To supplement is to make stronger, or reinforce, by addition.

I think the modern athlete, bodybuilder and dieter forget this. Often supplements are misused as “replacements.”  These come in the form of shakes to replace whole meals, powdered “superfoods” and “greens” to replace vegetables, multivitamins to replace vitamins and minerals, etc., etc.

The supplement industry is founded on nutritionism, which is the reduction of the value of food to its nutrient parts. Michael Pollan, in his book In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto,  discourages this reductionist view of food, and instead suggests that we all revert to what our ancestors did: eat whole foods.  It’s a book that was an easy and intelligent read, and it changed my view on the manufactured health food products that I was guilty of eating.  I eat more “food” now. Read the rest of this entry »