This is a common question we hear. And the very short answer is this–no matter how healthy you eat or what diet you follow, it is really difficult to get all the nutrients your body needs from food alone, all the time. So, yes. You do need supplements depending on your personal needs. 

Not to mention, genetic mutations/variations, age, comorbidities, prescription medications, etc. all impact your personal needs for various nutrients. 

Yet we firmly believe in the saying, “You can’t out supplement a bad diet.”

So start with food first. Incorporate a variety of colors each day. Aim for 5 or 6 different colors per meal. It’s a fun “game” to play with kids too–they love to point out the different colors and count. The easiest way to achieve color variety is through vegetables and fruit. (And since I mentioned fruit, I am also here to say fruit is NOT true sugar. There is a big difference. Please stop believing this nonsense.)

But the sad reality is that our soil is severely deprived of the minerals and nutrients of that from long ago. Add in all the pesticides, fertilizers, and glyphosate used, and our food is significantly lacking the nutrients we should be getting from it. Not to mention, contributing to chronic disease, cancer, neurologic, and autoimmune disease risk, instead. 

And back to the comment about genetic mutations. This is a very complex area of science, but basically, your genetics affect how you process certain nutrients. If there is a defect called a polymorphism, you won’t activate and process nutrients efficiently. One example is MTHFR. (Click here to read our blog about this.) In this case, you will need much higher amounts of folate than you could consume daily. And folate is incredibly important for over 300 different processes in the body. 

Let’s take this one step further. Vitamins and nutrients like to help each other. They essentially all work as a team. Take calcium for example. Most people think they need to be on a calcium supplement to support bone health. We would argue they actually need optimal vitamin D, magnesium, and vitamin K levels. You see, those three nutrients are necessary for calcium to do it’s job without just being excreted. And we rarely ever see patients come in with optimal vitamin D and magnesium levels. So taking all of them together ensures you are getting the health benefits you’re hoping for. 

Lastly, not all vitamins are created equal. More on this later, but basically cheaper is generally not the sign of a good deal when it comes to vitamins. Some vitamins include synthetic fillers, colors, and even completely different ingredients than what is listed. (Yikes!) This is why I highly suggest you purchase your supplements from us (you don’t have to be a patient!) or another trusted medical supplier. 

We love formulating the best treatment plans for our patients. No one protocol is alike! If you’re wanting to be “optimal” or just looking for a high quality multivitamin as a start, reach out at 308-390-2663. We look forward to helping you!