By Richmond Natural Medicine

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April 29, 2016

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Not every population or demographic can obtain all of the nutrients that they need from their accessible food source alone, and that’s when supplementation can be beneficial.

For about 5 years, I worked in the supplement industry of small health food stores learning the in’s and out’s of hundreds of different formulas and manufactures. At first, this was a job to tide me through graduate school while I was learning the intricate in’s and out’s of nutrition and clinical practice.  Fast forward to the present day, and it’s sometimes tricky to separate the two between whole food nutrition (the ideal), and nutrition in pill form (the substitute). As a nutritionist, I’m usually working with both. A large part of my goal during my one-on-one nutrition consultations is to weed through a sometimes lengthy list of supplements and end at a minimal list of supplements while keeping whole food nutrition at a maximum. It’s always my goal to get as many nutrients on your plate every day as possible, and through a detailed inquiry of your daily nutrition, get an idea of how we can feasibly do that together and supplement with only the things that are dramatically lacking in the diet.

But not everyone can see a nutritionist, and not everyone has access to customized nutrition plans or a wide variety of foods. And that’s when supplements can play a contributing role in a comprehensive health plan.

When I counsel people about when and how to choose supplements, I usually have five guidelines:

1. If you have access to good quality foods that are affordable and available, always choose whole foods first over supplements. Do not purchase supplements in order to substitute for good nutrition if you have access to good quality, pure foods (i.e – just because you take your multivitamin every day doesn’t mean you can skip out on eating your vegetables).
2. If you feel like you need to supplement with something (like a multi-vitamin or supplemental minerals or essential fatty acids for example), make sure it’s good quality and from a reputable store or manufacturer. The supplement industry is not regulated, so knowing that the company has third party testing, organic standards and is non-GMO are all good things to look for.
3. Before you go on the internet to read about all the things you might be deficient in, get tested for vitamin and mineral deficiencies before spending hundreds of dollars on supplements you may very well not need.
4. Always try to get a 100% food-based supplement (not just extracted solitary minerals) for optimal digestion and absorption. You want your body to absorb as much as of that supplement as possible, and in a “food-based” form, it’s much easier for the digestive system to do this.
5. Do your research on what you should be taking before going into the store to purchase supplements. Folks that work in supplement departments legally cannot give you any advice whatsoever about what to take for anything, but they can educate you about the different brand choices and quality standards. Do not expect supplement stewards to tell you what to take for your given issues. Most simply do not have the training to do this, and legally they’re prohibited from giving you that kind of information.

We are extremely fortunate that most of us have access to a decent amount of good quality foods, however, for many people this is not the case. Not every population or demographic can obtain all of the nutrients that they need from their accessible food source alone, and that’s when supplementation with multi-minerals, multivitamins and omega-3 based oils (essential fatty acids) are ideal to incorporate into the diet. Supplements can add up quickly, both in quantity and in price, and it’s my opinion that you get what you pay for when it comes to quality supplements.

Another excellent rule of thumb (that I see over and over again during my nutrition appointments) is that if you have a cabinet full of supplements that you take every day, and you don’t remember why you’re taking a particular supplement, re-visit that and either research why you were taking it in the first place and educate yourself on whether you need to continue. Supplements, just like any part of a health plan, should change and shift as your health changes and shifts. You don’t necessarily need to take a supplement indefinitely.

If you’d like to get a more thorough understanding of your nutrition needs or need further guidance on selecting appropriate supplements for your health plan, consider making an appointment at Richmond Natural Medicine with one of our practitioners.