LifeHakx - The Answer to " You can make up for a bad diet with supplements."
By Eva Wisenbeck 19/10/2019
True or False? You can make up for a bad diet with supplements?
Truth: The majority of your nutrition should come from nutrient-dense, whole foods.
Solution: Eat whole, healthy foods!
Just no no no! Supplements can sometimes be great if you are trying to support or resolve a specific health issue but they can never ever replace the intricate interplay of the nutrients in whole foods.
A diet of processed foods, refined sugar, whole grains, and other foods that are not nutrient dense cannot be counteracted with supplements, no matter how many you take.
Healthy foods contain tens of thousands of phytochemicals, fibers, proteins and fats that simply cannot be replicated into pill or supplement form. Eating a well-balanced diet rich with fruits, vegetables, healthy fats and high-quality proteins gives you the majority of the nutrients you need. In short, supplements can help to close a nutritional gap, but should never be used in place of a well-balanced and healthy diet.
Chris Kresser says - Which Supplements May Be Necessary?
At this point you might be thinking I’m [Chris Kresser] against supplementation entirely. Not so. No matter how well we eat, some nutrients are difficult to obtain enough of from food alone. There are also circumstances where are need for certain nutrients may increase, such as vitamin C during infections and magnesium with blood sugar imbalances or metabolic problems. In these cases, it makes sense to supplement selectively with beneficial nutrients.
The five nutrients I recommend most people supplement with are:
· Vitamin A
· Vitamin D
· Vitamin K2
· Magnesium
· Vitamin C
I really want to mention one more thing around supplements and it has to do with prescription medication! Incredible US pharmacist Susy Cohen has written a book called “Drug Muggers” and there is lots of information on the net also.
In short Suzy Cohen says: “Taking medicine often means you are likely being robbed of essential nutrients because drugs can reduce your body’s stores of vital life-sustaining nutrients. It happens due to absorption problems, extra excretion of a nutrient, or interference of a metabolic pathway. When a drug robs your body of a nutrient you will experience another effect of that drug, something you call a “side effect” but if you don’t recognize it as a side effect to the drug, you will probably get diagnosed with a new disease. To be more specific, if you develop “restless legs syndrome” or “memory loss” you may not attribute those side effects from a medication you started several months ago. Instead, a lack of knowledge in this area causes you to go to your doctor and share your symptoms and then his fix is to give you a new prescription for your new “disease”.”
Oh ok, one more thing! If you are buying supplements please make sure you buy from trusted and respected companies and sources. Do your research. There are lots of “sugar pills” out there and even worse fake pills being sold online that might contain anything. Stay safe!
Mark Hyman’s guide to supplements: https://drhyman.com/blog/2015/04/02/do-you-need-supplements/
Chris Kresser’s guide to supplements: https://chriskresser.com/9-steps-to-perfect-health-4-supplement-wisely/
This is based on a wonderful article by the great Dr Josh Axe and his roundup of “The 11 Largest Nutrition Lies In the Media” for more details and links to the research papers and studies please look here: https://draxe.com/health/nutrition-lies/
If you are curious and would like more information about Supplements and the latest research here are some great resources.
Chris Kresser “Are Supplements Really Necessary?”
CBD School “CBD and Drug Interactions: An Easy Guide”
Suzy Cohen “How Drug Muggers Can Slowly Steal the Life Out of You” https://suzycohen.com/articles/how-drug-muggers-can-slowly-steal-the-life-out-of-you/
