Synthetic vs Wholefood Nutrients: What’s Better for Your Body?

Fact-Checked By a Nutritionist MD

Published on July 7, 2025

In today’s wellness world, it’s easy to assume that a vitamin is a vitamin — whether it’s in your multivitamin, cereal, or greens powder. But the truth is, how that nutrient is made, and how your body absorbs it, matters far more than most people realise.

When comparing synthetic vs wholefood-based nutrients, the difference goes beyond the label. It’s about absorption, bioavailability, effectiveness, and long-term health outcomes.

🌿 What Are Wholefood-Based Nutrients?

Wholefood nutrients are derived directly from plant sources — vegetables, fruits, herbs, algae, roots, seeds — and maintain their natural composition. That includes not just the core vitamin or mineral, but a spectrum of co-factors your body relies on for proper absorption and utilisation.

These co-factors include: Enzymes, Antioxidants, Phytonutrients, Fibre, and Trace minerals.

Together, they form a biologically complete package, often referred to as a “nutrient matrix.” This matrix helps your body recognise and use nutrients more efficiently, in the way it evolved to do over millions of years.

🧪 Example: When you consume vitamin C from acerola cherry or camu camu, you're also getting bioflavonoids and polyphenols that help with absorption and protect the vitamin from breaking down too quickly.

🧪 What Are Synthetic Nutrients?

Synthetic nutrients are made in laboratories and designed to mimic the chemical structure of naturally occurring vitamins and minerals. They’re often created using industrial processes involving petroleum derivatives, coal tar, ammonia, and acid-based reactions.

While they may appear “chemically identical” on paper, they often lack:

- The supporting co-factors found in nature

- The biological complexity of wholefoods

- The same behaviour inside the human body

Some synthetic nutrients also exist in unnatural isomeric forms (e.g. synthetic Vitamin E as DL-alpha-tocopherol), which may not be absorbed or used effectively — and in some cases, may even block absorption of the natural form.

Example:

Folic acid is the synthetic version of folate. Up to 40% of people have a genetic variation (MTHFR) that limits their ability to convert folic acid into usable folate. This can result in unmetabolised folic acid building up in the body — a concern linked to inflammation and cancer risk in some studies.

🔍 Bioavailability: The Game-Changer

Bioavailability refers to how much of a nutrient is actually absorbed and used by your body after consumption.

Wholefood nutrients, with their natural enzyme systems and co-factors, are generally better recognised by the digestive system and more efficiently transported across the intestinal lining into the bloodstream.

Synthetic nutrients, on the other hand, can have:

Poor absorption without food or supporting compounds

Lower tissue retention (they don’t “stay” in the body long enough)

Reduced activity (some don’t convert into the active form needed)

This means that even if a product claims “100% of your daily recommended intake,” it might not translate into real cellular benefit if the source is synthetic.

Long-Term Impact on Health

Your body doesn’t just want a vitamin — it wants a biological signal it can understand. Nutrients from real food speak that language. They support:

- Immune modulation

- Neurotransmitter production

- Detoxification pathways

- Gut microbiome diversity

- Energy metabolism

- Skin repair and collagen formation

When we rely on synthetic supplements alone, we miss out on this synergy. That may explain why population-level supplementation with synthetic multivitamins hasn’t always shown the health benefits we’d expect — especially when the diet remains nutrient-poor overall.

How to Choose Better Nutrition🌿

Here’s how to ensure you’re getting the most from your supplements:

Read the ingredient list: Look for words like “spirulina,” “kale powder,” “acerola cherry,” or “chlorella.” These are wholefood sources.

Avoid proprietary blends: If the company won’t tell you exactly what’s in it, that’s a red flag.

Stay away from synthetic isolates: Ingredients like “cyanocobalamin” (synthetic B12), “folic acid,” or “ascorbic acid” on their own suggest it's synthetic unless naturally buffered.

Look for testing and transparency: Brands should share sourcing, testing for contaminants, and nutritional breakdowns — especially for wholefood-based products.

Use wholefood greens powders: A quality greens powder, like this one, can offer a concentrated, convenient source of diverse plant-based nutrients — especially helpful when your diet is inconsistent.

What About GRNS?

GRNS was formulated on the principle of functional nutrition, not synthetic supplementation. We use over 40+ real, nutrient-dense ingredients like:

- Barley grass, spirulina, chlorella

- Kale, beetroot, spinach

- Blueberries, elderberries, pomegranate

- Adaptogens like ashwagandha and Rhodiola

- Digestive enzymes and live probiotics

Each ingredient is chosen not just for what it is — but how it works in synergy with the others. No synthetic isolates. No fillers. Just functional, plant-based nutrition your body can actually use.

🌿 FAQ: Wholefood vs Synthetic Nutrients

1. Are synthetic vitamins bad for you?
Not necessarily — but they may be less effective, harder to absorb, and risk imbalances over time if not paired with food or co-factors.

2. How do I know if a supplement is wholefood-based?
Look for real ingredient names like “broccoli powder” or “acerola cherry.” Avoid isolated chemical names unless paired with a plant source.

3. Do wholefood nutrients work better?
Yes. Wholefood nutrients are typically absorbed and retained better, thanks to the enzymes, fibers, and phytonutrients that support them.

Q4. Can I get all my nutrients from food alone?
Ideally, yes — but in reality, most people don’t eat enough diverse plants daily. Wholefood-based supplements like GRNS help fill that gap.