Why 'Just Eat Better' Doesn't Work: The Supplement Reality Check
Why 'Just Eat Better' Doesn't Work
The Supplement Reality Check
"You don't need supplements. Just eat better."
You've heard it. Maybe you've even said it. It sounds logical. It sounds simple. It sounds like common sense.
But here's what nobody tells you: the actual amount of food you'd need to eat to get optimal nutrition is impractical, expensive, and often impossible.
Let's do the maths.
The Myth vs The Reality
The myth: A balanced diet provides all the nutrients you need.
The reality: A balanced diet provides baseline nutrition. Optimal nutrition - especially for active people - requires quantities of food that most people can't or won't eat.
Let's break down what you'd actually need to eat to match common supplement doses.
Magnesium: The Sleep and Recovery Mineral
Supplement dose: 375mg elemental magnesium
What you'd need to eat:
Option 1: Spinach
235g of cooked spinach (about 2.5 cups)
Every. Single. Day.
Cost: €2-3 daily = €60-90 monthly
Calories: 165 calories daily
Preparation time: 15 minutes daily
Option 2: Pumpkin Seeds
100g of pumpkin seeds
Cost: €3-4 daily = €90-120 monthly
Calories: 560 calories daily
That's a full meal's worth of calories just for magnesium
Option 3: Almonds
140g of almonds
Cost: €4-5 daily = €120-150 monthly
Calories: 810 calories daily
That's more calories than most people eat for lunch
Or: Magnesium Supplement
One scoop before bed
Cost: €16.99 for 2-3 months = €5.60-8.50 monthly
Calories: 15 calories
Preparation time: 30 seconds
The reality: You'd need to eat 2.5 cups of cooked spinach every single day. For the rest of your life. Or spend €120+ monthly on nuts and consume an extra 800 calories daily.
Vitamin D: The Sunshine Vitamin
Supplement dose: 2000 IU (50mcg)
What you'd need:
Option 1: Sunlight
30 minutes of full-body sun exposure (without sunscreen)
Every day. In direct sunlight. Between 10am-3pm.
The problem:
- In Northern Europe, this is impossible 6-9 months per year
- Most people work indoors during peak sun hours
- Sunscreen (which you should wear) blocks vitamin D production
- Skin cancer risk from unprotected sun exposure
Option 2: Fatty Fish
200g of salmon (large fillet)
Every. Single. Day.
Cost: €6-8 daily = €180-240 monthly
Calories: 400 calories daily
Mercury concerns from daily fish consumption
Option 3: Eggs
10 whole eggs daily
Cost: €2-3 daily = €60-90 monthly
Calories: 720 calories daily
Cholesterol: 1860mg daily (not recommended)
Or: Vitamin D Supplement
One capsule daily
Cost: €12-15 for 3-4 months = €3-5 monthly
Calories: 0
No mercury, no cholesterol concerns
The reality: Unless you live near the equator and work outdoors, you're not getting enough vitamin D from sun. And eating 200g of salmon or 10 eggs daily isn't practical or healthy.
Omega-3 (EPA/DHA): Heart and Brain Health
Supplement dose: 2000mg EPA/DHA combined
What you'd need to eat:
Fatty Fish
150-200g of salmon, mackerel, or sardines
3-4 times per week minimum
Cost: €20-30 weekly = €80-120 monthly
Preparation time: 20-30 minutes per meal
Mercury accumulation concerns
Sustainability concerns (overfishing)
Or: Omega-3 Supplement
2-3 capsules daily
Cost: €20-25 monthly
No preparation
Purified (no mercury)
Sustainable sourcing possible
The reality: Most people don't eat fish 3-4 times weekly. And if they do, they're spending €80-120 monthly anyway - the same or more than quality omega-3 supplements.
Protein: The Muscle Builder
Daily requirement for active 75kg person: 120-165g protein
What you'd need to eat:
Option 1: Chicken Breast
500-700g of chicken breast daily
That's 5-7 chicken breasts. Every day.
Cost: €8-12 daily = €240-360 monthly
Calories: 825-1155 calories
Preparation time: 30-45 minutes daily
Monotony: Eating chicken 3 meals per day
Option 2: Eggs
20-27 whole eggs daily
Cost: €4-6 daily = €120-180 monthly
Calories: 1440-1944 calories
Cholesterol: 3720-5022mg daily (extremely unhealthy)
Option 3: Cottage Cheese
1000-1375g of cottage cheese daily
That's over 1kg of cottage cheese. Every day.
Cost: €6-9 daily = €180-270 monthly
Sodium: Extremely high
Digestive issues likely
Or: Whey Protein + Normal Diet
2 scoops (46g protein) + regular meals
Cost: €30-40 monthly
Calories: 240 calories
Preparation time: 1 minute
Easy to digest
Allows dietary variety
The reality: Hitting 120-165g protein daily from whole foods alone means eating massive quantities of the same foods repeatedly. It's expensive, time-consuming, and monotonous.
