The Supplementation Effect
First things first. This is not a post about weight lifting and protein supplements. This is a post about vitamin and mineral supplements. I will eventually write about performance supplements, but today is not that day.
In general, there are two different approaches to the world of nutrition--three if you consider a combination of the two approaches to be its own approach (in typical Megan fashion, this is of course the camp I tend to reside in).
Approach #1: All of the nutrients we need are in our food and as long as we are eating a balanced diet we should be getting everything we need.
Approach #2: Supplementation is there so we can be more relaxed with our diet and eat what we want to eat--everyone should supplement.
In actuality, neither of these approaches are 100% correct. Which is why I choose invisible approach #3: Supplementation can be very useful for those who have medical conditions or lifestyles that require it, but supplementation should be the exception, not the rule.
But why do I feel this way? The main reason is this important fact: supplements are EXPENSIVE. It is much cheaper to eat a balanced diet instead of buying supplements for all of the nutrients you need. And I promise that a balanced diet tastes a lot better than most of the pills you have to swallow... In actuality, vitamins and minerals in pill-form are also harder to absorb, so you aren't getting the benefits the bottle says you are in the first place.
We also need to remember that too much of a good thing can be bad.. There have been more cases of individuals taking too much of a supplement and suffering the consequences of toxicity, which are just as scary as the consequences of a deficiency. Before you supplement, it is important to see how much of each nutrient is in the actual pill--it can sometimes be hundreds of times more than you need.
But as always, there are exceptions to every rule. Certain lifestyle choices, medical conditions, and diseases exist where supplementation may be needed. Pre-menopausal women should consider an iron supplement, particularly if they don't like red meat; vegetarians and vegans should consider supplementing iron, vitamin B12, and calcium; those going through radiation treatments may be required to supplement protein to ensure their bodies have enough to repair themselves.
The biggest concern with supplementation in today's world is that it is turning into a "cure-all". Supplementation can't sure everything--it will totally help if the situation requires it, but usually will not solve the problem. Most often, supplements are taken while a person is receiving other treatment alongside it.
Another phenomena we see is supplements taking the place of a balanced diet. Some feel that it is okay to eat an unhealthy diet because the supplements "cover them". This is not the case. Nothing can ever take the place of a healthy, balanced diet. And more often than not, the foods we typically eat on a daily basis have exactly what we need in them in the correct amounts (funny how that happened, right??) :)
In the end, unless instructed by a medical or nutritional professional, supplements typically aren't needed. And if you have questions, talk to a professional--your health is both your and their priority. If you learn anything from my blog, I hope it is this simple fact: listen to your body. The vast majority of the time it will tell you when something is wrong! A supplement bottle can't tell you that something is wrong, and neither will the nutrition recommendations from the FDA--but our bodies have this wonderful innate ability to complain if they aren't happy, so lets listen to them and take the appropriate steps to help them.
We also need to remember that too much of a good thing can be bad.. There have been more cases of individuals taking too much of a supplement and suffering the consequences of toxicity, which are just as scary as the consequences of a deficiency. Before you supplement, it is important to see how much of each nutrient is in the actual pill--it can sometimes be hundreds of times more than you need.
But as always, there are exceptions to every rule. Certain lifestyle choices, medical conditions, and diseases exist where supplementation may be needed. Pre-menopausal women should consider an iron supplement, particularly if they don't like red meat; vegetarians and vegans should consider supplementing iron, vitamin B12, and calcium; those going through radiation treatments may be required to supplement protein to ensure their bodies have enough to repair themselves.
The biggest concern with supplementation in today's world is that it is turning into a "cure-all". Supplementation can't sure everything--it will totally help if the situation requires it, but usually will not solve the problem. Most often, supplements are taken while a person is receiving other treatment alongside it.
Another phenomena we see is supplements taking the place of a balanced diet. Some feel that it is okay to eat an unhealthy diet because the supplements "cover them". This is not the case. Nothing can ever take the place of a healthy, balanced diet. And more often than not, the foods we typically eat on a daily basis have exactly what we need in them in the correct amounts (funny how that happened, right??) :)
In the end, unless instructed by a medical or nutritional professional, supplements typically aren't needed. And if you have questions, talk to a professional--your health is both your and their priority. If you learn anything from my blog, I hope it is this simple fact: listen to your body. The vast majority of the time it will tell you when something is wrong! A supplement bottle can't tell you that something is wrong, and neither will the nutrition recommendations from the FDA--but our bodies have this wonderful innate ability to complain if they aren't happy, so lets listen to them and take the appropriate steps to help them.
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