“I’ll skip the salad and just take the vitamin.”

“I don’t like taking pills. Ever.”

“I want to up my protein. I guess I’ll grab the collagen smoothie.”

When it comes to the nutrition and supplement game, it can often feel like it’s a ‘one or the other’ scenario. You might hear that our food sources today have depleted nutrients, so what’s the point? Or you might hear that real food always trumps supplements.

What’s a health conscious person to do?

Let’s dig into the current data and see what’s what.

Build Your Foundation: Like your greens or loathe them, there’s value in eating the real thing. Same with protein. Same with complex carbs and healthy fats.

As nutrition and wellness expert Nina Cherie Franklin writes, “Unlike isolated nutrients in supplements, whole foods deliver a complex mix of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and other compounds that work together to boost your health.” Michael Martin Jr, fitness and weightlifting professional says, “Whole foods are the foundation of a balanced diet. These nutrients work synergistically to promote overall health. For example, an apple provides not only vitamins A and C but also fiber and a variety of phytonutrients that contribute to its health benefits. Whole foods tend to be more bioavailable, meaning the body can absorb and utilize the nutrients more effectively compared to isolated supplements.” 1

Bioavailability means, “The ability of a drug or other substance to be absorbed and used by the body.” 2 In other words, the more bioavailable something is, the better your body can absorb and use it. While there is plenty of conversation about what foods and supplements are most bioavailable to the body, to skip out on whole foods and assume that supplements will do the job isn’t the strongest nutritional approach. Dr. Rachele Podjenic is a Stanford nutrition and supplement researcher. She says, “Even though fruits and vegetables are technically in many greens powders, since these whole foods are no longer in their original structure, we don’t really know if the nutrients are bioavailable once they are absorbed.” 3

Your best bet? Eat a diet that features variety, organic plant sources, high-quality protein, and as much unprocessed food as possible.

Then Add Your Supplements: Those who argue that there are nutrients that are tough to get in our modern diet aren’t wrong. The top deficiencies people deal with today are iron, iodine, vitamin D, B12, calcium, vitamin A, and magnesium. 4 The reasons are varied as to why these nutrients are low in how we eat, whether it’s because someone is vegetarian or vegan to those who minimize their sun exposure (a primary way to receive and metabolize vitamin D). Work with your medical care provider for insights on where you may have a gap in your nutrients. Blood panels today can help your doctor determine where supplementation could help you get back into optimal ranges. Your fitness goals, reproduction, and other factors could also necessitate appropriate supplements.

The good news in all of it? Between an intentional eating approach that includes plenty of whole, unprocessed foods, and with high-quality supplements where necessary, you have a better opportunity than ever to optimize your nutritional health.

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1 https://www.pendoreillerivervalley.com/article/504,whole-foods-vs-powdered-supplements
2 https://www.cancer.gov/publications/dictionaries/cancer-terms/def/bioavailable
3 https://longevity.stanford.edu/lifestyle/2024/03/11/nutrition-from-food-vs-supplements/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CYou%20can%E2%80%99t%20supplement,they%20are%20absorbed.
4 https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/7-common-nutrient-deficiencies#TOC_TITLE_HDR_7