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Vitamins and minerals are essential to life and health. They perform hundreds of functions in the body, from creating blood to making blood clots; from building bones and muscles to regulating blood pressure and lung function.
One of them helps to build and maintain the covering that surrounds nerve fibers, just like rubber around the copper wire. Without this protective sheath, the electric impulses can't move accurately through the nervous system, causing all sorts of health problems.
This one nutrient I am referring to is an essential nutrient. That means our bodies can't manufacture it so we must get it in through diet. You'll find out what it is through the course of this article.
Hint: There are few sources of this vitamin.
Basically, vitamins are organic, and minerals are inorganic. Organic refers to something biological, something growing; inorganic refers to something that doesn't grow organically, like a rock.
So, vitamins come from plants and animals, and minerals come from the ground and water. Minerals can be found in plants that absorb the minerals through the soil. Animals also absorb minerals from the plants they eat that grow in mineral-rich soil.
Yes, there is a secret and it's very straightforward: focus on nutrient-dense food. In other words, you should eat food items that already have a lot of minerals and vitamins.
I have prepared a list of super healthy food items for you.
Eggs are very nutritious. In addition to protein, they provide six B vitamins, including B2 and B12, as well as vitamins A and D. Vitamin B12 is an essential vitamin that the body can't synthesize. Few food items contain vitamins B12 and D, making eggs particularly useful in your diet.
Eggs also contain important minerals, including phosphorus, iodine, and selenium.
Eggs are easy to include in most meals and have the added benefit that they are very satisfying, stopping one from eating too much.
Leafy greens pack a powerhouse of nutrients and health benefits. Leafy veggies are abundant in vitamins, minerals, and dietary fiber. And to top it all, they are low in calories, so you can relax and fill up on them.
To give you an idea, kale, spinach, moringa, and cabbage are leafy greens that contain just about every vitamin, including vitamin A, vitamin K, vitamin E, vitamin C, folate, vitamin B1, B2, B3, B5, and B6.
They are also high in minerals, helping you to easily reach the daily requirements for elements like magnesium, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, and sodium.
Leafy greens are also a great source of trace elements, such as zinc and iron.
Eat your leafy greens in salads, or enjoy them in smoothies.
Seaweed is another highly nutritious food popular in China, Japan, and South Korea. This ocean plant contains protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Seaweed offers vitamins A, C, E, and K in addition to calcium and magnesium. It is a great source ofvital micronutrients such as zinc, iron, manganese, and copper, as well as essential fatty acids.
Some seaweed varieties also offer a source of the essential micronutrientvitamin B12, which is good news for vegans. However, it’s a very limited amount, so vegans should not depend on seaweed as a key source of vitamin B12.
Order some sushi, or have dried seaweed sheets as a snack.
Milk can be described as a whole source of nutrients because it provides almost all the nutrients humans need.
In additionto protein and vitamin B12, milk has an abundance of riboflavin (B2), calcium, and phosphorous. Vitamins A and D are added during processing.
Both yogurt and kefir are fermented dairy products made from milk. They are also extremely healthy and have all the same nutrients as milk. Both also provide probiotics, important for digestion and gut health.
Scientific research has shown that garlic has strong antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cholesterol properties, and can reduce the risk of atherosclerosis, hypertension, diabetes, blood cholesterol levels, and heart attack.
Fromone clove of garlic, you'll get protein, carbs, choline, vitamin C. manganese, vitamin B6, vitamin C, selenium, and fiber. One will probably only benefit from garlic if one takes garlic consistently and in raw form.
Use it in stews and fries and raw in your salad dressing.
All types of liver are extremely nutrient-dense. This organ meat contains more vitamins and minerals than other meat parts.
The liver is a rich source of high-quality protein, plus iron and B vitamins. Other vitamins include vitamins A and C. The meat is also a source of potassium, phosphorus, and copper.
Eating a serving of liver will put you well on your way to meeting your daily requirement for the nutrients in the liver.
Berries of all kinds have taken a central stage in the last couple of years as a superfood with a high antioxidant content. Antioxidants like anthocyanins, ellagic acid, and resveratrol fight free radicals, which can damage body cells.
Most berries are high in vitamin C, especially strawberries – just five will give you all the vitamin C you need for the day!
Berries are also high in fiber, which is important for gut health. Also, they are a good source ofminerals and micronutrients.
Potatoes get a bad rap as a starchy food that is fattening. But did you know potatoes have much less starch than wheat flour, pasta, and rice?
Actually, potatoes are highly nutritious. They are a great source of vitamin C, contain most of the B vitamins, and provide a good source of potassium, manganese, magnesium, iron, and copper. And if you bake them in the oven with their skin, they provide you with fiber.
