Did you know that even those who already follow a healthy diet can sometimes stand to benefit from nutritional supplements? In fact, they may be even more beneficial for those who already follow a healthy diet because they can boost the benefits they already receive and better target areas of nutritional deficiency.
Even The Healthiest Diet May Still Be Lacking
It may not be what you want to hear, but even though many of us try our best to make the healthiest choices we can, there are some aspects of nutrition that are out of our control. So why would someone who follows a well-balanced diet want to consider a boost of health from nutritional supplements? Well, here are a few reasons.
Low Soil Quality
As I’m sure you can expect, the quality of the soil will affect the plant grown in it. Many nutrients found in soil are necessary for the plant to grow, such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. Nutrient-rich soil leads to nutrient rich products, but unfortunately unless we are growing food ourselves, it’s difficult to guarantee the quality of the soil our fruits and vegetables are grown in.
Many food production processes prioritise quantity over quality, and this means that not every carrot you buy has the same amount of micronutrients.
If available, it’s best to choose seasonal produce that is locally grown, and organic is a bonus.
Seasonal Access
Locally grown produce is amazing but there are limitations. Most fruits and vegetables run on seasonal cycles, meaning they aren’t available all year round. Berries for example, which contain incredible antioxidants, grow best in a warmer climate, Brussels sprouts on the other hand prefer cooler temperatures. This means you can’t always find these nutritious foods every day throughout the year.
Think of tropical fruits - they are called tropical for a reason, they grow best in the tropics!
While a variety of plants is always advised in a well balanced diet, sometimes you may want the benefits of seasonal plants, even in times where they aren’t in season.
Digestive Absorption
Did you know that we don’t all absorb nutrients in the same way. Some of us naturally absorb more or less of a particular nutrient. This may be caused by genetics, digestive issues such as undiagnosed coeliac disease, leaky gut or IBS.
Then there are also food interactions that can prevent us from absorbing too. The tannins in coffee for example inhibit the absorption of iron. And when you consume fat soluble vitamins A, D, E and K which are found in food such as eggs, nuts, seeds and broccoli, they are actually much better absorbed when consumed with a source of fat.
Access to a variety of powerful plant foods
While most of us can find our healthy basics like spinach, broccoli, berries, capsicums, carrots and kales. There are some other powerful plants out there that we can’t always find at the supermarket or our local farmer’s market, but that can have incredible therapeutic benefits.
These include:
- Spirulina, which is a type of algae that has powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties in as little as a teaspoon!
- Kakadu plum, which is incredibly high in vitamin C, among the highest concentrations found in the world.
- Chlorella, which can lower LDL cholesterol, and aid our bodies ability to clear toxins like heavy metals which may build up in the body from exposure to pollution.
- Ashwagandha, which reduces stress hormones and helps us manage symptoms of stress.
And these are just a few of nature’s incredible therapeutic plants. There’s a reason why many common medications, like Penicillin for example, are modelled from naturally occurring molecules and organisms.
So you can see, even a person with a well balanced diet may still benefit from nutritional supplementation, especially with unique plants and superfoods that we can’t always buy in our weekly grocery shop.
Think of it like health insurance, a way to tick your nutritional boxes, and go over and above the standard needs.
It may help you to experience some incredible health benefits like stress reduction, better cognition, mental health and immunity, hormonal balance, weight maintenance, better energy levels, reduced risk of disease and more.
Some nutritional boosters you may want to consider, under the guidance of your healthcare practitioner
References
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[6] Wu, Q., Liu, L., Miron, A., Klímová, B., Wan, D., & Kuča, K. (2016). The antioxidant, immunomodulatory, and anti-inflammatory activities of Spirulina: an overview. Archives Of Toxicology, 90(8), 1817-1840. doi: 10.1007/s00204-016-1744-5
[8] Shimada, M., Hasegawa, T., Nishimura, C., Kan, H., Kanno, T., Nakamura, T., & Matsubayashi, T. (2009). Anti-Hypertensive Effect of γ-Aminobutyric Acid (GABA)-RichChlorellaon High-Normal Blood Pressure and Borderline Hypertension in Placebo-Controlled Double Blind Study. Clinical And Experimental Hypertension, 31(4), 342-354. doi: 10.1080/10641960902977908
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