Food vs Supplements – which is better and why?

Food vs. Supplements: The age old question. Learn what the difference is between the two and how one is more important that the other!

• Food is good.
• Supplements are good too
• But which is better?
• There is only one way to find out…
• Which do you think is better? Answers in our poll at the bottom.....

 

WHAT ARE DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS?

Just like it says on the tin, dietary supplements are there to supplement your normal nutrition. Available in powder or capsule form, they can contain vitamins, minerals, amino acids, fatty acids and fiber as well. Dietary supplements which solely consist of protein are also found in sports.

DO WE REALLY NEED SUPPLEMENTS ?

People need micro and macronutrients such as proteins, vitamins and minerals for the body to function, and perform at it’s best. If we follow a healthy and balanced diet, we will obtain all the important materials that our body needs. In this case, taking dietary supplements wouldn’t be necessary.

PROS AND CONS OF USING DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS

Dietary supplements contain nutrients in a highly-concentrated form. Therefore any intake recommendations and requirements are met pretty quickly. Taking dietary supplements can also have a psychological and motivating effect. But not all that glitter is gold.

All the micro and macronutrients that dietary supplements contain can also be found in natural foods. Here we will present you with 3 dietary supplements and which foods you could choose instead.

1 iron.  2 creatine.  3 zinc

Lets talk about protein supplements.

Protein powder comes in lots of different forms and flavours to suit what you need, there are of course pros and cons of taking these though:

pros:

Protein powders are a really quick source of protein and provide a quick digesting hit that you can take anywhere with you.
A big positive I find in taking these is that depending on the supplement company you use - they can actually be cheaper than eating whole foods.
Another slightly strange positive for me is that they come in sweet flavours which I find helps me when I am eating clean because you don’t get to eat the food they are modelled on. Protein powders also require next to no preparation which saves a lot of time.

cons:

The biggest downside to supplements is that they aren’t real food. By this I mean you don’t get all of the nutrients and other vitamins that you get from actual food.
When you eat, for example, beef, you get around 25g of protein per 100g serving which is roughly similar to that of most protein powders.
However, you also get plenty of vitamin B12, Zinc and Iron along with Creatine, all things you don’t get from protein powders. As another benefit, food is filling! It fills your stomach for longer which means you will feel you have more energy and will be able to perform better.

what is better ?

In my opinion, I will choose food over supplements for my protein intake every time, but that doesn’t mean I don’t use them.

I think they are very useful as long as you use them sensibly and don’t neglect whole foods as the main bulk of your protein intake.

In simple terms, food is better but supplements are helpful!

multivitamins 

I don’t think I know anyone who trains and doesn’t take a multivitamin every day, it’s a super basic supplement which just becomes part of your everyday routine, but is it better than food?

 Pros

Multivitamin tablets are super convenient, easy to take and pretty cheap.
They usually give you the full recommended daily amount of vitamins your body needs in one hit, plus you can get different tablets to suit what you need.
Most companies now will do multivitamins specifically for men and women to suit what they need - this means you should be able to get exactly what you need depending on you personally.

Cons

Multivitamins can't provide you with the added benefit of fibre, which is a vital ingredient to a healthy gut and again. Real food is filling and will do more for your body than taking a tablet.

Which is better?

In my opinion, food is better for you because of what it can provide to your body but you should be taking a multivitamin.

Because all of our bodies are different we all have different needs that sometimes food itself cannot give us, by taking a supplement every day like a multivitamin it means we are giving ourselves the best chance to fuel our body with everything we need along with our food.

Supplements isn’t an easy topic. Before deciding to take them do the research. Find out if they are really necessary for you. And remember, all these supplements can be found in natural food. A healthy, balanced diet is always a winner.

We want to know what experiences you have had with dietary supplements. Leave us a comment.