Functional Foods and Supplements

There are so many "functional foods" out there, tricking you into thinking that they are better than the natural food itself. For example, pasta and eggs high in omega 3s, water with added vitamins and minerals, and all those meal replacement bars. Then there are the countless supplements. You can get everything in the form of a pill or powder these days: fiber, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, protein, etc.

The problem is, now that you're loaded up on your nutrients, what are you going to eat?

If you eat a variety of healthy, wholesome foods, you would get all your nutrients the natural way. For example, antioxidants are all the rage these days for being cancer fighters, but you don't have to search for product labels that boast "High in Antioxidants!!" on them. They're abundant in fruits, vegetables, and beans.

Research shows that your body can absorb vitamins and nutrients from whole foods much better than from supplements. When you swallow a huge amount of a single vitamin at one time, your body can only absorb so much, as little as 10-15% of it. And vitamins do not work in isolation. Suppose a study showed that the vitamin E from almonds reduced the occurrence of prostate cancer. It could have been the cooperation of vitamin E with other crucial micronutrients that caused this, not vitamin E alone. There is surprisingly little evidence that taking vitamins has any benefit.

So the bottom line is: try to get most of your vitamins and nutrients from whole foods. If you're healthy, you probably don't need supplements. You might consider them if you have a medical condition or have a restricted diet. Just keep in mind that they are supplements, intended to supplement your diet, not replace it!