As a dietitian, I tend to have a very “food first” philosophy. I feel that if we eat better and focus more on the quality of the foods we are putting in our body then we shouldn’t feel the need to take multiple dietary supplements. This sadly is not the approach that many of us take when we are looking at trying to get in shape and get fit. I know I know, eating right and exercising is the most “uncool” lifestyle choice out there. The dietary supplement industry is a multi-billion-dollar industry that spends a lot of effort marketing to you! We are exposed to so many pills and powders on the internet, television etc.…which feeds into the hysteria and hype in our culture of getting skinny quick and at all costs, even if it is not sustainable. The truth is, while there is genuine need for many of us to take certain supplements, the majority of us don’t need to take multiple dietary supplements if we would simply focus on making better food choices!

From my experience, many of us are very quick to resort to supplements and we tend neglect eating better and working out. Many of us feel that eating healthy, whole foods and increasing our exercise is too simple or that there has to be a more complex way to lose weight. This simply isn’t true. While a good nutrition plan should be individualized, a primary focal point should be incorporating more whole foods like fresh fruits and vegetables in our daily diets. Whole foods provide our bodies with a tremendous number of vitamins and minerals and typically contain more of these vitamins and minerals than we can get from individual supplements. Whole foods also contain fiber which research shows that over 90% of Americans aren’t getting enough of. Eating a diet that is rich in fiber has shown to decrease our chances of developing chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Eating whole foods also sets ourselves up for more sustainability and makes it easier for us to duplicate in the future. There are many whole foods that contain fiber including our favorite pistachios! One oz. of pistachios contains nearly 3 grams of fiber! Is there a role for dietary supplements in our everyday diet? Sure! There are many people that need to take supplements for a variety of reasons. For example, there is good data that shows an increasing rate of vitamin D insufficiency and a good Vitamin D supplement may be warranted. If we aren’t eating fish in our diet at least 2-3 times per week it may be advisable to take an omega-3 fish oil supplement, so there are certainly times that it is absolutely necessary to take dietary supplements, I would just advise that we take supplements and use them as they were intended and that is to supplement a diet that is already focused and rich in whole foods.

At the end of the day it is important that we focus on trying to have a food first philosophy on eating and focusing on whole foods first before randomly going to the store and getting multiple dietary supplements to take without the recommendation from your physician. As we get in to the summer months keep in mind that sometimes the best way to get skinny fast is to actually get skinny slow! Incorporating whole foods and focusing on whole foods in our diet is the best recipe for success. Slow and steady wins the race!