Jetsons family taking pills for dinner
GAPS Diet & Nutrition,  Real Food

Supplements vs. Whole Foods

Jetsons family taking pills for dinner

Once upon a time (when I was in high school), I embarrassed my brother (who was with me) by going into a GNC mart in the mall and asking if they sold any pills like the Jetsons had–you know–a whole meal in a pill? To my dismay, they didn’t have any such "quick fix." I wanted it to be easy to get good nutrition. I don’t think I’m alone. That’s the biggest complaint I hear about the GAPS Diet (or eating whole foods in general): people don’t want to cook whole foods, because it takes too much time, and they’ll have to think too much about food, and they’ll have to spend more time in the kitchen and in the garden (or at least at the farmer’s market). 

So, people are suckers for wanna-be-Jetson-style pills–or even, quick fix pills to "cure" the ailments that their diet has brought on. I’ve been there, too. I once saw a naturopath who had me taking 52 pills a day. I was desperate to feel better. I felt a little better (if I forget about the daily bouts of nausea from that many pills!), but in the long run, those pills didn’t do me any good. The naturopath told me that staying away from wheat *might* help me, but it’s hard to do, so I didn’t *have to.* What I was lacking was some sound nutritional advice.

The truth is, no matter what kind of "magic" pill (or 52 pills) you’re taking, if you continue to eat the junk you ate before the pill, your body will not heal completely.

magic pill for all of your ailments?

You may feel better at first, but in the long run, your body will suffer–maybe differently–but it will suffer.

So is there a place for pills? Yes, for short seasons, as our body needs them. When I was taking 52 pills per day, I had very expensive pee. 🙂 Did you ever notice the neon yellow color of pee after taking a whole gob of supplements? Where are they going?

I believe that there are times in our life when we need to supplement w/pills. I believe that sometimes the poor diet of previous years can wreak such havoc on our body’s health that simple nutrition isn’t enough. So, I think we ought to (in this order): 

1. Eat well. This means avoiding all refined white, brown, powdered, and syrup sugars. Honey is natural, pure, and totally sweet and good in all kinds of desserts. If you’ve got candida problems, even honey has to be out for a while, until you are fully healed..

2. Supplement when needed/as needed. I mean specific supplements, not "all in one" formulas. Those all in one formulas are created with the general public in mind. You might need 3x the amount of vitamin C and half as much of the vitamin B12, and everything you don’t need goes straight into the toilet. This book: Prescription for Nutritional Healing is one that I keep on hand & has helped me in many situations! Want to know what to do about your thyroid, or a rash, or acid reflux? This book will help you!

 

Supplements can help our body get over the hurdles to get healed–but they’re not going to be the only thing that cures us. There is no magic pill that will put an end to all of our health concerns. I believe in eating well, and supplementing as needed. Please don’t go spending a lot on supplements and then eat boxed mac n’ cheese, packaged bread products, chips, store-bought mayonnaise and salad dressings, cookies, candies, sugar-sweetened dried fruit, etc., etc. You will be wasting your money and damaging your body. Start with your food. If you’ve got major issues going on, get some supplements too–but don’t forget to look at what is on your plate! 🙂

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *