TPG Reviews Nutrition in a Pill

Supplements are worldwide. Even the most cynical people in the world now support supplements and physical aid medications that promise a lot of things for your physical, emotional, psychological and physiological needs. As a part of our advocacy in bringing awareness to the public on the possible effects of CAM and supplementary medicines to an individual’s health, The Peterson Group reviews the nutrition that can be found in these promising pills.

We always remind our readers to check what they eat. Your nutritional needs should be met primarily through your diet. For some people, however, supplements may be a useful way to get nutrients they might otherwise be lacking. But before you go shopping for supplements, review the facts on what they will and won't do for you.

Supplements vs. whole foods

Supplements aren't intended to be a food substitute because they can't replicate all of the nutrients and benefits of whole foods, such as fruits and vegetables. So depending on your situation and you’re eating habits, dietary supplements may not be worth the expense.

However, some reason out that they intake supplements as some fruits and vegetables are hard to find. One of our reader even states that she takes supplements that promises Vitamin A because it’s hard to find squash in Jakarta, Indonesia.

•    Greater nutrition

Whole foods are complex, containing a variety of the micronutrients your body needs — not just one. An orange, for example, provides vitamin C plus some beta carotene, calcium and other nutrients. It's likely these compounds work together to produce their beneficial effect.

•    Essential fiber

Whole foods, such as whole grains, fruits, vegetables and legumes, provide dietary fiber. Most high-fiber foods are also packed with other essential nutrients. Fiber, as part of a healthy diet, can help prevent certain diseases, such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease, and it can also help manage constipation.

•    Protective substances

Whole foods contain other substances important for good health. Fruits and vegetables, for example, contain naturally occurring substances called phytochemicals, which may help protect you against cancer, heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure. Many are also good sources of antioxidants — substances that slow down oxidation, a natural process that leads to cell and tissue damage.

A little warning: Whole food supplements are what their name suggests - Supplements made from concentrated whole foods. The vitamins found within these supplements are not isolated. They are highly complex structures that combine a variety of enzymes, coenzymes, antioxidants, trace elements, activators and many other unknown or undiscovered factors all working together synergistically, to enable this vitamin complex to do its job in your body.

Nutrients from within this complex cannot be taken apart or isolated from the whole, and then be expected to do the same job in the body as the whole complex is designed to do.