Whole foods vs Supplements
In our ‘on-demand’, fast paced society people like a quick fix. And it is no different when it comes to health.
In Australia, a whopping 75% of people take health supplements, grimly juxtaposed to the pathetic statistic of the 5% who eat the recommended intake of fruits and vegetables.
Taking supplements has become firmly entrenched in people’s health regimens. Most people feel it doesn’t really matter what they eat as long as they are taking their vitamins. RIGHT?
BUT IT DOES MATTER!!
Taking supplements is not the same as getting the nutrients your body needs from whole foods. In fact in many cases, not only does taking a supplement do no good whatsoever — it can actually be causing harm.
Let me walk you through it.
What are vitamins and minerals?
Vitamins are organic compounds that we as humans cannot make ourselves. To be healthy we need to get vitamins from the foods we eat. There are 13 known vitamins — 11 of which are made by plants (and thus contained in plant foods). The other 2 are Vitamin D, which is actually a hormone we produce when exposed to sunlight and Vitamin B12 which is produced by bacteria.
Minerals, on the other hand, are found in the soil. Plants draw the minerals from the soil into their stems, leaves and fruits — and we get our minerals by eating them.
What is a supplement?
Supplements are manmade products based on highly concentrated, isolated nutrients. They can be made of either synthetic or natural ingredients.
Why does it matter where the vitamins and minerals come from?
When we obtain our vitamins and minerals from whole foods we are getting a perfect harmony of nutrients that our body can use and absorb to provide us with optimal health.
For example, when we eat an orange we are not only eating Vitamin C — we are eating thousands of other nutrients as well. We can’t possibly expect that we could receive the same health benefits from taking a pill made solely from ascorbic acid (Vitamin C pills).
Whole foods are composed of proteins, fats, fibre, vitamins, minerals and a host of other phytochemicals all working simultaneously in harmony together in the concentrations that our bodies need.
The interactions that take place in our bodies as we digest food is barely understood by scientists. It would seem complete arrogance to assume that we could improve upon nature and isolate the ‘active’ compounds to provide health in a pill.
Despite the fact that most people believe, as the industry tells them, that supplements will make us healthier — there is little to no evidence that this is the case.
Except in cases of eradicating deficiencies — e.g., curing scurvy with vitamin C, or beriberi with B1. Most supplements are all but ineffectual and can cause harm, or even death.
It is a sad fact that while supplements may be of some use in treating deficiencies when there is no whole food alternative, they are absolutely useless at mitigating the diseases of excess like heart disease, diabetes, obesity and cancer. You can’t wipe away the ill effects of too much fat, too much animal protein and not enough fibre with simple pills.
Rather, by manipulating the perfect balance of nutrients carefully packaged by Nature in the form of whole foods, we are actually creating imbalances that are in many cases causing harm. Let me show you.
Whole foods versus supplements
High intake of beta carotene from whole foods is associated with reduced rates of cancer.
Taking beta-carotene in the form of supplements has been shown to greatly INCREASE the rate of cancer.
Vitamin E from foods boosts the immune system and is great for healthy skin and your eyesight, and associated with reduced cancer risk.
Vitamin E in the form of supplements has been linked to an increase in the risk of stroke, increased risk of prostate cancer, and when taken by pregnant women may increase the risk of congenital heart defects in their babies.
Green tea is full of antioxidants. It can reduce cancer risk, increase brain function, and increase the metabolism, among a few of the benefits.
Green tea extract has not been found to have the same benefits and in fact, has been shown to risk liver health.
High intake of folate from whole foods has been associated with a decrease in risk in oesophageal cancer.
Folic acid supplements have been associated with and INCREASED risk of oesophageal cancer.
Dietary intakes of carotenoids and Vitamin C have been associated with decreased risk of urinary tract infection in men.
Supplements of these nutrients made the infections worse.
I could go on. There are plenty more studies showing the harmful effects of supplements and even more showing that they are all but ineffectual — but I think you get the idea.
On the other hand
Eating a diet rich in vitamins, minerals and all the other nutrients found in fruits and vegetables has been found to have a significantly positive impact on health and wellness.
Filling your diet with lots of fruits and vegetables has been shown to reduce the incidence of heart attacks, strokes and many types of cancer. A plant strong diet is also associated with reduced rates of diabetes and obesity and helps in promoting weight loss.
In fact, it is universally agreed that eating fruits and vegetables is not just good for us but GREAT for our health.
The same can’t be said of taking any vitamin pill.
So next time you are out shopping — instead of veering over to the aisle full of shiny bottles filled with useless pills, why not head over to the fresh produce section where you will find a rainbow of colourful foods that will help give your health a real lift.
