If you eat plenty of fruit and vegetables, cook from scratch and avoid ultra-processed foods, should you automatically get every vitamin and mineral your body needs?
Most people would assume the answer is yes. After all, we're often told that a balanced diet provides everything our bodies require. But modern nutrition science suggests the picture is far more complex.
Our nutritional status isn't determined solely by what we choose to eat. It is influenced by how food is grown, the diversity of our diet, gut health, stress levels, environmental exposures, medications, ageing and even the quality of the soil beneath our crops. While food should always be the foundation of good nutrition, there are many reasons why obtaining optimal nutrient intake may be more challenging than it once was.
We Need More Than Calories
Nutrition isn't just about meeting our energy requirements. While carbohydrates, fats and proteins provide fuel, vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients support thousands of biochemical processes, from immune function and energy production to bone health and cognitive performance.
Importantly, the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) were developed primarily to prevent overt deficiency diseases in most healthy people - not necessarily to optimise long-term health or performance. Researchers have also highlighted the growing issue of "hidden hunger," where people consume enough calories yet remain deficient in essential micronutrients. This helps explain why someone can be overweight while still lacking nutrients such as vitamin D, iron, magnesium or folate (1).
Recent research suggests that micronutrient inadequacies remain common, even in high-income countries where food is plentiful (1).
Is Modern Food Less Nutritious?
One of the most debated questions in nutrition is whether modern food contains fewer nutrients than it once did.
The answer isn't straightforward. Current evidence does not support sweeping claims that all fruit and vegetables are dramatically less nutritious. However, there is growing evidence that agricultural practices can influence the nutrient density of crops (2).
Modern farming often prioritises high yields, rapid growth and shelf life. Intensive cultivation, reduced crop rotation, soil degradation and declining microbial diversity may all affect how plants absorb minerals from the soil (2). Elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide has also been shown to reduce the concentrations of protein, zinc and iron in some staple crops through what's known as the carbon dilution effect (4).
Researchers increasingly argue that improving soil health may be one of the most important strategies for improving food quality, alongside crop genetics and sustainable farming practices (2).
Dietary Diversity: Are We Eating Enough Different Foods?
Even people who consider themselves healthy often eat a surprisingly repetitive diet.
Breakfast may be oats every day. Lunch is chicken and rice. Dinner alternates between salmon, broccoli and sweet potato. While these foods are nutritious, repeatedly eating the same meals can reduce the variety of vitamins, minerals and beneficial plant compounds consumed over time.
Dietary diversity is also closely linked to gut microbiome diversity. Different plant foods provide different fibres and polyphenols, which nourish different populations of beneficial bacteria. A richer microbiome has been associated with improved metabolic and immune health, although research in this field continues to evolve (3).
Many experts encourage aiming for around 30 different plant foods each week - including herbs, spices, legumes, nuts, seeds, vegetables and fruits - to support both nutritional adequacy and gut health (3).
Can Fasting Reduce Nutrient Intake?
Intermittent fasting has become increasingly popular for weight management and metabolic health, and research suggests it can offer benefits for some individuals (5).
However, fasting itself does not inherently cause nutrient deficiencies.
The challenge arises when shorter eating windows make it difficult to consume sufficient nutrient-rich foods. If total calorie intake falls substantially or meals are poorly planned, intakes of calcium, magnesium, potassium, folate, vitamin C and fibre may decline over time (5).
This is particularly relevant for individuals following prolonged fasting protocols or significant calorie restriction. The key issue is not fasting itself, but whether nutritional quality remains high enough during eating periods (5).
For people who practise fasting, careful meal planning becomes especially important to ensure essential nutrient requirements are still met.
Stress Can Influence Nutritional Status
Stress doesn't instantly "deplete" vitamins and minerals, but chronic stress places additional demands on the body.
Long-term activation of the stress response increases cortisol production, alters appetite, disrupts sleep and may influence digestion and nutrient absorption. Chronic psychological stress is also associated with increased oxidative stress and inflammation, both of which can affect nutritional requirements (6).
Research suggests that magnesium, vitamin C and several B vitamins play important roles in normal nervous system function and energy metabolism (7). While evidence continues to develop regarding whether stress directly increases requirements for these nutrients, individuals experiencing chronic stress often consume poorer-quality diets while simultaneously placing greater physiological demands on their bodies (6,7).
