by Mila McManus, MD

In my clinical experience, most patients come into our practice with at least one or more nutrient deficiencies, and I recommend supplements. Why are so many people deficient in nutrients?  Well, it’s certainly not due to a lack of food availability.  We have plenty of restaurants and grocery stores, and about 75% of the population is overweight or obese.

So why don’t we get everything our bodies need from the food we eat?

Here are the top 4 reasons:

• Most of our soil is over-farmed and depleted of nutrients due to commercial agricultural farming operations (CAFO’s). Deficient soil grows deficient plants.

• Most of our fruits and vegetables are harvested very early, before ripening, so that they can be shipped, stored, and distributed over long distances. Nutrients develop in the ripening process on the tree or vine and in the sunshine, so when they are picked early, they are already deficient. Once picked, nutrients are also lost as the food ages and is exposed to heat. By the time we get our fruits and vegetables in the grocery store, they are very deficient in vital nutrients. 

• Ultra-processed food, 85% of what is found in grocery stores and fast-food restaurants, is grossly deficient in nutrients due to the destructive nature of food processing. Any vitamins or minerals added back in by the food industry are cheap formulations that are not very absorbable by the body. For example, calcium carbonate is added to nut milks to claim they have the RDA (aka recommended daily allowance) of calcium, but this is not a form of calcium that’s well absorbed.

• Our bodies are assaulted every day by our environment – stress, pollution, chemicals… just to name a few. Your body does an amazing job of coping with all of this; however, it does so by demanding more vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and quality nutrition. When your cells cannot obtain everything they need to do their jobs, you experience symptoms of illness, rather than wellness.

Hopefully this helps you understand why it’s important to supplement your diet properly with vitamins, minerals, and enzymes. Guidance from a trained medical professional will help to ensure you are getting what you need, in a form your body can absorb, while avoiding unnecessary ingredients and supplements. This also explains why we recommend a whole food diet, organic and regenerative farming practices, and a healthy lifestyle.

Of course, that brings us to the next obvious question. In a vast marketplace capitalizing on the supplementation craze, how do you know what supplements are worth buying?  Stay tuned! Next week we will address the many important considerations when choosing supplementation.