Today, many people don’t get the nutrients they need for a healthy lifestyle from their diet alone. Many individuals turn to taking synthetic nutrients, such as those found in most multivitamins. Synthetic nutrients and natural nutrients are similar, but they have a few key differences in how they are created or taken.
Are you wondering how to incorporate more nutrients into your diet? Both natural and synthetic nutrients are methods of incorporating more vitamins, minerals, and more into your diet. Natural nutrients are found in the food you eat, while synthetic nutrients are lab-created compounds.
What are Natural Nutrients?
Natural nutrients are nutrients your body receives from whole food sources. Natural supplements usually list specific food sources or have a label that identifies them as 100% plant or animal-based. Whole food supplements are composed of concentrated, or natural food extractions.
Natural nutrients are found in a variety of whole foods. These nutrients include vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, fiber, and more. Eating fruits and vegetables regularly help you age better.
Whole grains are another excellent source of natural nutrients such as fiber, iron, and magnesium. Including them in your diet helps optimize your health.
What are Synthetic Nutrients?
Synthetic nutrients, or isolated nutrients, are made artificially in a lab. Many supplements are made of synthetic nutrients, including vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and amino acids that can be taken in the form of a pill, capsule, or powder. They are specially designed to replicate the way that natural ingredients react once consumed.
If your supplement doesn’t identify the source of the nutrient it is likely synthetic.
How Natural and Synthetic Nutrients are Similar
Even though they are created in a lab, synthetic nutrients are essentially chemically identical to natural nutrients. Although synthetic nutrients have the same chemical compound, they are isolated nutrients. Because of this, your body may not utilize the nutrients the same way.
When you eat natural food, you don’t consume single nutrients like you would with a supplement. Instead, you eat a combination of vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and other nutritional “co=factors” that help your body use the key nutrients more efficiently. This also impacts how your body processes natural and synthetic ingredients.
Although your body may process synthetic nutrients differently than natural ingredients from whole foods, supplements can still be beneficial if you lack nutrients in your lifestyle.