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In today’s fast-paced world, maintaining optimal nutrition can be a challenge, and feeling tired, battling brain fog or catching yet another bug can be a familiar story. Busy schedules, processed foods, depleted soil quality, and dietary restrictions can make it difficult to obtain all the essential nutrients our bodies need from food alone. The Wholefood Approach to Nutrition: Understanding Nutrients, Foods and Supplements explains what this approach is, what makes it different and how to choose the ideal supplements to help fill common nutritional gaps and support your health from the inside.
Whole Earth & Sea® vegan supplements are formulated with Farm Fresh Factors® blends of fruits, vegetables and herbs with essential vitamins and minerals to optimise your energy, cognitive health, immunity and overall wellbeing.
WHAT ARE SUPPLEMENTS WITH WHOLEFOODS AND HOW ARE THEY DIFFERENT?
Supplements that contain concentrated wholefoods such as fruit, vegetables, plant greens and herbs provide additional phytochemicals, antioxidants and nutrients in their natural form.
Natural wholefood sources exist in the same complex matrix found in nature, complete with co-factors, enzymes and phytonutrients that work synergistically to support health and wellbeing.1,2
For a deeper look, read All Supplements Aren’t Made Equal - Here’s What You Need to Look Out For.
DO SUPPLEMENTS THAT CONTAIN WHOLEFOODS WORK? WHAT THE SCIENCE SAYS
The same principle that underpins a healthy, varied diet as the foundation of good health also supports the role of supplements with wholefood ingredients in addressing nutritional gaps. Food synergy describes how nutrients work together to offer greater benefits than on their own, and research is increasingly exploring which combinations are most beneficial.3
While most of us are familiar with common vitamins and minerals, over 10,000 phytonutrients have been discovered in wholefoods, highlighting the complexity of how foods nourish and support the body.4
With less than 5% of adults and children in Australia consuming the recommended daily serves of fruit and vegetables, low nutrient levels are a common concern.5 While research on individual nutrients, most absorbable forms and effective doses remains important in adequately addressing nutrient gaps, supplements with wholefood ingredients offer a practical way to provide additional phytonutrients that may also be missing in everyday diets.5
KEY NUTRIENTS FOUND IN SUPPLEMENTS WITH WHOLEFOODS
Vitamin C - Amla Berry
Amla berry provides vitamin C within its natural food matrix.6
Omega-3s and Calcium - Algae
Algae is a genuine superfood. Plant-based omega-3s from algae have been shown to raise anti-inflammatory EPA and brain-supporting DHA similarly to fish oil.7 Mineralised algae also provides a natural source of calcium and other trace minerals.8
Iodine - Kelp and Seaweed
Kelp and yellow wrack provide a wholefood source of iodine, an essential mineral for energy production and cognitive function and development.9
Other key wholefood ingredients to look for:
- Berry powders (cranberry, blueberry, bilberry, acai, strawberry, raspberry) - rich in polyphenols with antioxidant properties.10
- Superfoods and greens (spirulina, chlorella, barley grass, wheatgrass, alfalfa) - concentrated sources of vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients.11
- Organic fruit and vegetable blends (including cruciferous vegetables) - broad-spectrum nutrient support.12
- Fermented foods support nutrient availability and healthy digestion.13
- Medicinal mushrooms (cordyceps, reishi, shiitake, maitake) - studied for their immune-modulating and adaptogenic properties.14
BENEFITS OF SUPPLEMENTS THAT CONTAIN WHOLEFOODS
Multi-ingredient multivitamins and protein powders that contain wholefoods offer a simple way to boost plant food intake alongside well-absorbed, active vitamins and minerals to help support:
Energy
Ideal supplements for low energy levels include those with active forms of B-vitamins and iodine-rich wholefoods to help power you through the day.15
Immunity
To support immunity, look for vitamin C-rich wholefoods like amla, alongside vitamin D and zinc to help keep the winter bugs at bay.16
Digestion
Synergistic enzymes, fermented wholefoods, prebiotics and easy-to-digest plant-based proteins support nutrient availability and digestive comfort.17,18
Read more: Fermented Organic Protein & Greens: Everything You Need to Know
Cognition
Ideal supplements for brain health and cognitive function, look for B-vitamins, iodine-rich foods like kelp, algae-based omega 3 and iron, particularly for growing children and menstruating women.19
The Power of Phytochemicals
Phytochemicals are naturally occurring bioactive compounds found in plants that give fruits and vegetables their colour, flavour and protective properties. They are a source of antioxidants, reinforcing why a rainbow of plant foods remains the foundation of good health.20
CHOOSING HIGH-QUALITY SUPPLEMENTS
Here is what to look for:
- Contain wholefood ingredients - foods like berries, spirulina, kelp, mushrooms and greens.
- No unnecessary additives - avoid synthetic colours and artificial preservatives.
- Transparent labelling, clearly disclosing all allergens.
HOW TO GET THE MOST OUT OF YOUR SUPPLEMENTS
Even the most superior, plant-based supplements will perform best when supported by healthy lifestyle habits:
- Maintain a varied, wholefood-rich diet, with rainbow colours to provide an array of vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients.
- Pair your protein supplement with regular exercise.
- Take your supplements consistently - build them into your morning routine.
THE WHOLEFOOD APPROACH TO NUTRITION: UNDERSTANDING NUTRIENTS, FOODS AND SUPPLEMENTS
Supplements with wholefoods offer a practical way to bridge the nutritional gaps that everyday life can create - delivering the natural complexity of some wholefoods with phytonutrients, co-factors and enzymes working synergistically.
The ideal supplements with wholefoods for low nutrient levels, combine nutrient-rich wholefoods with well-absorbed and active vitamins and minerals, providing a broad array of phytochemicals, antioxidants and meaningful nutrient doses to support overall energy and wellbeing.
Wondering where to find supplements with wholefoods for your specific health needs?
Whole Earth & Sea® multivitamins and protein & greens supplements are formulated with Farm Fresh Factors® wholefood blends, with some of the ingredients grown on our certified organic farm in Canada’s pristine Okanagan Valley.
