No substitute for the real thing

Taking a vitamin and mineral supplement means I don't need to worry about eating enough fruit and veg, right? Unfortunately that's a bit of a misconception. Whilst a multivitamin and multimineral supplement might benefit people whose appetite is poor or who are unable to eat a varied diet, acting as a safety net whilst their dietary intake is sub-optimal, it's not recommended to see supplements as a long-term alternative to a balanced diet.

But why might that be, as we're told to eat fruit and veg for their vitamin and mineral content?

• Fruit and veg contain a wide range of nutrients above and beyond vitamins and minerals. Many are high in fibre, necessary for good digestive health. Pulses are an important source of plant-based protein. Fruit and veg are also packed with what we term "phytonutrients" - nutrients derived from plants which are thought to promote good health - examples of which include carotenoids (you've probably heard of lycopene, abundant in tomatoes, which is linked to a reduced risk of prostate cancer), polyphenols (berries are particularly rich in these) and lignans (plant oestrogens linked with a reduced risk of breast cancer and osteoporosis). Whilst specialist supplements exist that might contain certain phytonutrients, the best way to ensure you're getting a good range of these is to eat a wide variety of different coloured fruits and veg - it is the phytonutrients that are responsible for their different shades.
• Populations who consume more fruit and veg have lower rates of heart disease and cancer. However, when studies have been carried out providing subjects with vitamin supplements, the same trend has not been seen. This is strong evidence for the benefits that fruit and veg as a whole provide and not their individual components taken in isolation. There may still be beneficial plant components yet to be discovered.
• It's hard to over-dose on vitamins by eating plenty of fruit and veg, but it's not difficult if you are taking supplements that contain mega-doses (often tens of times the body's daily requirement). Whilst Vitamin C, E and Beta-carotene had been postulated to be beneficial antioxidants at low doses, above a certain threshold they have been linked with adverse health outcomes. In any case, high doses of Vitamin C and the Bs is very literally money down the drain, as they body is unable to store these water-soluble vitamins which are merely excreted.

On a practical note bulking up dishes with fruit and veg is a good way to fill yourself up and help out your purse, as a general rule veg tends to be cheaper than the animal protein component of many meals.

So rather than popping a daily pill, get that banana chopped into your cereal, add that tomato to your sandwich, have that apple when you get home from work and pack your casseroles full of veg. It's not really that difficult, is it?