I think that when someone goes to see a practitioner in the naturopath/nutritionist space, 9 out of 10 times, they’ll expect to walk out the door with an arm full of supplements. Some will even end up spending upwards of $500 on them. And I think that’s what puts people off going to see someone like me. Today I wanted to chat about why supplements often feature on a nutritionists health plan, when a supplement might not be appropriate and how to find the right balance.
Do you need to take a supplement?
I would love to say no. That we can get all that we need from our food and be on our merry way. Unfortunately, these days it’s not the case. When looking at health, we always start with what you eat. That will always form the foundation. And if you see someone who doesn’t address that fundamental first, please reconsider going back to see them. It’s also really important to consider culture and habits around what you eat and seeking support in order to change these to make new habits stick, if that’s what’s required. A good practitioner will talk to you about these too.
But even if our diet is top notch, and even if we are eating 90% organic all the time, we won’t be getting all the minerals, vitamins, antioxidants and co-factors required for optimal health. The key word here is optimal. That’s where I want to get you too, not just “okay” to soldier on.
When it comes to supplements, I will always consider three things:
Necessity – does this person actually need a supplement and what do they need? In some cases a multi-vitamin won’t cover all your bases and some conditions might need some more specific support first, and then they could move on to a multi-vitamin down the track.
Value for money – similarly to above, a multi-vitamin isn’t always going to include everything someone might need, so let’s focus on what is really necessary now in order for you to notice the biggest difference and get the most value for money.
Compliance – not everyone will continue to take a whole bunch of pills indefinitely. Not everyone is as driven or motivated. So, I always consider where can I get the biggest value with the least resistance for both parties!
So where does a multi-vitamin fit in?
Like I said before, we don’t get what we need from our food anymore. If you don’t have any specific health issues, a good quality multi-vitamin will always form the basis of health, alongside a good diet. Remember, you can’t out-supplement a poor diet, so we always start there. But in the same breath, we don’t get all that we need from our diet. Here’s why a multi can be a good idea:
There are three main reasons:
Farming practices have depleted our soils - soil is so depleted these days that we don’t get all the minerals and vitamins we need from the food grown in these soils. Studies have specifically found a dramatic decline in sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron and copper(a).
Ability to absorb nutrients – as we age our ability to absorb nutrients declines(b), by providing our bodies with readily absorbable nutrients, we can increase the ability to absorb what we need
We need hundreds of minerals, vitamins, co-enzymes to function – and we can’t get what we need from our food on a daily basis, purely due to volume and the variety of our diets. Adding to this, to absorb zinc you need vitamin B6 and vitamin D. This is what makes me think; how can you supplement with just one thing, without ensuring you have the other factors there to make sure that what you ARE spending your money on, is actually being absorbed?
When wouldn’t I take a multi-vitamin?
If a client came to me with an auto-immune of the thyroid, or very low B vitamin status and low mood, I probably wouldn’t recommend a multi-vitamin upfront. This is because we would need to address diet, lifestyle factors and then some key supplements to support the main issue, first. Those things alone can be big changes for someone. After three months or so, I’d retest key markers and then aim to move them onto a multi-vitamin, even if it's 12 months down the track. I always take a multi and then add in certain things if needed, like extra magnesium, as an example. However, not everyone is like me! And that's okay. I work with my clients and where they are at.
So, while a multi-vitamin might not be appropriate first off, it’s always something I believe forms the basis of optimal health.
Before you go….
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If you want to chat to me more about anything in this article, head to my ‘work with me’ page to get in touch.
References:
(a) Bhardwaj RL, Parashar A, Parewa HP, Vyas L. An Alarming Decline in the Nutritional Quality of Foods: The Biggest Challenge for Future Generations' Health. Foods. 2024;13(6):877. Published 2024 Mar 14. doi:10.3390/foods13060877
(b) Shlisky J, Bloom DE, Beaudreault AR, et al. Nutritional Considerations for Healthy Aging and Reduction in Age-Related Chronic Disease. Adv Nutr. 2017;8(1):17-26. Published 2017 Jan 17. doi:10.3945/an.116.013474
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