We all have daily habits that ultimately affect our short-term and long-term health. These daily habits can lead to the prevention or cause of chronic diseases. I am not saying you have full control of your health, but you certainly can shift the risk-factor dial. Many of us are genetically predisposed to certain diseases or illnesses. In this case, “the gun is already loaded”. However, it is our lifestyle choices that will “pull the trigger”. So, it is important to take a proactive approach to health and incorporate habits that will serve our health throughout our lifetime.
For many of us, one of these daily habits is taking pills, capsules, protein shakes, multivitamins, and the like. Some of us may find popping a pill is the easiest and most convenient way to take our daily supplement. But is there a more effective way? There is a limit to the size of a pill that can be swallowed and for this reason most pills contain vitamins, minerals or other constituents that have been isolated in a lab to maximise concentration. However, the human body is incredibly complex, which also means the nutrition we ingest is biologically complex. Taking pills that contain isolated nutrients removes this nutrient complexity required to produce positive biological effects on the body. To date, over 10,000 different phytonutrients have been discovered with many likely still unidentified. Fruits, vegetables, legumes, and herbs contain a complex matrix of phytonutrients which produce positive biological effects on our health. The concept of “eating the rainbow” has become popular as researchers acknowledge the benefits of consuming various “colour groups” of foods due to the unique blend of phytonutrients associated with the colour of a plant.
Taking pills is like building a house with only timber, concrete and cladding without the nails, screws, and bolts to hold it all together. Wholefood powders contain a complex array of nutrients that synergistically interact, where their combined effects are greater than the sum of their individual contributions. This nutrient synergy also helps improve nutrient bioavailability, so the nutrients can be absorbed and utilised more efficiently.