Foods vs. Supplements: Round 3
Q. "I am curious to know more about the difference(s) in the vitamins and minerals one would consume by eating a daily vitamin as opposed to consuming vitamins and minerals naturally through the foods we eat. I've heard of phytochemicals and antioxidants--are they present in supplements too? If there is no difference, is eating a nutritionally-sufficient diet only a pill or two away?"
A. This is a topic we've hashed through before, although I'm not sure we've ever come to a definitive resolution. Personally, I think it's vastly preferable to get as much of your nutrition as possible through actual foods. You've hinted at one of the reasons: We're constantly discovering new components in foods that have beneficial effects on health.
The idea that a dozen or two vitamins is all we need to be healthy seems silly now. Foods provide hundreds or even thousands of valuable nutrients and phytochemicals (This is mostly true of plant foods.) I wrote about this at some length in this post: Another study shows supplements don't measure up to foods
Another reason to prioritize foods as the source of our nutrition is that when we concentrate on eating more nutritious foods, we tend to eat fewer non-nutritious foods as a result. All those whole grains and vegetables seem to crowd out some or all of the chips and cookies. I've certainly noticed this personally. My junk food consumption is inversely proportional to my vegetable consumption, whereas taking a vitamin has no effect (on either one).
The other side of the coin
All of that said, however, is can be challenging to satisfy certain vitamin requirements with foods alone. That goes double for vegetarians. See this post: 100% of daily needs: can it be done with supplements? and the thoughtful discussion that follows.
So, to answer your question: No, I don't think that "a pill or two" can turn a bad diet into a good one. I also don't think there's any harm in taking a daily multi-vitamin as "insurance." Just don't let it lull you into thinking that what you eat doesn't matter as long as you take your vitamin.
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Posted by: Rich and yellow with too many vitamins | Mar 29, 2009 2:37:10 PM
It all comes down to simply having a diverse, completely natural diet.
Man has lived well enough for thousands of years without having to take daily vitamin pills. Which means that we shouldn't need them, and that we are doing something extremely wrong to have to require them.
One of my facial cleansers is apparently based on a pineapple enzyme. Does that also mean that I can simply juice a pineapple, spread it on my face, and get a similar, but more natural effect?
Posted by: dr charles | Feb 5, 2009 6:02:22 PM
Great advice on this one! There is a world of difference between vitamins and foods. Vitamins are parts of foods, but unlike foods, they lack all of the synergists (helper nutrients) that exist in nature's whole foods. This is what makes whole food supplements (without isolates) better than vitamins. Here's an ideal place to read more about this: nutritionresearchcenter.org, and you can find a book on amazon.com called Man Cannot Live on Vitamins Alone that explains this in detail.
Posted by: TeamB | Oct 14, 2008 12:49:05 PM
We still have to eat!
However, because of how farming has been done in many cases, we cannot get the nutrients we need from the ground!
That is why my wife and I switched to using an Organic, Natural Whole Foods Supplement (Multivitamin) that works really well. We have not been ill for over 8 months!
You can see the line here http://dblumenthal1.qhealthbeauty.com/search/default.aspx?Ntt=nutrilite
The Double X works great. Also, from all of the research that I have done, this company pays farmers a 6-figure income that are within a 6-mile radius of their farm to be 'organic' so that they can better control air and ground pollutants. That's commitment!
We also found this Fruit & Vegetable Supplement. Natural Organic stuff, i believe.
For Adults
http://dblumenthal1.qhealthbeauty.com/products/product.aspx?itemno=100648
For Children
http://dblumenthal1.qhealthbeauty.com/products/product.aspx?itemno=100346
Hope this helps!
Posted by: Monica Reinagel | Oct 14, 2008 8:43:02 AM
Bogdan,
Biotin isn't one of the nutrients included in the USDA database that powers Nutrition Data, I guess because it's not considered an "essential" nutrient. That doesn't mean biotin isn't important, just that biotin deficiency is extremely rare. To learn more about this nutrient, and good food sources, try the Linus Pauling Institute for Micronutrient Research:
http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/vitamins/biotin/
Posted by: bogdan | Sep 5, 2008 5:39:07 PM
since this topic is about supplements and vitamins, I was always wondering why biotin is not present in the analysis of any nutritional website...or does it appear under a different name?
Posted by: Tammy | Sep 4, 2008 8:23:20 AM
why not take all the guesswork out of what vitamins and minerals your body needs with the Spectracell Vitamin Deficiency Analysis. The patented test looks into your 6 month nutritional history, includes a total antioxidant function test and is covered by most insurance companies. Supplements can be expensive and confusing: this test will tell you exactly what you need to be taking, or what you may be taking too much of. To find out more about this test go to www.WellProVitamins.com
Posted by: Monica Reinagel | Sep 4, 2008 7:33:46 AM
Lily Pad,
Jordan is correct. I was speaking only of particular nutrients such as B12.
You're right: people eating a good variety of whole foods (whether or not these include animal products) will most likely get more nutrients than people eating mostly processed foods (whether or not these include animal products). But vegetarians may still need to supplement B12, D, or iron.
Posted by: Jordan Hardy | Sep 3, 2008 10:49:51 PM
Lily Pad,
She was maybe a bit unclear with that. I don't think Monica meant to insinuate that vegetarian diets are nutritionally deficient. It's just that there are certain nutrients (B12 and zinc, I think. May be wrong) which are incredibly hard to get without any animal foods. So you need to supplement. That's probably all Monica meant.
Posted by: lily_pads90 | Sep 3, 2008 7:02:59 PM
"All of that said, however, it can be challenging to satisfy certain vitamin requirements with foods alone. That goes double for vegetarians."
I cannot believe you actually wrote that, especially when you JUST said a few paragraphs above that plant foods are considerably more nutrient-dense than animal products.
Let's put it this way: one can be a vegetarian (or vegan) and only eat sugary breakfast cereals, french fies, pasta, and fake meats. Needless to say, this would be an inadquate diet.
But any vegetarian (and even vegan) eating enough whole foods, in a reasonable enough variety, will get considerably more nutrients than the vast majority of meat-eaters.
