As a holistic nutrition practice, we believe your best nutritional health comes from FOOD first.  Clean, whole, organically sourced foods. That said, we also recognize gigantic gaps in nutrient needs can still be possible even if your entire day is filled with whole, organically grown, fresh foods. Bridging nutritional gaps is the key reason to include a bio-individualized supplement plan in your daily health journey. Depending on your health needs & goals, well constructed supplements can serve as an important ingredient to fill in this nutrient gap. “So,” you may ask, “I’m eating lots of fruits & veggies. I’m good, right?” The answer is yes. And no. Here are the top 5 reasons why adding supplements is an important health insurance policy:

1. Depleted soils. 

Our soils are increasingly becoming more devoid of rich amounts of minerals. High demand for food supplies mean quick turnover of crops with little time between to add back to the soil what crops eat up during the growing season. Even with crop rotation land is over-farmed depleting available nutrients- calcium, vitamin C, vitamin B6, magnesium, & zinc- an important immune boosting mineral- from our food. This nutrient depletion is compounded when fields & orchards are sprayed with soil damaging pesticides & herbicides- which significantly reduce the nutrient value of crops even more. In other words, they don’t grow ’em like they used to!

2. Demand for “out of season” foods.

Global trade has introduced our palates to a much wider variety of delicious (even exotic) foods. We can now eat “out of season” in four season climates in the United States thanks to imported fruits & vegetables. How does this translate? It means crops are often picked long before they are fully ripened on the plant to be transported & sold before spoiling, which in turn decreases their nutrient value. While some fruits & veggies can continue to ripen during transport or on your countertop after harvest (such as apricots, pears, bananas- the “climateric” fruits), many do not (particularly in the citrus family- grapefruit, pineapple, oranges, & strawberries). And the environment has to be just right- a consistently warm 70* or so. Premature crop harvesting has been a costly trade-off when it comes to our wellness.

3. Pharmaceuticals.

Medications (including over-the-counter treatments) have a powerful impact on our nutritional health & increase our need for various vitamins & minerals. For instance, taking aspirin regularly increases your body’s need for vitamin C. Antibiotics place a heavy demand on your body for probiotics & B vitamins. Prescription medications for various medical conditions such as cancer, high blood pressure, & diabetes can deplete folate, B12, & zinc reserves in the body. Supplementation is an important nutritional therapy to help restore &/or maintain these important micronutrients while taking these pharmaceutical medicines.

4. You are managing a chronic disease.

Chronic medical conditions such as hypothyroidism, Celiac disease, Crohn’s disease, or ulcerative colitis, increases your body’s need for a wide range of supplementation including iodine, calcium, magnesium, zinc, iron, vitamin B12, folate, &/or vitamin D deficiencies. If, like me, you have had gastric surgery- a bowel resection or bariatric surgery- you are at risk for the same deficiencies & supplements are very likely needed to keep your body healthy & well. Had your gall bladder removed? You too will need supplements to help your body to break down fats for absorption (yes, you DO need to absorb clean fats to be well!). About 6% to 30% of individuals taking Metformin for diabetes management will need to supplement for B12 deficiencies- depending on dosing & how long this medication has been prescribed. Well respected researchers, Drs. Abram Hoffer, MD, PhD & Andrew Saul MD, PhD, have conducted a significant amount of solid research & written extensively concerning the important place supplementation has on easing the journey through recovery for drug addiction, alcohol addiction, depression, & resolving women’s health issues.

5. Eating habits, bad habits, & “diets”.

It should absolutely not come as surprise to any of us how important food intake- eating- is for our overall wellness. In our current food economy convenience is king. Processed foods have become common to our every day standard American diets & the cost of these “quick & ready” foods have been incredibly detrimental to our wellness. Labeling is confusing, ingredients are mysterious, & time seems to never be on our side for preparing clean, healthy meals. Children are eating heavily processed, minimally nutritious foods with few fresh (& never organic) options for breakfast & lunch in our school systems. And then there is all the sugar we are consuming, which according to the USDA is an astounding 66 POUNDS of refined sugar, per person per year! You get the idea. The result is faster aging, a sharp rise in chronic inflammation & related disease, more hospitalizations & illness, & a depleted gut microbiome that compromises our immune system. High quality supplements will jump the chasm of what you are eating &, well, most importantly what you’re not. Because, if your body is not getting 13 servings a day of fresh, clean fruits & vegetables, ample fiber, & adequate protein every day (in full transparency, even as a nutritionist there are many days I miss this mark) supplementation should be a part of your daily wellness routine.