Food vs Supplements

“Should I get my nutrients from food or do I need supplement pills as well?”- Karen

We need a variety of nutrients each day to stay healthy, including calcium and vitamin D to protect our bones, folic acid to produce and maintain new cells, and vitamin A to preserve a healthy immune system and vision.
Yet the source of these nutrients is important. “Usually it is best to try to get these vitamins, minerals and nutrients from food as opposed to supplements,” Sarah Percy, Registered Dietitian says. Fruits, vegetables, fish, and other healthy foods contain nutrients, phytochemicals and other substances not found in a pill, which work together to keep us healthy.

We can’t get the same synergistic effect from a supplement, nor can some of these beneficial substances be replicated in a laboratory. While it can be tempting to take a supplement as an insurance policy, it is preferable to spend that time and money on ensuring our diets are nutritious and balanced.

Some people may need to take a dietary supplement, however this isn’t something that should always be self-diagnosed or self-prescribed as some supplements can actually have a detrimental effect on our health. Taking certain vitamins or minerals in higher-than-recommended doses may interfere with nutrient absorption or cause side effects.
In addition, a well controlled scientific study looking at lung cancer patients who supplemented their diet with vitamin A pills, ended up having more aggressive and faster growing tumours than the control group who were not on supplements, so the study had to be stopped early. This is obviously at one end of the spectrum and not indicative of the effect of all supplements but an important point to consider.

As Hippocrates said “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food”. So to answer the question on supplements, it really comes down to the individual and their needs and lifestyle but ideally food is the first preference, and check with your health care provider before starting any supplements.

Tea Retreats
Tea Retreats bring you an article on Health and Wellbeing to help you make 2016 your healthiest year yet. Tea Retreats combines the skills and experience of Sarah Percy, Registered Dietitian and Sarah Donaldson, Clinical Psychologist to provide a comprehensive approach to health and wellbeing. The “Tea” in Tea Retreats stands for Think, Eat, Act – we believe a positive mindset, good nutrition and keeping active are 3 crucial areas in our life which are essential for good health. If you need some help getting your health sorted please get in touch, we’d love to help. www.tea-retreats.co.nz