Health Supplements

Food supplements have become the latest snake oil, haven’t they? Take turmeric, for example. A bright, earthy spice with actual health benefits – if you use it properly. But instead of chucking it into a curry or stirring it into your rice, people are shelling out a small fortune for turmeric pills, convinced they’re getting some miracle cure in a bottle. Spoiler alert: they’re not.

Here’s the thing about turmeric – you need at least two teaspoons of the stuff every day to have any real effect. That’s not a sprinkle; it’s a hearty dose. And to make matters more complicated, it works best with a bit of fat and black pepper to help your body absorb it. But the supplement industry would rather you didn’t know that. They’d rather you buy into the idea that popping a few pills a day is the fast track to better health. It’s not just misleading – it’s a racket.

And let’s not ignore the obvious. You can buy a bag of turmeric at your local shop for the cost of a latte, and it’ll last you weeks. Those fancy little bottles of pills? They’ll cost you five, ten, sometimes twenty times as much for a fraction of the actual spice. It’s daylight robbery, dressed up as wellness.

But the real irony is this: turmeric is food. It belongs in your kitchen, not your medicine cabinet. If you’re serious about using it for its anti-inflammatory or antioxidant properties, you’re better off cooking with it. Make a curry, add it to soups, or stir it into your morning scrambled eggs. Not only will you save money, but you’ll also get the spice as nature intended – complete with its flavour and nutritional punch.

Of course, this applies to more than just turmeric. Ginger, garlic, cinnamon – all of these have been turned into overpriced capsules when they’re readily available, cheap, and versatile in the kitchen. The supplement industry preys on the idea that health is complicated, that you need their products to unlock it. But you don’t. You just need to eat real food.

So don’t be fooled by the slick labels and lofty promises. Next time you’re tempted by a bottle of turmeric capsules, head to the spice aisle instead. Your wallet will thank you, and so will your taste buds. Health isn’t found in a pill; it’s found on your plate.

Vitamin D supplements, however, are a different matter. Vitamin D is normally topped up through sunlight, but there isn't much of that in winter - especially this winter. Foods containing vitamin D include red meat, oily fish, eggs and liver, but not in sufficient quantities to be beneficial in the darker months, so, beyond sitting in front of an ultra-violet light (and risking skin cancer), like those of my age used to do as kids (to beat rickets), vitamin D supplements are beneficial, especially in older people who may not get out enough.