why supplements are neccessary

Written by: Carl Neubauer (Nutri-Dyn Technical Services Director)

Although the foundational role of a whole-food, nutrient-dense diet is undisputed, this perspective may underestimate several modern realities: declining nutrient density of foods, inter-individual variability in digestion, absorption, and genetic conversion, and the substantially higher micronutrient demands associated with chronic inflammation, metabolic dysfunction, pregnancy, aging, medication use, and environmental stressors.

While listening to a recent 3×4 seminar, the topic arose that some patients are resistant to supplementation, often expressing the belief that supplements are a “waste of money” and merely result in “expensive urine,” with the assumption that all nutritional needs can be met through diet alone. This discussion prompted reflection on a broader issue that still appears within parts of the naturopathic and integrative medicine community—namely, the belief that both maintenance nutrition and even therapeutic nutrition can be reliably achieved through food alone.

Although the foundational role of a whole-food, nutrient-dense diet is undisputed, this perspective may underestimate several modern realities: declining nutrient density of foods, inter-individual variability in digestion, absorption, and genetic conversion, and the substantially higher micronutrient demands associated with chronic inflammation, metabolic dysfunction, pregnancy, aging, medication use, and environmental stressors. In many cases, achieving even RDA-level intake of certain nutrients through food alone would require impractical volumes of specific foods consistently, let alone the higher intakes often used therapeutically in clinical practice.

From a clinical standpoint, supplementation should not be framed as a replacement for diet, but rather as a targeted, evidence-based adjunct—used to bridge predictable gaps between dietary intake and physiological need. Dismissing supplementation outright risks overlooking the growing body of research demonstrating that meaningful clinical outcomes for nutrients such as magnesium, vitamin D, folate, omega-3 fatty acids, and vitamin C frequently occur at intake levels that are difficult, if not unrealistic, to achieve through food alone in modern populations.

This is what  I came up with, and I hope it gives you some talking points when this subject comes up.

Why Supplements Are Clinically Necessary 

1. Nutrient density of food has declined
Modern agriculture, soil depletion, early harvesting, and long storage times significantly reduce mineral and vitamin content compared to historical reference values.

2. RDAs often exceed realistic food intake
Meeting many RDAs (e.g., magnesium, folate, vitamin D) consistently would require impractical daily food volumes, even with a whole-food diet.

3. Increased physiological demand
Pregnancy, aging, inflammation, infection, trauma, surgery, metabolic syndrome, and chronic stress all increase micronutrient requirements beyond baseline RDAs.

4. Absorption and conversion variability
Genetics (e.g., MTHFR, BCMO1), gut integrity, medications (PPIs, metformin, oral contraceptives), and microbiome status substantially alter nutrient bioavailability.

5. Therapeutic dosing exceeds dietary capacity
Many clinical benefits documented in the literature (e.g., vitamin C for oxidative stress, magnesium for neuromuscular regulation, folate for methylation) occur at intakes well above what food alone can supply.

Bottom line:
Supplements are not a replacement for food — they are a necessary adjunct to address modern dietary limitations, individualized physiology, and therapeutic targets.

Below is what I found as a practitioner-style food-equivalency snapshot using average values from the USDA FoodData Central (natural food forms, raw or lightly cooked unless noted). Values vary by variety, soil, storage, and cooking — so think order-of-magnitude, not precision.

Food Equivalents for Common Supplement Doses (Approximate)

Vitamin C — 500 mg

FoodAmount NeededRed bell pepper (raw)~2½ cupsOrange~5–6 mediumKiwi~5–6 mediumStrawberries~4 cupsBroccoli (cooked)~5 cups

NOTE: This is why 500–1,000 mg vitamin C is rarely achieved from food alone on a consistent basis.

Folate — 800 mcg DFE

FoodAmount NeededLentils (cooked)~2½ cupsSpinach (raw)~10–11 cupsAsparagus (cooked)~4½ cupsBlack beans (cooked)~3 cupsAvocado~4–5 medium

Reminder: DFE ≠ food folate mg.

1 mcg DFE = 1 mcg food folate

1 mcg DFE = 0.6 mcg synthetic folic acid (with food)

Magnesium — 400 mg

FoodAmount NeededPumpkin seeds~½ cupAlmonds~1¼ cupsSpinach (cooked)~2½ cupsBlack beans~2½ cupsDark chocolate (70–85%)~3 oz

NOTE: Even “good” magnesium diets often fall short without supplements.

Calcium — 1,000 mg

FoodAmount NeededYogurt~3 cupsMilk~4 cupsSardines (with bones)~3 cansKale (cooked)~7 cupsTofu (calcium-set)~2½ cups

Iron — 18 mg (premenopausal female RDA)

FoodAmount NeededBeef (heme iron)~6–7 ozLentils~3 cupsSpinach (cooked)~5 cupsPumpkin seeds~1½ cupsChickpeas~4 cups

NOTE: Absorption varies dramatically (heme vs non-heme, vitamin C status, phytates).

Vitamin A — 900 mcg RAE

FoodAmount NeededSweet potato~1 largeCarrots~2 cups rawSpinach (cooked)~2 cupsLiver~1–2 oz

Vitamin D — 800 IU

FoodAmount NeededSalmon~4 ozSardines~2 cansEgg yolks~8–10Fortified milk~8 cups

NOTE: This is why vitamin D is essentially a “sun + supplement” nutrient.

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