What foods are included in dietary supplements?

First of all, we need to clear up a misunderstanding. Dietary supplements themselves are special dietary products and do not belong to the category of ordinary food. What we usually call "foods that can be eaten as dietary supplements" actually refers to natural ingredients that have a much higher nutritional density than ordinary ingredients and have prominent contents of certain functional ingredients. A small amount of daily consumption can make up for part of the nutritional gap. The most common ones are deep-sea fatty fish, chia seeds, freeze-dried acerola powder, fermented natto, and low-temperature dried pork liver powder.

A while ago, I helped a friend who makes light meals sort out the ingredients library, and found that many people who pay attention to health have integrated these ingredients directly into their daily diet, without buying extra bottles of synthetic supplements. For example, there is an old man who often runs marathons. He used to spend thousands of dollars on Omega3 supplements every year. Later, he heard a nutritionist recommend that he eat about 120g of low-temperature fried salmon three times a week. Six months later, the unsaturated fatty acid intake index during the physical examination was completely up to standard, and he had less acid reflux than when he took supplements.

However, as to whether natural ingredients can completely replace industrially produced dietary supplements, there are currently two completely different opinions in the nutrition circle. One group believes that the nutrients of natural ingredients are complex and can be better absorbed without the problem of excessive supplementation of a single ingredient. The other group believes that purified supplements have clearer active ingredient content and are suitable for people who have already developed clear nutritional deficiencies to quickly supplement sufficient amounts. In fact, both views have their own applicable scenarios, and there is no absolute right or wrong.

Just like when my best friend was diagnosed with iron deficiency during pregnancy, the doctor said that just eating pork liver and red amaranth every day to supplement the amount of iron could not keep up with the needs of the fetus. She still had to take additional medical iron supplements. If you just have an unbalanced diet and are worried about lack of vitamin C, then eating a few fresh dates or a spoonful of freeze-dried acerola powder every day is enough. It can also supplement dietary fiber, which tastes much better than taking purified vitamin C tablets.

In fact, to put it bluntly, these foods that can be used as supplements are still ingredients in nature. It is much easier to add a little when you eat than to wait for a nutritional deficiency and then rush to buy supplements. If you really have clear symptoms of nutritional deficiencies, you still have to listen to the doctor’s advice, and don’t delay things by relying on diet therapy.