Vitamin Supplements Are No Substitute For Healthy Eating

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While it may come as no surprise that the best way to get proper nutrition is through eating real foods, many people would rather believe that vitamin supplements are the way to good health.  Although taking vitamin supplements seems like the path toward good health, the reality is that there really is no substitute for healthy eating.

Healthy eating means different things to different people.  However, most will agree that a healthy diet plan includes plenty of fruits and vegetables, whole grains and lean protein.  In fact, recent studies have suggested that the more “superfoods” or extremely nutrient-dense foods we eat, the healthier we’ll be and the longer we’ll live.  And it just so happens that superfoods include the healthiest fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean proteins.

Of course, for those convinced that taking supplements works just as well as eating real food, it is difficult to sell them on the superfood concept of providing nutrients.  After all, isn’t it difficult to prepare and eat all of those foods?  But a recent trip through the vitamin store may leave a different impression of how easy it is to choose supplements instead.  There are so many supplements available and numerous books to describe their purpose it is hard to know if you have all of the facts straight. It also seems that the more you learn the more supplements you believe you need to take and you’re not always certain you’re taking the right ones.  As you can imagine, this can become extremely expensive.

Supplements are also difficult for our bodies to break down and use as nutrition, making it difficult to get the full impact from the vitamins and minerals they contain. Conversely, by consuming plenty of nutrient-rich foods to get the equivalent benefit means the nutrients are going to be easier for the body to process and utilize, and less likely to be wasted.  We are also processing nutrients throughout the course of the day when we obtain them from food, instead of just getting them from the ‘once a day’ approach.
 
Many of the supplements available today use fillers and binders to hold them together, plus coatings on the tablets themselves. In addition, some people find they are allergic to the dyes and fillers used in vitamin pills. These are products the body does not need and will not use. However, the body uses the fiber that binds healthy fruits and vegetables. Often the “skin” of a vegetable, like the potato, is the most nutritious part. It is often said that all of the benefits of real food cannot be packaged into a supplement – some things are just missed.

When choosing between food and supplements, one common fact is often overlooked – food tastes good.  Often times, the fresher and healthier the food, the better it tastes because our bodies actually crave nutritious food. Superfoods and other healthy foods definitely fall into this category. Vitamin supplements really can’t compare! Choose to consume real food and watch your health improve.
 

Of course it won’t hurt to take a simple multi-vitamin each day as an insurance policy to be sure you get all of the important nutrients each day.  However, it is best to rely on eating healthy foods for optimum nutrition and good health. Experiment with your favorite superfood today!

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