By: Alana Marrero González, LND, MHSN
Can I replace fruits and vegetables with vitamin supplements? This is probably one of the questions I get asked most often during my nutrition consultations. Nutritional supplements were designed to help supplement the diets of people who, due to health issues, mobility problems, restricted diets, high-performance athletes, older adults, and others, cannot obtain the necessary nutrients directly from food. The purpose of supplements is not to replace food.
Technically, supplements could replace some of the nutrients we get from food, but the reality is that foods like fruits and vegetables provide nutrients and much more. In addition to being excellent sources of vitamins, fiber, minerals, water, and prebiotics, fruits and vegetables offer us additional benefits when we eat them.
When it comes to rice and beans, our bodies even benefit from the journey these nutrients take through our intestines. So, what should our approach be? Well, it’s simple: we should focus on eating more whole foods. More fresh fruit, fewer juices with added sugar, more water, fewer vitamin-enriched drinks, more vegetables, fewer processed smoothies.
In other words, more real food and fewer processed foods. Fruits and vegetables are the best sources of vitamins; if you eat the recommended five servings a day, you’ll definitely meet your nutritional needs. Don’t give up—keep improving your eating habits and add more fruits and vegetables to your diet.
The author is a nutritionist at Centro Ararat. You can follow her on social media
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