Do We Have to Take Supplements?

One of the most common questions asked in regards to nutrition is “Do I need to take supplements and will this benefit my overall health”. Dr. Andra Campitelli says, Yes! A number of people rely on their everyday diet to help supplement them with the nutrients they require. However, Dr. Campitelli explains that nutrients in our food have declined over the past few years and therefore, supplements are necessary to replenish nutrition in your body.

In the following video, Dr. Andra Campitelli discusses supplements and whether supplements help your overall health. 

Hi, I am Dr. Andra Campitelli, Naturopathic Doctor and Coordinator of the Nutrition and Naturopathy Program at PhysioMed and today we’re going to talk supplements. One of the most common questions I get is do I have to take a supplement and how do I know if the supplement I’m taking is any good? My answer to that is yes. You do have to take supplements. Even a baseline level supplementation to optimize your overall health.

A lot of people think they just want to eat certain foods to replenish nutrient deficiencies that they might have or to optimize their health, but the problem is that the nutrition and the nutrient content of our food has declined. So an apple that I ate today has fewer nutrients than an apple that my grandmother ate 50 years ago. Because of that, none of us are really hitting our recommended intake of fruits and vegetables, which is now upwards of about 10 to 13 servings a day. Nobody is getting that and then we are getting concerned about how much sugar you’re eating. So oftentimes we do need to supplement to ensure that we are hitting those health goals that we need. The problem is finding out if you’re taking the right supplements or the right quality supplements so that you that what it says on the label is actually what you are getting in the bottle and that is where your naturopath comes in. So if you have more questions, you want to figure out what supplements are right for you, then contact your PhysioMed naturopath.