Managing stress may therefore support nutritional status just as much as improving food choices.
Pollution and Environmental Exposures
Another emerging area of research is the relationship between environmental pollutants and nutritional health.
Air pollution, heavy metals and certain endocrine-disrupting chemicals can contribute to oxidative stress, the accumulation of unstable molecules that may damage cells over time (6).
Our bodies naturally defend against oxidative stress using antioxidant systems that rely on nutrients such as vitamins C and E, selenium and glutathione-related enzymes. Although nutrition cannot eliminate the effects of pollution, maintaining adequate nutrient intake may help support these protective systems (6).
Researchers continue to investigate how environmental exposures interact with nutritional status, making this an important area to watch as evidence develops.
Modern Life Can Reduce Nutrient Status
Even the healthiest diet can be influenced by factors beyond food choices.
Several common medications are known to affect nutrient absorption or metabolism. For example:
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Metformin has been associated with reduced vitamin B12 status during long-term use (8).
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Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) may reduce absorption of vitamin B12 and magnesium when used over extended periods (7).
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Some diuretics can increase urinary losses of potassium and magnesium (7).
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Evidence linking statins to reduced Coenzyme Q10 levels exists, although the clinical significance remains debated.
Lifestyle factors also matter. Smoking increases oxidative stress, excessive alcohol intake can impair absorption of several B vitamins, poor sleep influences appetite regulation and food choices, while ageing naturally reduces absorption of nutrients such as vitamin B12 (6,7).
Pregnancy, breastfeeding and periods of intense physical training also increase nutritional requirements, making dietary planning even more important.
For many healthy people eating a varied, balanced and nutrient-dense diet, food can provide most essential nutrients.
However, achieving optimal nutritional status today involves more than simply eating your five-a-day. Soil health, dietary diversity, environmental exposures, stress, medications, fasting practices, age and lifestyle all influence how much nutrition we consume, and how effectively we absorb and use it (1–8).
Rather than asking whether food is "enough," a better question may be whether our overall lifestyle supports our ability to obtain, absorb and utilise the nutrients our bodies need.
The good news is that many of these factors are within our control. Prioritising whole foods, increasing dietary variety, supporting gut health, managing stress and using targeted supplements. From this exact conversation, this was how Advanced Multi-Nutrient was created. The complete daily formula for energy, cognition and healthy ageing - built to help you thrive under modern pressures. Advanced Multi-Nutrient combines 46 active ingredients in their most bioavailable forms, including methylated B vitamins, chelated minerals and a targeted blend of specialised herbs. The breadth reinforces your daily nutritional baseline and targets what modern life wears down most - your energy, focus, immunity, and resilience.
Disclaimer: The information presented in this article is for educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, prevent, or treat any medical or psychological conditions. The information is not intended as medical advice, nor should it replace the advice from a doctor or qualified healthcare professional. Please do not stop, adjust, or modify your dose of any prescribed medications without the direct supervision of your healthcare practitioner.
References
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Lankarani-Fard A, Romanova M, Li Z. Reframing Micronutrient Deficiencies for Modern Times. Journal of General Internal Medicine. 2025. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11606-025-09481-y
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Montgomery DR, Biklé A. Soil Health and Nutrient Density: Beyond Organic vs Conventional Farming. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems. 2021. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2021.699147/full
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Verger EO, et al. Dietary Diversity Indicators and Their Associations with Dietary Adequacy and Health Outcomes. Advances in Nutrition. 2021. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33684194/
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Myers SS, et al. Increasing CO₂ Threatens Human Nutrition. Nature. 2014. https://www.nature.com/articles/nature13179
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Longo VD, Mattson MP. Fasting: Molecular Mechanisms and Clinical Applications. Cell Metabolism. 2014. https://www.cell.com/cell-metabolism/fulltext/S1550-4131(14)00062-X
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Lopresti AL, et al. A Review of Lifestyle Factors That Contribute to Important Pathways Associated with Major Depression: Diet, Sleep and Exercise. Journal of Affective Disorders. 2013. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23953373/
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de Baaij JHF, Hoenderop JGJ, Bindels RJM. Magnesium in Man: Implications for Health and Disease. Physiological Reviews. 2015. https://journals.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/physrev.00012.2014
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American Diabetes Association. Standards of Care in Diabetes – Vitamin B12 and Metformin. https://diabetesjournals.org/care
