Have you ever thought about supplementing with vitamins?

Have you ever thought about supplementing with vitamins?

Or perhaps you have wondered how important they are and how do we get them from our diet?
 
This question was brought up by one of my clients. We focus a lot on macronutrients (proteins, carbohydrates, and fats) but what about micronutrients – vitamins and minerals?
 
Why isn’t this mentioned more and how do we go about tackling it?
 
In my opinion, context plays a big part in micro-nutrition and to keep things simple for this article I will focus on two different states of calorie balance. 
 
One being a calorie surplus/maintenance and the other a calorie deficit.
 
Being in a calorie surplus is the easy one. By nature of the surplus, we have more than enough building blocks (food) to get all the vitamins and minerals that we need – except for Vitamin D.
 
So there is no need to supplement in a calorie surplus if we make good choices and do not have a clinical issue. A diet that predominantly consists of whole, single ingredient foods should be good enough for most of us. Plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, lean proteins, nuts, seeds and oily fish should cover most of our bases.
 
There is no need to stress about trying to meet everything on a daily basis but rather focus on the week as a whole. I for one really like the saying “eat a rainbow a week.” The more colours from fruits and vegetables you consume throughout the week the better.

Don’t worry you don’t have to turn vegan to become healthier ;)
 
But by eating this way we really are putting ourselves in a position to maximize our exposure to a full spectrum of vitamins and minerals.
 
Now the other state of being on a diet (calorie deficit) is a different story. This also carries over to any diet that needlessly excludes groups to lose weight.
 
By being in a calorie deficit we get an increased breakdown of all sorts of things in the body. This also means that the nature of the deficit means we are eating less food that contains these micronutrients that we need for optimal function.
 
Now it is possible to make perfect choices whilst being on a diet but in reality, it can be a little more difficult. So there could be a slight argument to supplement with a multivitamin if you have been on a diet for a while or there is quite an aggressive calorie deficit. Think of it as more of an insurance policy.
 
Now for the rest of it – what about all of these extra vitamins and minerals. As a general rule, without a blood test form a medical profession that shows a deficiency, I wouldn’t waste my money. 
 
More vitamins are not necessarily a good thing – best case all you have is expensive urine. Another scenario is you take too much of something and not enough of something else and you cause an internal imbalance.
 
It can get quite complicated with vitamins and minerals – some vitamins fight against each other to get to their destination as they share transporters. Others need to be combined to be effective. And without accurate blood work, you just don't know.
 
So my recommendation is food first- fix your diet, eat quality fruit, vegetables, and less junk and don’t worry about needlessly popping pills.