Six essential vitamins and minerals to add in your diet
Have you ever asked yourself, “why am I feeling off?” There is no question that we need a wide range of essential vitamins and minerals in our diet. Unfortunately we may not be so clued up on why those vitamins and minerals are so important for us to have in our diet. Let’s take a look what they can do for our health. Vitamin C is an obvious one. There are lots of other vitamins that play important roles in our body. We may always get enough in our diet. Here are 6 essential vitamins and minerals that will help you to stay healthy.
Vitamin A
Keeping your eyes and skin healthy is important. In this situation, you definitely want to make sure you’re getting enough vitamin A in your diet. There are two types of vitamin A: retinoids and carotenoids. Both are important for keeping skin, eyes, cells and tissues healthy and increasing immunity. The main difference is where you get them from. Retinoids are more readily found in animal products while carotenoids are usually plant based.
You will find vitamin A in lots of orange foods, including carrots, sweet potato and cantaloupe melon. Some of the less obvious sources include kale, spinach, liver, eggs, milk, red peppers and mangoes. Most of us will get enough vitamin A in our diet if we eat the right foods. Be wary of supplementing as too much vitamin A can be dangerous, especially if you are pregnant. Your body stores it rather than flushing out any excess and if it gets too high, it can be toxic. Stick to getting your vitamin A intake from foods and you shouldn’t have anything to worry about!
This sweet potato salad is the perfect mix of sweet and spicy – https://www.popsugar.co.uk/fitness/Spicy-Sweet-Potato-Salad-Can-Help-You-Lose-Weight
Vitamin E
Vitamin E is more of an antioxidant than a vitamin. It can help to protect your body against the damaging effects of free radicals. Without this, oxidative stress is a problem and this has been linked to lots of health issues, including serious ones.
Almonds are a great natural source of vitamin E. You can also eat sunflower seeds, soybeans, spinach, kale, asparagus, celery, cucumber and tomato to boost your vitamin E intake.
Here’s a nice recipe for an almond and raspberry shortbread – https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/10222/raspberry-and-almond-shortbread-thumbprints/
Iron
Lacking energy and feeling out of breath lately could be a sign that you are not getting enough iron. Women can be particularly prone to iron deficiency anemia. Commonly, as a result of the blood we lose at “that” time of the month! Iron helps hemoglobin, the pigment in red blood cells, to transport oxygen around the body.
Liver is a really good source of iron. If you don’t eat meat, you’ve still got plenty of other options. For example, spinach, beans, lentils, chickpeas, soybeans, sesame seeds and pumpkin seeds can give you an iron boost. In addition, you can team these foods with a vitamin C rich foods so that the iron is absorbed more easily. The following recipe is a good example of this combination. Sweet potato curry recipe is full of iron boosting chickpeas and spinach, plus vitamin C to help with absorption – https://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/vegetables-recipes/sweet-potato-chickpea-amp-spinach-curry/
Magnesium
Chronic fatigue and muscle cramps may be a sign that you need to up your magnesium intake. This is a mineral that lots of people are deficient in. This is bad news given how many key roles it plays in the body. From heart health to protecting against osteoporosis, this is one mineral you really don’t want to be lacking in!
Worried you’re not getting enough magnesium? You can get more of it through bananas, dark chocolate, leafy greens and pumpkin seeds. Raw chocolate bars are a yummy, natural way to boost your magnesium levels – https://www.unconventionalbaker.com/recipes/magnesium-rich-dark-chocolate-bars/
Potassium
Potassium is an essential mineral we absolutely need. When we lack this mineral in our diet we could experience some serious health problems. This mineral is involved in keeping our muscles and nerves healthy. It also plays an important role in heart, kidneys and digestive system health.
Good sources of potassium include avocado, bananas, potato, sweet potato, prunes and raisins. You can also drink coconut water, which often also contains other minerals such as magnesium and zinc. Banana and Sweet Potato Muffins are a great way to combine two potassium rich ingredients. It is totally delicious – http://sweetlikecocoa.com/vegan-banana-sweet-potato-muffins/
Chromium
Chromium is a mineral that many people have never heard about. It’s really important for making sure every cell in your body gets vital energy. If you don’t get enough chromium, you may get sugar cravings. You don’t need to eat much differently to get enough chromium. Whole grains, meat, most vegetables and some herbs all contain it.
This chicken curry recipe gives you a healthy dose of meat and veggies and is super easy to make too! – https://80twentynutrition.com/recipe/curry-chicken-healthy-simple/
Eating a balanced diet full of whole foods is definitely the way to go. This is the best way to get essential vitamins and minerals into your diet. Eating the rainbow and loading up your plate with lots of different colors every day will go a long way. By doing this we can make sure we don’t become deficient in key nutrients.
Remember to remain body-positive. Take advantage of the 30-minute free consultation for 1:1 guidance! I am always here to talk and provide support.
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