Food Chart

In general, our diets should be our main source for vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, health experts believe.

“Dietary supplements can’t compensate for a poor diet,” said Dr. Jonathan Stegall, an integrative oncologist and medical director of The Center for Advanced Medicine.

“Dietary supplements should be reserved for special circumstances to address measurable deficiencies within the body and not a source for mega-dosing in an attempt to somehow create health,” he said.

Our bodies are designed to absorb and use nutrients as they naturally occur in foods, says Dixon. When we take in high levels of nutrients from dietary supplements, our vitamins and minerals start to compete for absorption, which can eventually lead to dangerous nutrient imbalances.

Rather than load up on dietary supplements, most health experts recommend following a healthy, plant-based diet rich in vegetables, fruits, legumes, and grains.

If you’re considering taking a supplement, be sure to first consult your doctor. They can determine if the supplement would be safe and helpful for you.

A new study from Tufts University found that nutrients from food, not supplements, are linked to a lower risk of death.

In fact, excess calcium intake from supplements increased people’s risk of death from cancer. Health experts agree that while not all supplements are harmful, a well-balanced, healthy diet is the best way to get your nutrients.

A balanced diet is a diet that contains differing kinds of foods in certain quantities and proportions so that the requirement for calories, proteins, minerals, vitamins and alternative nutrients is adequate and a small provision is reserved for additional nutrients to endure the short length of leanness.