Balanced Diet vs. Supplements: What’s the Real Deal?

If you’ve ever wondered whether you should be popping pills or just eating more broccoli, you’re in the right place. Let’s dive into the great debate: Balanced diet vs. supplements. Which one should you be focusing on? Grab a cuppa, and let’s sort this out in a fun and friendly way.

The Case for a Balanced Diet

First off, let’s chat about the good old balanced diet. You know, the one your mum always told you about. Here’s why getting your nutrients from food is so important:

  1. Nutrient Powerhouses: Whole foods like fruits, veggies, nuts, and grains are packed with vitamins, minerals, fibre, and antioxidants. They’re like nature’s multivitamins but tastier.
  2. Bioavailability: That’s a fancy word for how well your body can absorb nutrients. Turns out, our bodies are pretty clever and can better absorb nutrients from food than from pills.
  3. Health Benefits: A balanced diet supports overall health, keeps your energy levels up, and can even improve your mood. Plus, munching on a variety of foods keeps meals exciting and delicious.
  4. Fewer Risks: Unlike some supplements, there’s no risk of overdosing on nutrients when you’re getting them from food. Plus, whole foods don’t come with additives or fillers.

 

The Scoop on Supplements

Now, let’s talk about those little bottles of vitamins and minerals. Supplements can be a real game-changer for your health. Here’s why they might just be your new best friends:

  1. Filling Gaps: Even with a balanced diet, it’s easy to miss out on certain nutrients. Supplements can help fill those gaps, making sure you’re covered no matter what.
  2. Convenience: Life gets busy, and sometimes we don’t have time to prepare nutrient-rich meals every day. Supplements are a quick and easy way to ensure you’re still getting essential nutrients.
  3. Targeted Support: Need a boost? Supplements can target specific health concerns, like calcium for bone health, omega-3s for your heart, or iron if you’re feeling fatigued.
  4. Special Circumstances: Pregnant women, the elderly, and those with specific medical conditions often need extra nutrients that are hard to get from diet alone. Supplements can be a lifesaver here.

AvaCare Vitamin D3+K2 range image

The Balancing Act

So, should you focus on diet or supplements? The answer is a bit of both, but don’t underestimate the power of supplements. Here’s how to strike the right balance:

  1. Eat the Rainbow: Fill your plate with a variety of colourful fruits and veggies. The more colours, the more nutrients you’re getting.
  2. Listen to Your Body: Pay attention to how you feel. If you’re tired, sluggish, or just not feeling your best, it might be worth checking if you’re missing any key nutrients and considering a supplement.
  3. Get Professional Advice: Before you start popping pills, chat with a healthcare professional. They can help you figure out which supplements you actually need and the best way to take them.
  4. Moderation is Key: If you do take supplements, follow the recommended dosages. More isn’t always better, and taking too many can sometimes do more harm than good.

 

Final Thoughts

At the end of the day, the best approach is to focus on a balanced diet and use supplements to enhance your health and fill any gaps. Supplements are a fantastic tool to ensure you’re getting all the nutrients you need, especially when life gets hectic.

So, next time you’re in the supermarket, load up on those fresh fruits and veggies, but don’t forget to check out your favourite supplements too. Here’s to happy eating, smart supplementing, and a healthier you!

 

Vegan alternative food products are sometimes criticised in the media by different professionals in the sector[1] and sometimes are considered worse than non-vegan. However, vegan diets and plant-based products are gaining popularity every year. Only in 2021, 825 new vegan products and menus were launched for Veganuary[2]. This is because Vegan diets are associated with many health benefits due to their low content of saturated fat, cholesterol and contain more dietary fibre.

The Vegan versus non-vegan Myth

Nevertheless, the fact that vegan alternatives are sometimes criticised can drive people to think that vegan solutions are not as good as traditional ones. This misconception has been translated to the food supplement industry, making to think to the society that vegan food supplements are not as good as non-vegan. This is far from the truth!

Supplementation can be key

In any case, when moving to a vegan diet, supplementation is recommended to avoid the risk of certain deficiencies, especially if this has not been planned well, as the NHS recommends[3]. It is important you understand the strengths and weaknesses of your diet at all stages in your life. Overall, vegan diets tend to have a higher content of fibre, folic acid, vitamins C and E, potassium, magnesium. However, not consuming products from animal sources can increase the risk of certain deficiencies of vitamins B-12 and D, calcium, and long-chain n-3 (omega-3) fatty acids[4].

 

Breaking the myth

AvaCare wants to break all myths regarding vegan vs non-vegan supplements to prove that vegan supplements are as good as non-vegan supplements.

The first reason is the advancement of technology. Thanks to technology development, we can source nutrients from different foods and create products with these active ingredients that have been condensed, so you can help your body by taking the recommended daily dose you need of each nutrient in one go.

Secondly is efficacy. This is a myth that can be easily broken while comparing non-vegan food supplements with vegan alternatives. AvaCare products compete on efficacy with non-vegan alternatives, often surpassing them, whilst providing the recommended daily allowance of each active ingredient.

The last myth is that vegan supplements prices are excessively higher than non-vegan alternatives. Today’s economies of scale due to vegan becoming ever growing in popularity, allows companies that want to develop vegan products to offer them at more sensible prices than in the past. AvaCare has worked on their RRP, so we can offer a high-quality product making excellent nutrition more available to everyone.

Case in Point – Omega 3 Vegan alternative

One of the examples of high-quality and effective Vegan alternatives is the Omega 3 from Algae oil we use in our products. This is a rich source of EPA and DHA alternative to fish oil, which Omega 3 actually comes from the algae they eat. This Omega 3 from Algae oil is also a more sustainable alternative because using algae doesn’t contribute to overfishing.

So are vegan supplements a good option to supplement your vegan diet?

Vegan products can absolutely be even better than non-vegan alternatives and that the misconception around vegan solutions are far from the truth. AvaCare makes high quality products suitable for everyone. For this reason, we have registered all our products with the Vegan Society to demonstrate to our customers that we have worked on meeting the criteria from an internationally recognised organisation. AvaCare’s directors all agree, “there’s no strong reason not to be vegan these days, vegan should be the normal standard”.

 

Find our full range on the product page of our website
https://avacare.co.uk/shop/

 

Reference list

[1] https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200129-why-vegan-junk-food-may-be-even-worse-for-your-health

[2] https://veganuary.com/

[3] https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/vegetarian-and-vegan-diets-q-and-a/

[4] https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/89/5/1627S/4596952