Why we love food-based nutrition therapy and not just nutrient-based nutrition therapy:

Written by Caitlin Self, MS, CNS, LDN

Entering into the realm of alternative and functional medicine opens up whole new avenues of treatment for health concerns. We utilize food, lifestyle, stress management, acupuncture, and more to help resolve a variety of issues. Another area we heartily rely on for health improvements? Supplements. 

There are some amazing benefits of supplementation. We can quickly replete someone’s stores of iron, B12, Vitamin D or other nutrients in just a few short weeks. We can support certain pathways, correct methylation issues, and help regulate the microbiome. Supplements provide fast and effective ways to perform triage interventions. 

But there’s a downside (aside from cost), especially when it comes to nutrition supplements.

Nutrient supplements are incomplete.

“There are more than 70,000 compounds in foods (11) bound together in a food matrix, which synergistically impact metabolism, including nutrient absorption, and may have beneficial effects on satiety and the immune system, offering protection from disease, among other potentially important health implications”

From this journal article: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnut.2022.806566/

The famous pop nutrition example of this is in a study using carrots, which was later repeated using vitamin A supplementation. The researchers weren’t able to replicate the carrot-study results with the vitamin A supplements. 

Carrots are rich in beta-carotene, which is a precursor to vitamin A, so it was believed that vitamin A (known for supporting vision in dim conditions) was the reason. And so, we would expect that using a vitamin A supplement would provide even better results. In fact, the supplements did not show reasonable improvements in the measured variable. 

So what can we learn from this?

There’s a lot we don’t know. 

We have learned a lot about nutrients in foods, but we have to assume that there’s even more that we don’t know. Sometimes nutrient supplementation is a great short-term solution, and sometimes we need these supplemental nutrients long-term due to mineral depletions in the soil and nutrient depletions in processing. 

But, what we know for sure is that nutrient supplementation cannot take the place of a balanced, whole foods diet. 

Slow, consistent steps = long-term health. 

“The most promising data in the area of nutrition and positive health outcomes relate to dietary patterns, not nutrient supplements. These data suggest that other factors in food or the relative presence of some foods and the absence of other foods are more important than the level of individual nutrients consumed.” https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16030280/ 

Nutrition supplements still matter.

Many will argue that there’s no role for supplements when you’re eating a nutrient-rich diet. 
However - does the average person consume a nutrient-rich diet? This isn’t only about intake of nutrient-rich foods. We struggle with issues like loss of minerals in soil and in processing, as well as busy lifestyles without adequate social support, and high levels of stress that burn through whatever nutrients we did consume. 

We also know that there are genetic variants that seem to influence how much of certain micronutrients we actually need in order to optimally function. 

Of course we want to have as much of a balanced, whole foods diet as possible, but sometimes a nutrient supplement provides us with the extra boost we need to ensure our vitamins and minerals don’t dip too low in times of stress or transition. 

And, even if you’re not in a serious stage of depletion, adding in supplements can help take the burden off of diet and lifestyle changes to help kick start optimal health. Maybe once you’ve replete your B12 and Vitamin D with supplements, you’ll have the energy to whip up something colorful in the kitchen. 

And when you do - might I suggest Anti-Inflammatory Salmon Soba Bowls?