Supplements v Food

April 30, 2016

Functional Foods vs. Supplements

“Let food be thy medicine & medicine be thy food” (Hippocrates)

Functional Foods have positive effects on health & wellbeing, beyond basic nutrition. They are like superfoods that are extremely high in at least one particular vitamin or mineral. Therefore, they have a medicinal effect and the ability to replace supplements. Functional foods promote optimal health, while reducing disease risk. I prefer them to supplements, as they are more easily absorbed & utilised by the body, while being naturally abundant in nutrients.

I prescribe food as medicine, & sometimes natural supplements. Natural supplements are derived from natural, whole foods. Our bodies recognise natural, whole foods. Whereas, our bodies don’t recognise synthetic materials, which may harm our health. Synthetic supplements are man-made isolated chemicals. It is disturbing what some of them are made out of e.g. synthetic B complex vitamins are by-products of coal tar.

These are some of my favourite functional foods…

Fermented Foods Probiotic Supplement

Picture of delicious & creamy coconut yoghurt

Dose: at least one fermented food daily.

Camu camu Ascorbic acid

This South American fruit is one of the world’s best sources of vitamin C. Vitamin C is water-soluble (not stored in the body), therefore, our bodies demand a regular supply. The benefits of vitamin C are so well known, it would take many pages to list them all.

Whole food sources (e.g. fruit & vegetables) of vitamin C are more readily absorbed & utilised by the body than synthetic ascorbic acid supplements. Choose natural vitamin C supplements derived from natural, whole fruit and vegetables. If you must take a synthetic vitamin C supplement, ensure that it has bioflavonoids to improve its absorption & utilisation.

Dose: add ¼ to ½ teaspoon of camu camu powder to water, juice or a smoothie daily.

Brazil Nuts Selenium Supplement

Brazil nuts are a delicious & convenient way to get your daily selenium. This is important for Kiwis because our soil is deficient in essential trace minerals, including selenium. Selenium is an antioxidant, which works in conjunction with vitamin E (abundant in nuts, seeds & oils) to reduce the risk of skin cancer & prevent sunburn by preventing the formation of free radicals. Selenium is required for healthy thyroid function, controlling our metabolic rate, energy levels & body temperature. Research shows that it may also reduce inflammation & cancer.

It’s ironic that NZ farm animals are supplemented with selenium to prevent disease, but humans give little thought to their selenium intake!

Dose: 2-3 Brazil nuts daily.

Seaweed Iodine Supplement

0.25g of Kelp provides 590% of your daily iodine (another mineral lacking in NZ soils). Iodine is the most important mineral for the thyroid gland, which controls our metabolic rate, energy levels & body temperature. Kelp has the most iodine out of all seaweeds, so you only need a light sprinkle every day. It can be easily added to cooking & smoothies.

Kelp Salt is naturally iodised sea salt with kelp. This is a perfect, natural substitution for artificially iodised table salt. Salt is not supposed to be white (I am suspicious of white foods!). This myriad of chemicals in table salt has the potential to cause health problems.

Dose: a pinch daily.

Maca Berocca

Berocca is often taken for energy, but you can improve your energy naturally with Maca. Also known as Peruvian Ginseng, Maca increases energy, stamina & performance.

Dose: add 1-3 teaspoons of Maca powder to water or a smoothie daily.

Sprouted, Activated (in dehydrator or oven on low temperature)

& Raw Foods vs. Enzyme Supplement

Sprouting/activating (beginning of sprouting process) raw grains, legumes, nuts & seeds greatly increases their enzyme potential. Additionally, it releases calcium, magnesium, iron & zinc from phytic acid. This process greatly increases nutrient bioavailability, by enabling us to absorb these important minerals. Phytase is an enzyme that neutralises phytic acid. It co-exists naturally in plants containing phytic acid. Soaking grains, legumes, nuts & seeds in an acid (e.g. apple cider vinegar or lemon juice) & a pinch of salt, kick-starts the activating/sprouting process. Plant foods can be cooked after they have been sprouted/activated. However, it is still better to sprout/activate before cooking, than not at all. The Weston A. Price Foundation has helpful information about phytic acid.

Examples of sprouted & activated foods on the market include Essene bread (sprouted wheat & rye – still contains gluten but gentler on digestion), sprouted buckwheat cereal, sprouted rice, sprouted legumes (e.g. chickpeas, lentils, mung beans, peas & adzuki beans), & activated nuts/seeds. Alternatively, sprouted/activated plant foods can be easily & economically prepared at home.

Raw foods contain more enzymes than cooked foods because enzymes are destroyed above 40˚C. Enzymes are required for chemical reactions that occur in digestion processes. Certain enzymes digest each macronutrient e.g. amylase digests carbohydrates, lipase digests fats & protease digests protein.

Dose: eat more sprouted & activated grains, legumes, nuts & seeds, than non-sprouted & non-activated. Aim to eat more raw than cooked plant foods.

Cod Liver Oil Fish Oil

Cod liver oil has Omega 3, vitamin A & vitamin D all in one natural source. Whereas, fish oil only has omega 3. Don’t get me wrong, fish oil is still amazing, but cod liver oil gives you more bang for your buck.

We are supposed to only eat food that our grandmothers would recognise, right? Well our grandmothers would approve of this one!

Dose: 1-2 teaspoons of cod liver oil daily.

Organ Meat (especially liver!) vs. Multi Vitamin

Organ meats are the superfoods of the animal kingdom. Unfortunately, the traditional nose to tail philosophy of eating animals has been lost through generations. Nowadays, we tend to only eat muscle meat, whereas, some traditional cultures only ate organs because they were well aware of the benefits. The liver stores vitamins A, D, E, K, B12, folic acid & minerals like iron & copper. Therefore, we are getting a dose of these nutrients when we eat liver.

liver

Organic meat & organs are always preferable. Especially because the liver is the detoxing organ, therefore, stores toxins.

Tip: mix organ meat into mince, diced or stir fried meat to hide the flavour if you aren’t keen on it. This is also a great way to sneak it into kids! Or make traditional pate.

Dose: eat organ meat 1-2 times weekly.

Olivia Kennedy ~ Wellpark Graduate, Naturopath, Nutritionist, Herbalist & Wellpark College graduate