Are Food Supplements Really Necessary?

The debate about food supplements

The debate about food supplements is highly controversial and polarised. One side argues that supplements are essential these days to become or stay healthy; others see them as superfluous or even dangerous.

But what exactly are food supplements? Essentially nothing other than vitamins, minerals, trace elements, antioxidants, amino acids, fatty acids and so on — all substances we need in sufficient quantity for our bodily functions, and therefore for a healthy, young body.

The nutrient density of our food has changed

Now, some will surely say that we already take in all these substances through our food. That is true, and that is how it should be. In earlier times it was probably also possible to get all the vital nutrients we need from food alone.

Today, though, we face challenges we did not have before. Because of modern farming with its monocultures, fertilisers and toxins, the soil itself is now unfortunately far poorer in nutrients than in earlier times. And that of course means our food is considerably poorer in nutrients as well. That holds for organic food too.

Nutrients lost to transport and storage

And when is food at its most nutrient-rich? Immediately after picking, of course. How often a day do you eat freshly picked food? Many will have to answer „never". We buy our food, delivered from all over the world, in the supermarket rather than fresh from the field, and of course we mostly do not eat it straight away.

So after picking it sits in transport, then in the supermarket and then at home until it is eventually eaten. During this, sometimes long period of storage, food already loses a large part of its nutrients. So food that was already poor in nutrients becomes poorer still.

And so that it does not spoil during transport and storage, many kinds of fruit and vegetable are harvested unripe. Because they were not allowed to ripen on the tree or bush in the sun to the end, they could not build up the nutrient density they would have if the whole process had been left to nature.

Nutrients lost to greenhouses

Much of our food today comes from greenhouses. Compared with food allowed to grow and ripen outdoors in the sun, greenhouse food can indeed be less nutrient-rich.

Nutrients lost to processing

Many of us tend to eat processed food. And processing — freezing, boiling or frying — costs further nutrients and vital substances. You can see that getting enough nutrients from our food is becoming harder and harder.

Modern life and our need for nutrients

Besides the lower nutrient density there is a second problem. Our body today is under extreme strain, for various reasons. And a body under strain of course needs considerably more nutrients, so that alongside its normal supply it can also protect itself against damage and recover.

These days we are exposed to a great many toxins — pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, contaminated water, microplastics, lead, mercury, aluminium, various chemicals, fine dust, radiation, radio waves, viruses, bacteria, fungi, mould — and that list could go on for a long while.

Then there is the fact that we also eat relatively unnaturally these days, with a great deal of processed food, plenty of fat, plenty of meat and fish, plenty of dairy and eggs, refined carbohydrates and a great deal of processed sugar — to name only some. This way of eating is very poor in nutrients — but very high in calories. This kind of diet alone makes us ill over time. And when we are ill, the body needs more nutrients to have any chance of recovering.

Many people have functional problems in the gut and therefore cannot absorb nutrients as well. On top of that, with age our body's ability to absorb enough nutrients from food declines.

Many medicines also prevent adequate uptake of nutrients. And we live under constant stress. Stress too uses up a great many nutrients. All these burdens raise our body's need for nutrients immensely.

A double shortfall

So we have a double dilemma. Food contains fewer nutrients today than it used to, while our heavily burdened body needs more nutrients today than it used to. In other words: our need is rising while the nutrient content of food is falling.

And between the body's need and the nutrient content of food, a large gap opens up. Closing it through food alone will be difficult. You simply cannot eat enough to cover your need completely, even if you eat only healthily, freshly and wholesomely — which most of us do not.

This gap between need and content leads over time to a nutrient deficiency. And a nutrient deficiency can bring many unpleasant symptoms and make us seriously ill.

All of this suggests that the gap that has opened between the body's need for nutrients and the nutrient content of food can be closed fastest and most effectively through a balanced diet, through avoiding further burdens, and through supplementing nutrients.

Food supplements and their risks

We should keep in mind, though, that using supplements improperly of course carries risks. We should not overdose supplements, because more is not always more. Some vital nutrients can have a toxic effect at too high a dose.

If you take medicines, you should certainly make sure that the supplements you take do not impair how they work.

Always pay attention to the quality of food supplements as well. Many contain additives that can be harmful or that are not declared on the label at all. Supplements from countries with few regulations can also be contaminated.

It matters a great deal to inform yourself well before taking food supplements, to compare them and, if need be, to seek medical advice — above all if you take medicines.

Please also be aware that taking food supplements is no substitute for a healthy and varied diet. In the end the nutrients we gain from a healthy, nutrient-rich diet are more natural for our body than taking extracted vital substances. We may see food supplements as exactly what they are: a supplement to a nutrient-rich diet.