For most people, the goal of taking supplements is simple: to fill the gaps that diet alone may not cover, and to support the body in functioning well.

With thousands of supplements to choose from and brands promising anything from improved sleep to better digestion or a more focused mind, it’s difficult to know what to choose or where to start. The first question you want to ask is – how much of the supplement will actually be absorbed by your body. 

The answer lies not in what a supplement contains but in how that nutrient has been produced and what form it takes when it enters your body.

1. How we absorb nutrients from food vs supplements

• Food: When we eat a handful of blueberries or a plate of broccoli, we are not just consuming Vitamin C or iron or magnesium. We are consuming those nutrients embedded in a complex matrix of proteins, enzymes, fibre, phytonutrients and co-factors that the body has evolved to recognise and process. Think of it this way: nature packages nutrients with their own instruction manual, and the body reads it better than anything we can manufacture. These elements do not work independently, they work together. The bioflavonoids in citrus fruit, for instance, are understood to support the uptake of Vitamin C. The fat-soluble co-factors in whole foods help transport fat-soluble vitamins to where they are needed. 
• Supplement: The majority of supplements isolate a single nutrient – often synthesised in a laboratory – and deliver it without the supporting cast that makes it functional in a food context. The body may recognise the compound, but it does not always know what to do with it efficiently. A meaningful proportion of synthetic vitamins are excreted before they can be fully utilised, which is why high-dose synthetic supplements sometimes produce vivid results in the bathroom but less measurable results in the body. You may be spending money on supplements that are, quite literally, going to waste.

2. Why you want to look out for ‘food-grown’ supplements

The term ‘food-grown’ or ‘whole-food nutrition’ refers to a category of supplements in which vitamins and minerals are sourced from, or grown within, real food matrices rather than synthesised chemically. The nutrients are extracted from plants, fruits and other natural sources and retain the co-factors and enzymes that accompany them in their natural state.

• Take Vitamin C as an example. Synthetic supplements typically use isolated ascorbic acid. Whereas a food-grown Vitamin C supplement might use acerola cherry which is a fruit with one of the highest natural concentrations of Vitamin C available. Research indicates that the vitamin C delivered in a food-grown form is absorbed 1210% more effectively than isolated ascorbic acid; and it delivers ascorbic acid alongside bioflavonoids and other naturally occurring compounds.
• B vitamins derived from fermented whole grains or quinoa arrive with the co-enzymes that support their conversion into active forms in the body.
• Plant-sourced magnesium tends to be more gently absorbed than high-dose synthetic magnesium oxide, which is notorious for its digestive side effects.
• Food-derived iron is generally better tolerated and less likely to cause the constipation associated with the ferrous sulphate found in many conventional supplements.

3.  Why absorption is only part of the story

Conventional supplement manufacturing often relies on fillers, binders, artificial colourants and flow agents. In short, inactive ingredients used to make the manufacturing process easier or the tablet more visually appealing. These additives contribute nothing nutritionally and, in some cases, may interfere with absorption. Targeted supplementation, in a form the body can actually use, is a compelling proposition.

Manufacturing to accredited standards under the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) guidelines and current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) protocols, for instance, provides a level of assurance that not every brand on the shelf can offer.

Content by Food Grown. 

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