supplements

Supplements or Purist, Can you get everything you need from your diet?

Can you get everything you need from your diet? Or are you a huge proponent of using supplementation? 

There's no right or wrong answer here. It's all based on the person's context. 

Our first question is for someone who's a purist. They think there must be something wrong with this diet if you have to use supplements. 

They think, why do you have to use supplements and pills and powder?

But if you should be getting everything from your diet, will you actually get it? Are you consuming all the foods that you should be consuming? Are you getting up? Are you moving often? Are you getting a lot of sun exposure? Are you getting out into natural environments that help with vitamin D synthesis? Because if not, then you can't be a purist at the same time. You can't pick and choose both. 

You can't say, I think I shouldn't be taking anything, but I'm indoors all the time. I'm pretty sedentary. I'm eating a bunch of animal products. I'm not doing all the things I know I could be doing to maximize myself via nutrition. In that case, supplements can be a support system for you. It can be a bridging tool. 

And then on the other end of the spectrum, you can't out supplement a bad diet. If that was the case, then every person in America would be healthy because the supplement industry is one of the biggest industries in the country. 

Most people take multivitamins. Why are so many people unhealthy? Because their diets are not good. Your supplements will not replace whole foods. You can’t take away the fundamental things that work.

We even truly believe that the vitamins and minerals in supplement form just do not synthesize and absorb like they would if they're in a whole food. We have our inclinations that that is the case for a lot of people. Especially if your gut health is not good either. 

So when it comes to supplements, the first thing to recognize is what does your life look like? 

Do you have a balanced life? Are you getting outdoors? Are you getting fresh air? Are you getting sun exposure? Are you consciously adding in different types of foods to meet different types of vitamin and mineral needs? 

If you’re just guessing, then supplements could be a support system for you. Just don't over-rely on them to the point where you then think that you can get away with eating whatever you want. 

There's not a right or wrong way to do it. It's all based on the person's context.

Where are you at in terms of what you specifically need?

 

If you want to learn more about this topic, check out Episode 41 of the VegUp Podcast here:

 

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