Food consumed in its natural form comes loaded with nutrients. It delivers vitamins, minerals, fibre and antioxidants all in their natural state free from processing, synthetic ingredients and chemical additives.

Unfortunately, processing food often depletes its nutrient levels, and although some foods may be fortified with additional nutrients to make up for this, there is a risk that the body will not absorb these as well.

Wholefoods on the other hand tend to include all the co-factors that are needed to metabolise their nutrients optimally. Phytonutrients that are found in plant-based foods also provide nutritional support as well as antioxidants – such as lycopene found in tomatoes for cardiovascular support and carotenoids found in carrots to support eye health. The bioavailability of these nutrients is much greater than synthetic forms, meaning that these nutrients are more readily available for the body to use.

Increasingly, people are looking for food sourced supplementation rather than synthetically made vitamins and minerals. There is a move toward transparency of labelling and a desire to see ingredient in supplements that are as close to nature as possible. Technology is improving the way that wholefood nutrients are extracted and preserved, making more supplementation of these possible.