Creatine: The Performance Enhancer
Supplement dose: 5g daily
What you'd need to eat:
Red Meat or Fish
1.1kg of beef or salmon daily
That's over 1 kilogramme. Every single day.
Cost: €15-25 daily = €450-750 monthly
Calories: 2200-2750 calories
That's more than most people's entire daily calorie needs
Saturated fat: Extremely high
Environmental impact: Massive
Or: Creatine Supplement
5g (1 teaspoon) daily
Cost: €15-20 for 2-3 months = €5-10 monthly
Calories: 0
No fat, no cholesterol
Environmentally sustainable
The reality: Getting 5g of creatine from food requires eating over 1kg of meat daily. This is physically impossible for most people, financially ruinous, and nutritionally disastrous.
The Total Cost Comparison
Let's add it up. To get optimal nutrition from food alone:
Food-Only Approach (Monthly Costs):
- Magnesium (spinach): €60-90
- Vitamin D (salmon): €180-240
- Omega-3 (fish): €80-120
- Protein (chicken): €240-360
- Creatine (beef): €450-750
Total: €1,010-1,560 monthly
Plus:
- 3-4 hours daily food preparation
- 4,000+ extra calories daily
- Extreme dietary monotony
- Digestive issues likely
- Cholesterol and health concerns
Supplement Approach (Monthly Costs):
- Magnesium: €5.60-8.50
- Vitamin D: €3-5
- Omega-3: €20-25
- Whey Protein: €30-40
- Creatine: €5-10
Total: €63.60-88.50 monthly
Plus:
- 5 minutes daily total
- 255 calories daily
- Dietary flexibility maintained
- No digestive issues
- Precise, consistent dosing
The difference: €946-1,471 monthly savings with supplements. That's €11,352-17,652 annually.
But What About 'Natural' Food?
"But supplements aren't natural!"
Let's address this.
What's 'natural' about modern food?
- Soil depletion has reduced mineral content by 40-70% over the past 50 years
- Food is picked unripe and shipped thousands of kilometres
- Processing removes nutrients
- Pesticides, hormones, antibiotics in conventional farming
- Selective breeding has prioritised yield over nutrition
Modern food isn't what our ancestors ate. The spinach your grandmother ate had more magnesium. The chicken had more omega-3. The soil was richer.
Supplements aren't replacing 'natural' food. They're compensating for what modern food has lost.
When Food Is Enough
To be fair, there are situations where food alone might be sufficient:
You might not need supplements if you:
- Are completely sedentary (minimal nutrient demands)
- Have unlimited time for food preparation
- Have unlimited budget for food
- Live near the equator with year-round sun exposure
- Eat 3-4kg of varied whole foods daily
- Have perfect digestion and absorption
- Don't mind eating the same foods repeatedly
- Have no performance or health goals beyond baseline
For everyone else - which is most people - supplements make practical sense.
The Practical Approach
This isn't about food vs supplements. It's about food AND supplements.
The Optimal Approach:
1. Eat a varied, balanced diet
Focus on whole foods, vegetables, fruits, quality proteins, healthy fats. This provides your nutritional foundation.
2. Supplement strategically
Fill the gaps that are impractical or impossible to fill with food alone. Magnesium, vitamin D, omega-3, protein, creatine.
3. Save time and money
Spend €60-90 monthly on supplements instead of €1,000+ trying to get everything from food.
4. Maintain dietary flexibility
Enjoy varied meals without obsessing over hitting specific nutrient targets from food alone.
5. Achieve optimal health
Support your body's needs without the impractical extremes of food-only approaches.
The Bottom Line
"Just eat better" sounds simple. But the reality is complex.
To get optimal nutrition from food alone, you'd need to:
- Spend €1,000+ monthly on specific foods
- Consume 4,000+ extra calories daily
- Spend 3-4 hours daily on food preparation
- Eat the same foods repeatedly
- Accept digestive issues and health concerns
- Have unlimited time and budget
Or you could spend €60-90 monthly on quality supplements, maintain dietary flexibility, save time and money, and achieve the same or better nutritional outcomes.
Supplements aren't cheating. They're not lazy. They're not unnecessary.
They're practical, efficient, and often essential for optimal health in the modern world.
The maths doesn't lie.
⚠️ Important Note
Food supplements should not be used as a substitute for a varied and balanced diet. A varied and balanced diet and healthy lifestyle are important.
This article demonstrates the impracticality of obtaining optimal nutrition from food alone, not that food should be replaced entirely. Supplements work best alongside a healthy diet.
Always consult your doctor or healthcare professional before starting any supplementation programme.
