles
• Postmenopausal women
• People with specific medical conditions that involve malabsorption syndromes. See your registered dietitian.
• People with specific medical conditions that can be treated with specific supplements. See your registered dietitian.