Supplements or Real Food: Which Is Better?

Nutritionists advise that we eat a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts and quality protein to get our vitamins and minerals. Although supplements are available, the experts claim they cannot make up for a poor diet. 

Recently I saw compelling evidence that healthy whole food is superior to supplements.  My 30 year old rubber plant went from sickly and losing leaves to vibrant and growing on a new diet of home-made and natural plant food.

The rubber plant is several feet tall and lives in a large clay pot by a sunny window. Given its artificial environment, I fed it a commercial plant supplement.  But it was still doing poorly.

After steaming a variety of vegetables, I thought it a waste to toss the cooking water that contained nutrients from the vegetables. So after the vegetable water cooled, I gave it to my rubber plant. It seemed to perk up.

Since then I save my vegetable and fruit scraps and cook up a pot of soup for all my houseplants. They are all thriving since the switch from supplements to food. 

I realize that my plant supplement may be of poorer quality when compared to a supplements intended for human consumption. Nor can a plant be a proxy for a human. But the results are inspiring and will keep me preparing whole foods for my family's health.