Shellfish, such as shrimp, lobsters, oysters, mussels, scallops, clams, crayfish, squid, cuttlefish, snails, abalone, and crabs, arehighly nutritious. Shellfish contain an abundance of nutrients, including proteins, vitamin B12, and other vitamins and minerals, including copper, zinc, phosphate, sodium, potassium, selenium, and iodine.
A word of caution: unhealthy farming and poor handling practices can lead to serious health risks. Be sure to obtain yours from a reputable source.
Dry beans are a great source of plant protein. They also contain carbs like fiber and are excellent sources of vitamins B1, B2, B6, and B9. Most types of beans are good sources of essential minerals like potassium, calcium, magnesium, and phosphorous.
Beans are great for weight maintenance because they provide both protein and fiber, which is filling and helps to reduce overeating.
Don't worry about flatulence. If you soak beans properly and cook them very well, you shouldn't experience any problems.
Whole grains have not been stripped of everything that makes them healthy: their bran, endosperm, and germ. Whole grains provide a long list of nutrients as well as fiber. Let's break it down.
Whole grains include brown rice, whole wheat, rye, barley, corn, oats, quinoa, millet, and rye. With refining, the bran and the germ are removed, leaving only the endosperm. This process greatly reduces at leastseventeen key nutrients.
Cruciferous vegetables include Brussels sprouts, cabbage, kohlrabi, broccoli, cauliflower, collard greens, kale, watercress, mustard greens, radishes, and turnips. They are some of the healthiest vegetables you can eat.
These vegetables are known for their ability tolower a person's risk of breast, prostate, colorectal, and lung cancer.
They are a nutrient-dense food containing vitamins A, C, E, K, and folic acid, as well as many minerals, such as calcium, magnesium, and potassium. They also contain essential trace minerals, such as iron, selenium, copper, manganese, and zinc.
To top it all they are very fibrous, which is excellent for the digestive system.
Nuts are nutrient-dense foods rich in unsaturated fatty acids, high-quality protein, fiber, and vitamins B9, B3, and E. They also contain minerals, such as potassium, calcium, selenium, and magnesium. And, phytochemicals, such as carotenoids, flavonoids, and phytosterols.
Walnuts have a high-fat content, but it's all good. They are rich in polyunsaturated fats and omega-3 fat alpha-linolenic acid (ALA).
Nuts are super healthy. Astudy in 2015 found that eating nuts may protect against death from numerous diseases, including cancer, heart disease, and diabetes.
When you snack on them, remember they are calorie-dense, so don't overindulge.
People typically eat oats made into porridge for breakfast or as part of muesli on yogurt or with milk. The grain comes witha slew of nutrients, including protein, B vitamins (B1, B5, and B9), as well as minerals, including manganese, phosphorus, and magnesium. The grain is also a source of important trace elements, such as copper, iron, and zinc, and provides trace amounts of potassium, calcium, and vitamins B6 and B3.
A bowl of oats also provides loads of fiber, including beta-glucan, which helps to reduce cholesterol levels. It's easy to include oats in your diet. You can enjoy them in muffins, muesli, and biscuits.
Tomatoes are rich in vitamins and minerals but they also are an antioxidant powerhouse.
Tomatoes contain reasonable amounts of vitamins C, A, B9, and K and tiny amounts of just about every other vitamin and micronutrient.
The real magic of tomatoes lies in their antioxidant content, which includes lycopene, beta-carotene, and chlorogenic acid. Tomatoes also contain flavonoids, particularly naringenin.
Tomatoes are very versatile and easy to add to meals. You can eat them raw in salads or make a rich sauce for pasta. Don't forget a slice with your burger!
One tends to associate fruit with vitamins, particularly vitamin C, and not with minerals. But citrus fruits like lemons, limes, oranges, and grapefruit are rich in both.
In general, citrus fruits provide vitamin C but also calcium, magnesium, and potassium. Oranges also contain vitamin A and some B vitamins.
Eat oranges and grapefruit as is, in fruit salads and with yogurt. Use lemons and limes in homemade salad dressings.
We all know that sweet potatoes are mainly a source of complex carbohydrates, but did you know that this tuber also contains skin vitamins A, C, B6, B5, and E?
In addition, sweet potatoes also contain potassium, and manganese plus antioxidants. The complex carbohydrates in sweet potatoes take a long to break down so one feels satisfied for longer.
Don't fuss with this simple tuber. Rub it with some oil, stick it in the oven, and enjoy when ready.
Vitamins and minerals are essential not only for health but for life. Between them, they boost the immune system and fight disease, facilitate many metabolic processes, build bones and muscles, protect the body against damage from free radicals, and help with blood clotting and wound healing, among other crucial functions.
Oh yes, and there's one that even helps to build the sheath around nerve fibers so electricity doesn't flash randomly through our bodies.
Have you guessed? It's vitamin B12.
As you have seen, most vitamin B12 is from animal sources,. So vegans and vegetarians must take care to take a B12 supplement.