Do we need dietary supplements if we have a healthy diet? Unfortunately, there is a difference between theory and reality when it comes to nutrients.
Let's take acne as an example.
In theory, the best foods for fighting acne are anti-inflammatory and antioxidant foods. Healthy fats like oily fish provide omega-3s (DHA, EPA) and other fatty acids, as well as vitamins and minerals. Plant foods like fruits, vegetables, and grains provide vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, fiber, and protein. Lean animal meat provides protein, and other vitamins and minerals.
In practice, the food we eat is often contaminated or devoid of minerals. The fish we eat come from polluted oceans, whether they are aquacultured (fish farmed) or wild caught. Our oceans contain high levels of certain toxins such as mercury, released by industrial plants, mining and construction. High levels of mercury are found in both farmed and wild caught fish.
Toxins released intentionally or unintentionally into the oceans enter the fish food chain and, in turn, the human food chain.
Our industrial farming methods are depleting soil nutrients. According to the Nutrition Security Institute, there were 400 mg of calcium, magnesium, and iron in American cabbage, lettuce, tomatoes, and spinach in 1914. By 1997, that mineral content had dropped to 75 mg. Even organic fruits and vegetables are deficient in minerals. Organic farming is primarily concerned with pesticides and chemical fertilizers, but depletion of soil nutrients is less of a focus.
Anti-acne food supplements
Minerals and vitamins in our diet help combat the toxins we consume, but their levels are still quickly depleted. Consuming stimulants like coffee, alcohol, soda, and sugar, for example, requires a significant amount of minerals to be processed. Stress and lack of sleep add to the demand for minerals and vitamins.
Acne is an inflammatory reaction of the skin that also requires minerals, vitamins and antioxidants . A suitable dietary supplement can correct the rapid depletion of these micronutrients in the body and directly and indirectly target acne.