One simple way to add the nutrients your body needs but is not getting from the food you consume is by taking nutritional supplements. Supplements do just as their name suggests, they supplement your diet. You should still eat as healthy as possible, with the main part of your diet being plant based, as food adds other necessary components such as fiber and fatty acids.
If you are eating a low calorie diet, you are consuming even fewer nutrients. Because of the low amount of nutrients in food, it only stands to reason if you lower your consumption of food you are also lowering your consumption of nutrients.
There are a number of different categories of nutrients our bodies require, micro-nutrients, macro-nutrients, vitamins, (which are carbon containing molecules and are classified as water-soluable or fat- soluable). major minerals, and trace minerals.
Our bodies need large amounts of macro-nutrients, which are fats, carbohydrates, and proteins, and we measure them in grams. Whereas micro-nutrients, such as iron and folate are measured in micrograms (mg).
Water-soluable vitamins are: B1 (thiamin), B2 (riboflavin),, niaacin, B6, B12, folate (folic acid), and vitamin C.
Fat-soluable vitamins are: vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin E, and vitamin K. It is possible to take a toxic dose of fat soluable vitamins because they are readily stored in the body.
Major Minerals are: calcium, magnesium, sulfur, sodium, potassium, chloride, and phospherous. We need at least 100mg of these a day.
Trace Minerals are: iron, chromium, copper, fluoride, iodine, manganese, molybdenum, selenium, and zinc. We need less than 100mg of these each day.
The difference between vitamins and minerals is the fact that minerals are elements and they are not destroyed by heat or light, they are in their simplest chemical form. The mineral content in food is affected by soil content and plant maturation. Vitamins are affected by heat, oxygen, light, and chemical process, so the amount of vitamins in food depends on growing conditions, storage, processing, and cooking methods.
As you can see, because of today’s soil conditions and the processing (over processing) of our modern foods we are in need of supplementing both minerals and vitamins to avoid disease and illness. In addition, age and certain medical conditions may prevent the body from absorbing or making use of what nutrition you do get from food.
Robert Post, deputy director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, says too few Americans are meeting all their nutritional requirements and that dietary supplements, used sensibly, can help fill gaps in our diets.
There has even been a proposal to revise the food pyramid by adding a flag at the top to signify nutritional supplements to be used as a part of daily nutrition.
In a future post I will list specific nutrients, which foods they are found in, and how they help the body, as well as the illnesses and diseases you may be prone to when your body is not getting them.
It is important we supplement our diets with specific nutrients we may be lacking especially as we age. Not all supplements are created equal, find quality, effective nutritional supplements for your individual needs. Below is a good source I recommend.
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