What Are The Benefits Of Eating Whole Foods Over Taking Supplements To Get Your Daily Nutritional Requirements?
If you have looked in a nutrition store any time in the past few years, you will know that there is a supplement for almost everything. Protein powders are the most common, but there are carb supplements, and even fats (fish oil, etc) in supplement form. In theory, someone could get all the daily nutritional requirements by taking just supplements. But, this is clearly you can be smarter than this.
There is a reason they are called supplements – they are to supplement your normal diet. There are many different vitamins and minerals that are found in whole foods that just aren’t found in many supplements. Sure, you can probably find them in pill form, but you will probably end up taking upwards of 30 different pills per day, and this could get expensive. Supplements are very convenient, but they are in no way a substitute for real food.
By getting most of your daily nutritional requirements from real food, you are getting all the good stuff that you don’t usually find in supplements, and you are also promoting healthy eating habits. A lot of people don’t recognize this point, but taking a large quantity of supplements on a daily basis takes a toll on your digestive system, along with other essential bodily systems. The human body wasn’t designed just to live on dairy based powders and waxy maize. As much as people like to disagree, living on powders is just not healthy!
The best option is to plan a healthy, whole food diet, and use supplements in areas that are lacking. This way, you get to eat whole, healthy food, while getting the gains that supplements provide. This promotes a healthy lifestyle and healthy bodily functions!
Here is a list of the healthiest whole foods you should be incorporating into your diet:
Fruits
* Acai Berries
* Apples
* Apricots
* Bananas
* Blueberries
* Cantaloupe
* Cranberries
* Grapefruit
* Goji Berries
* Grapes
* Kiwifruit
* Lemon/Limes
* Oranges
* Papaya
* Pears
* Pineapple
* Plums
* Prunes
* Raisins
* Raspberries
* Strawberries
* Watermelon
Vegetables
* Asparagus
* Avocados
* Beets
* Bell peppers
* Broccoli
* Brussels sprouts
* Cabbage
* Carrots
* Cauliflower
* Celery
* Collard greens
* Cucumbers
* Eggplant
* Fennel
* Garlic
* Green beans
* Green peas
* Kale
* Leeks
* Mushrooms, crimini
* Mushrooms, shiitake
* Mustard greens
* Olives
* Onions
* Potatoes
* Romaine lettuce
* Sea vegetables
* Spinach
* Squash, summer
* Squash, winter
* Sweet potatoes
* Swiss chard
* Tomatoes
* Turnip greens
* Yams
Seafood
* Cod
* Halibut
* Salmon
* Scallops
* Shrimp
* Tuna
Beans & Legumes
* Black beans
* Dried peas
* Garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
* Kidney beans
* Lentils
* Lima beans
* Miso
* Navy beans
* Pinto beans
* Soybeans
* Tempeh
* Tofu
Poultry & Lean Meats
* Beef, lean organic
* Calf’s liver
* Chicken
* Lamb
* Turkey
* Venison
Nuts & Seeds
* Almonds
* Cashews
* Flaxseeds
* Olive oil, extra virgin
* Peanuts
* Pumpkin seeds
* Sesame seeds
* Sunflower seeds
* Walnuts
Grains
* Barley
* Brown rice
* Buckwheat
* Corn
* Millet
* Oats
* Quinoa
* Rye
* Spelt
* Whole wheat
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Thank you for visiting! Weight Loss and Training is a health blog which features all the best weight loss tips that I have learned over my 20 years of training. My background includes a degree in Kinesiology from the world renown Simon Fraser University, certification in nutritional sciences from UBC, and Personal Trainer Specialist certification from Can Fit Pro.