By Rachel Eva Dew, DNM, PhD

Here’s a few reasons that it is crucial to supplement with vitamins, minerals, nutrients & herbs from a functional and natural doctor…

1. In order to get the amount of vitamins needed directly from food you would have to eat SO much of that food that it would not be a healthy amount. For example:
500 mg of vitamin C – which is what your body can absorb in one sitting… you would have to eat 10 oranges. Each orange has about 50mg of vitamin c. Or to get 1,000 mg of vitamin C which would normally be taken in a time released capsule, you would have to eat 20 oranges over the course of 12 hours
2. Also since our soil is depleted of nutrients each grow cycle and often not treated and replenished each food item has less and less vitamins and nutrients as we grow and regrow in the same soil
3. There are hugely important minerals such as magnesium and zinc (to name a few) that our bodies, especially when stressed use up at a faster pace and need to be replenished
4. There are herbs that eating raw without proper measurements such as ashwagandha and some other adaptogens could lead to an imbalance… too much or too little to make a difference.
5. Things like healthy fats and omegas are often lacking from the common diet and need to be intentionally supplemented or added in – there are millions of people experiencing fatigue and brain fog whose brains NEED more healthy fats!
6. Probiotics and enzymes again are not available in raw foods in high enough doses. I recommend high dose probiotics for about 9 out of 10 of the conditions my patients present with – everything from gut issues to depression, anxiety and even hormone imbalance.

Bottom line, supplement!