T. Colin Campbell has been consistent in his philosophy of wholeness, which he’s documented again and again has been supported by the facts in numerous ways. Recently, an article by Drs. Alana Pulde and Matthew Lederman from 2009, was updated on the CNS website, and it is worth a read, just to get your head on straight about supplements. The central argument is that the first rule is that nutrients in a natural context are usually more easily absorbed. The corollary to that is the notion that many substances, when isolated/refined can be toxic. Sugar in the context of fruit is no problem, but refined sugar is practically a drug, and causes a lot of health problems. Some nutrients are simply not well absorbed if we don’t get them naturally in food, and some are even outright toxic in large doses. More is not always better. Vitamin D3 is best from the sun, but if you do not get enough sun and it is absent from your food (which is mostly the case), some supplementation may be advised. The other traditional exception is B12. There are always special situations, but it pays to inform yourself, and preferable work with a healthcare provider you can trust.
The other common sense point that T. Colin Campbell always stressed is that a variety (“the rainbow”) of fruits and veggies, will generally get you the diversified nutrition you need. and don’t fall for chasing organic produce, but keep an eye on diversity first. Wash your fruits and veggies, go organic when you can, but it’s diversity first, organic second. Again with exceptions. The dirty dozen is probably something you might want to pay attention to. Today there are definitely some solutions around that can help you wash your food effectively.
A perfect corollary to the above appeared in an article on Substack by Sayer Ji recently. It underscores the above, it turns out that a healthy gut flora can take care of a lot of grief, far more than people realize. In the #WFPB community, we are keenly aware of the fact that our intestinal flora changes for the better in about three days once you switch to a whole foods, plant-based diet completely. In particular, you stop making TMAO, and it takes three days again to come back if you start eating animal proteins again.
- The Ancient Bacterium that Eats Roundup
- The Bacterium that Eats the Industrial Age’s Plastics, Pesticides and Poisons.
In short, our old friend Bacillus Subtilus to the rescue, it occurs naturally in our intestines, and fermented foods can help build it up. Again, this is an argument for a wide range of foods, more than hunting for nutrients other food fetishism. Common sense wins the day.
There are however always certain foods that are especially beneficial, and you might want to check out my articles here in May of 2026, about Black Garlic, for it is a powerful source of good nutrition, and phenomenal flavor all in one, and without the usual problem of garlic smell. It is a nutrition bomb. People can eat it as a snack, I know some folks who eat a clove in the morning and again at night. But it is also a great condiment. I reheated some frozen soup, and found it a bit bland, and since black garlic is already cooked, I just added some to the soup while reheating it, and it came out great. In short, this is one nutrient-dense food, that makes a plant-based kitchen sing. Umami flavor galore.
As to the nutrition, one diabetic friend started eating black garlic and after just one week some diabetic wounds that would not heal otherwise, started healing, and now she’s getting on a whole foods, plant-based diet with the book Mastering Diabetes. My conclusion is that this is such a nutrition powerhouse that people will see quick results, and that might just open some minds. Khokon who is the owner of Neerob Restaurant on my street, has developed a whole wheat roti with spinach, black garlic, pepper, onion, chili, cilantro, and a pinch of salt (hint: use green salt), and he is convinced that since he started eating these for breakfast, he has his blood sugar under control. If people see results, they start paying attention.
Other situations where some supplementation may be in order, is nattokinase, simply because you cannot get therapeutic doses from food. I love natto for breakfast, and I make it with brown rice, some wasabi, some mustard, and some Yondu, and I add a forkful of kimchi, some and scallions and chives. That is one shot of good, fermented foods. A portion of natto for breakfast is 45g, a therapeutic dose would require about a pound of natto, and nobody can eat that, so if nutritionally it is indicated that you need more nattokinase, supplementation is the way to go.
The refrain is common sense. Eat the colors of the rainbow; Whole Foods, Plant-Based all the way, and you practically cannot go wrong.