January 13, 2025
Medically Reviewed By Elizabeth A. Swick, MS, RDN

Can a Healthy Enough Diet Satisfy All of My Nutrient Needs?

With all the conflicting nutrition advice and diet trends out there, it can be difficult to ascertain whether a diverse, healthy diet is enough to meet one’s needs for essential nutrients. Although modern food has lower concentrations of nutrients than the foods that our ancestors ate, the answer to this question also depends on a variety of factors, including not only dietary makeup but also one’s daily habits and individual medical situations. A nutrient-rich diet can help meet your needs, but for some, nutritional supplements may be necessary to achieve optimal health.

Vitamin and Mineral Content of Modern Food

Modern Crops Have Fewer Vitamins and Minerals

Although modernity has brought us countless developments that have improved our health and happiness, from modern medicine to electric light and indoor plumbing, there have also been some downsides to modernization and industrialization.

One of these significant downsides is the fact that our modern food supply has much lower concentrations of vitamins and minerals than it did in the past. These declines have occurred as recently as over the last 75 years or so.

One study found that over the former half-century from 1950 to 1999, the nutrient content of more than 40 crops had decreased by up to a third or more (38 percent on average). Among these 43 vegetables, the average decreases were as follows: a 15 percent decrease in iron, a 16 percent decrease in calcium, and a 9 percent decrease in phosphorus. Other nutrients that were found to have declined in these vegetables include vitamin C, vitamin B2 (also known as riboflavin), and protein. Although there has been insufficient data to confirm that this is accurate (since these nutrients were not measured as a baseline in 1950), scientists also theorize that our crops are also lower in magnesium, zinc, vitamin B6, and vitamin E than they were in the middle of the 20th century.

In addition, the concentrations of minerals found in wheat, an important staple crop for many societies around the world, have decreased precipitously since they were first measured in the 1860s. Modern wheat has much less zinc, copper, magnesium, and iron than 19th-century wheat.

Why Are Our Foods Less Nourishing?

Food scientists are continuing to do research in order to determine the underlying causes of this serious decline in our foods’ nutritional content, but they have some compelling hypotheses, all of which are closely linked to agricultural industrialization.

Firstly, our modern farming techniques deplete the soil of minerals much more severely than traditional and sustainable agriculture. As a result, the plants from which our crops grow have much less access to nutrients.

Secondly, the hybridization and genetic modification techniques used to create new crop varieties that grow faster, larger, and more quickly while resisting pests and diseases cause these plants to produce more calories in a short period of time without increasing their nutritional content. As a result, each plant produces more calories at the cost of these crops’ vitamin and mineral concentrations.

Essential Nutrients: Are They All Covered?

The fact that our modern food supply has fewer vitamins and minerals has serious implications for our dietary needs. It means that even those who put in their best efforts to eat a diverse, nutrient-rich diet with plenty of colorful fruits and vegetables may struggle to meet their daily nutritional needs simply because the foods they are eating have lower concentrations of vitamins and minerals.

Factors That Influence Nutritional Needs

There are numerous factors that can impact one’s nutritional needs, from veganism or vegetarianism to genetics, gut health, life stage, and prescription medications.

Dietary Restrictions

Dietary restrictions are one such factor. For example, those who consume a vegetarian or vegan diet often struggle to consume sufficient quantities of vitamin B12 and iron on a daily basis, so they may benefit from supplementing with these nutrients.

Genetics

In addition, genetics can impact an individual’s ability to synthesize and/or absorb various nutrients. For instance, some people cannot effectively convert the form of vitamin A that’s found in plants, aka beta carotene, into the form that our bodies are able to use; these people may need to supplement with a more bioavailable form of vitamin A to avoid deficiencies of this nutrient.

Digestive Health and Absorption

Another factor influencing nutritional needs is gut health. Poor gut health can make it more difficult for the digestive system to absorb certain nutrients, leading to sub-optimal levels of these vitamins and minerals even in those who consume plenty through their diet.

Age

Age can make a significant difference in nutritional needs. For instance, menopausal women have lower levels of estrogen than younger women, which can compromise the health of their bones and lead to osteoporosis. This means that older women can benefit from supplementing with not only calcium but also vitamins D and K, which are important for calcium absorption.

Prescription Medications

Certain medications can make it more difficult for the body to absorb particular nutrients and may also cause increased demand for certain nutrients. One of the most common of these prescription medications are proton pump inhibitors, which are frequently used to treat acid reflux, and may cause deficiencies of numerous nutrients, including vitamins C and B12, calcium, iron, and magnesium. Similarly, taking oral contraceptives may contribute to a variety of nutrient deficiencies, including those of vitamin E, vitamin B12, zinc, and magnesium.

Practical Tips for a Nutrient-Rich Diet

The best way to meet one’s needs for essential nutrients is through a nutrient-rich diet. This can look different for everyone, but one of the key principles for a truly nutritious diet is to eat a wide variety of foods, especially colorful fruits, and vegetables.

In addition, choose whole grains (e.g., brown rice, whole-wheat flour, oatmeal, quinoa, etc.), which include the bran, germ, and endosperm, over refined grains; whole grains are much higher in nutrients as well as fiber. When incorporating protein into one’s diet, choose plant sources such as legumes and nuts as well as seafood (especially omega 3-rich oily fish such as salmon and sardines), lean meats, and skinless poultry, limiting processed meats.

Finally, for those who do consume animal protein, it may be recommended to try to incorporate organ meats such as liver, which is an excellent source of iron, B12, copper, vitamin A, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6, and selenium, among many other essential nutrients.

When to Consider Supplements

For those who struggle with deficiencies and cannot meet their daily vitamin and mineral needs through diet alone, supplements may be an ideal solution. For some, it may be in the form of a multivitamin (which typically contains ten or more vitamins and minerals), while others may only need to supplement with one or two specific nutrients that they cannot consume sufficient quantities of through diet alone.

Either way, although supplements are generally safe for most people, it is important to speak to a doctor before beginning to take any vitamin or mineral supplement. For instance, there are nutritional supplements that can interact with certain medications or health conditions, making them an unsafe choice for some people. Your doctor is familiar with your unique medical situation and can usually help you determine whether supplements would be a beneficial addition to your daily routine, or whether there are any reasons that supplementation might be contraindicated in your case.

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