The Problem with Most Supplements

I believe wholeheartedly in six ancestral secrets for health and vitality, and they all start with “S”-- Sunshine, Shivers, Sleep, Sustenance, Strength, and Spirit (what can I say? I love alliteration!). But there’s another, more modern “S” that always makes its way into the conversations about health… Supplements.

I have beef with the supplement industry. A bone to pick. Many of the companies are trying to milk you for your cash. A lot of their ingredients are fishy. Okay, I’ll stop with the punny nutrient dense food themed figures of speech– but that’s where I want to start.

Sustenance > Supplements

Too many people think that they’re going to make up for a poor diet by relying on a supplement stack. 

They’re called supplements for a reason… they should play a small supporting role within your SUSTENANCE. We can use them mindfully to provide targeted support, to shift our bodies into balance in times of sickness or stress, and to compensate for soil nutrient depletion while we actively support regenerative farmers who are healing the soil with our grocery dollars. But all too often, they’re marketed aggressively as a must-have with no education on how the consumer could be getting whatever-it-is from real food. And when you’re exposed to more ads that play to your pain points than real nutritional education, you’re liable to end up with an expensive stack of supplements that you feel like you have to take, while the real vulnerability– your confidence in nourishing yourself with real food– is left untouched.

And while some supplements are made of real, nutrient dense foods (like Birthright, my favorite supplements for women), most of them aren’t. Many which claim to have real-food ingredients are cut with dupes, fillers, flow agents, and preservatives. 

And many more are just synthetic, made with lab-made nutrients that aren’t as compatible with your biology as the originals. 

In the vitamin world, there’s folic acid, a synthetic dupe for folate that half the population can’t utilize; there’s ascorbic acid made from conventional corn (wouldn’t you rather eat seasonal fruits or beneficial ferments like sauerkraut to get your vitamin C?); and many more.

Tradition > Trends

Trends are a huge driving factor in the supplement industry.

When something new arrives on the scene, everyone who has “tried everything” will want to try it, too. 

On one hand, trends have popularized some of the nutrient dense foods that were once prized and regarded as sacred in ancestral traditions– like beef liver, colostrum, and herbs!

But on the other hand, newfangled lab-derived concoctions have become prominent. I don’t mean to be a luddite, and I certainly do use modern biohacking inventions to support my health in a modern world (I’ve been playing with LifeWave patches recently…). But I also like to take a step back and question where the band wagon is going before I jump on! 

So suss out whatever is in your medicine cabinet or on your kitchen counter. Pitch the synthetic stuff and keep it real!🌿