Are you struggling to get enough veggies in your diet? If finding the time to put vegetables on the table is a challenge for you, you might be tempted to tap into the latest trend – vegetable capsules. But is this a smart idea? Can veggies in a capsule offer the same benefits as eating whole produce?
The Benefits of Whole Vegetables: Can Supplements Compete?
First, let’s look at whole vegetables and why you should eat them. Veggies in all shapes, sizes, and colors naturally contain a complex array of nutrients. Plus, they’re a rich source of dietary fiber, a form of undigestible carbohydrates that comes in two forms – insoluble and soluble fiber. Insoluble fiber is beneficial for keeping your bowel movements regular while we know insoluble fiber is best for its benefits for heart health.
But that’s not all. Studies link diets high in fiber with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and some types of cancer, particularly colon cancer. So, it’s not surprising that people want to get more veggies, even if it means swallowing them in a capsule. First, let’s look at how manufacturers make vegetable supplements.
The Making of Vegetable Supplements
Cellulose, a complex sugar that gives plants their structure, is the main ingredient in most vegetable supplements. A popular one is hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC). When manufacturers use cellulose in supplements, they can call it vegetarian or kosher.
To make trendy vegetables in a capsule, manufacturers pulverize vitamins, minerals, herbs, and probiotics – whatever the formula calls for – into a fine powder. Then, they place the powder blend into an encapsulator machine. The machine places the proper amount into capsules and closes the capsule. So, these capsules have little in common with the whole vegetables you buy at the grocery store.
Once the capsules are closed and sealed, they are placed into plastic supplement bottles and shipped to stores. Each bottle includes a label that describes what’s in it and how to take it. But remember, supplements, including vegetable supplements, aren’t regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), like medications are.
Nutritional Content of Vegetable Capsules
Vegetable capsules contain a variety of nutrients, including vitamins C, E, beta carotene, and folic acid. But here’s the catch. As mentioned, there’s less regulation and oversight of supplements, so supplements don’t always contain the exact amount of each component or nutrient listed on the label.
So, you don’t always know what you’re getting when you take a veggie capsule. Third-party testing shows some supplements contain more or less of the active ingredients listed on the label. They can even be contaminated with heavy metals and other harmful additives.
The Upsides and Downsides of Vegetable Supplements
The main upside of veggie supplements is you can swallow them with a swig of water. But what does science say about their benefits? Studies focusing on the health benefits of veggie capsules are few. One study found veggie supplements boosted glucose clearance from the bloodstream, meaning they could modestly help with blood sugar control. However, the study found they didn’t influence blood lipids though.
Another study was promising too. It was found that fruit and veggie capsules boosted the antioxidant concentration in the bloodstream. Those who took them had higher levels of key antioxidants, including vitamins C, E, and beta-carotene.
But there are also downsides. You can swallow a pill and get some of the benefits you enjoy when you eat vegetables. Yet when you do, you miss the synergy that whole plant-based foods offer. Eating a variety of plant-based foods has complementary effects. An example is the way you get better bioavailability of curcumin in turmeric if you consume it with black pepper. Plants have ways of working together that the components of a capsule don’t.
Although you get vitamins and minerals from vegetable capsules, they have varying quantities of phytonutrients and fiber, components you get from eating plant-based foods. Phytonutrients are natural compounds in plants that have benefits that go beyond nutrition. For example, most phytonutrients have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity that veggies in capsule form may lack.
The reality is that the health effects of whole fruits and vegetables cannot be distilled down into a pill. Experts agree that vegetable capsules should not be a replacement for a healthy diet rich in fresh produce.
Eat the Whole Food
In conclusion, while vegetable capsules can help supplement a diet lacking in fruits and vegetables, they are not a substitute for vegetables in their unprocessed state. The health benefits of consuming a variety of fresh produce are well-documented and cannot be fully replicated by supplements. If you find it challenging to eat enough vegetables, capsules may provide benefits, but they should complement, not replace, a diet rich in whole foods.
While veggie capsules aren’t harmful, if you buy them from a reputable supplier that third party tests their products, they don’t give you all the benefits of adding vegetables to your plate. So, keep vegetables on your plate and don’t swap them for a pill. If there are times you can’t eat veggies, a veggie capsule can be a good short-term substitute but not a replacement. A fork-first approach sets the stage for optimal vitality. There’s really no substitute for whole foods!
References:
- Liu RH. Dietary bioactive compounds and their health implications. J Food Sci. 2013 Jun;78 Suppl 1:A18-25. doi: 10.1111/1750-3841.12101. PMID: 23789932.
- van der Merwe M, Moore D, Hill JL, Keating FH, Buddington RK, Bloomer RJ, Wang A, Bowman DD. The Impact of a Dried Fruit and Vegetable Supplement and Fiber Rich Shake on Gut and Health Parameters in Female Healthcare Workers: A Placebo-Controlled, Double-Blind, Randomized Clinical Trial. Microorganisms. 2021 Apr 14;9(4):843. doi: 10.3390/microorganisms9040843. PMID: 33920059; PMCID: PMC8070989.
- Esfahani A, Wong JM, Truan J, Villa CR, Mirrahimi A, Srichaikul K, Kendall CW. Health effects of mixed fruit and vegetable concentrates: a systematic review of the clinical interventions. J Am Coll Nutr. 2011 Oct;30(5):285-94. doi: 10.1080/07315724.2011.10719971. PMID: 22081614.
- Slavin JL, Lloyd B. Health benefits of fruits and vegetables. Adv Nutr. 2012 Jul 1;3(4):506-16. doi: 10.3945/an.112.002154. PMID: 22797986; PMCID: PMC3649719.
- “Data & Statistics | Nutrition | CDC.” 03 May. 2023, cdc.gov/nutrition/data-statistics/index.html.
- “U.S. per capita consumption of fresh vegetables 2022, by type.” 09 May. 2023, statista.com/statistics/257345/per-capita-consumption-of-fresh-vegetables-in-the-us-by-type/.
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