There are many research studies being conducted on vitamins and minerals in our bodies and what we truly need. While experts say that you can never know everything about vitamins and minerals, there are some things that we do know.
While it is important to make sure that you are getting as many vitamins and minerals as you can to help keep your body healthy and working its best, the most important thing you can do is maintain a healthy diet.
Simply taking a vitamin supplement is not going to give you everything that you need for your health. Our main source of vitamins and minerals comes from the food that we eat and the choices we make when it comes to what we drink and how we live.
If you are serious about getting the right amount of vitamins and minerals in your diet, you need to take a look at the foods you are eating. There are many foods out there today that are healthy and will help you to maintain a healthy weight and lifestyle, but the question still remains, are those foods helping you to get all of the vitamins and minerals that your body truly needs?
In a majority of people, that answer is no. While you may be eating healthy and maintaining a healthy weight, you are more than likely not getting the amount of vitamins and minerals that you truly need. There are many vitamin rich foods out there that can help you make the transition and get the proper amount needed in your diet.
If you are unsure of exactly how many vitamins and minerals you need to maintain a healthy lifestyle, talk with your medical doctor and also a nutritionist. They will be able to help you pin point the foods in your diet that are helping you and the ones that you need to replace. This is also a great place to start if you are having trouble figuring out how to increase certain foods in your diet and how to make sure you are eating the proper foods.
While there are many vitamins and minerals that you need to be incorporating into your diet, the most popular and most needed are Vitamins K, D, C, and A. More often than not, you will find foods that are specifically geared towards these vitamins and your body needs more of these vitamins than others. These vitamins also share common foods that make it easier on you to get all the nutrients that you need from eating one food instead of multiple foods.
Benefits of Vitamins K, D, C, and A:
Vitamin K
Foods rich in Vitamin K are most often found in leafy greens, dark greens, and some fruits, like prunes or dates. Most of these items, like kale, broccoli, cabbage, and brussels sprouts, are great as side dishes to your main course protein. You can also make kale and brussels sprout chips to eat as a healthy snack.
Vitamin D
In addition to getting Vitamin D from sunlight, you can also find it in some pretty popular foods. For example, salmon, tuna, milk, and eggs all contain Vitamin D and are easily accessible in the grocery store.
These are foods that can be added into your diet easily, and you can also up the intake of these foods if you are already eating them. If you are looking for Vitamin D in a vegetable, try eating a few extra mushrooms during the week. Not only will this give you an extra veggie boost, but it will also help with your Vitamin D intake.
Vitamin C
This is where you will start to see a pattern in the vitamins and minerals your body needs. Everyone knows that oranges are the best source of Vitamin C that you can get, but you can also get Vitamin C from leafy and dark greens.
So eating kale and brussels sprouts will get you two of your most needed vitamins. Vitamin C can also be found in red peppers, strawberries, grape fruit, and kiwi. So now is the time to gather up some of those fruits and make yourself a healthy, vitamin rich fruit smoothie.
Vitamin A
This vitamin is important to your eye sight, immune system, and your skin. You can also find Vitamin A in some dark greens such as kale, spinach, and turnips. But you will find the largest amount of Vitamin A in sweet potatoes and carrots. If you are not a fan of these, try apricots or cantaloupe melons.
Those are sure to please even the pickiest eaters in your life. You are more likely to find Vitamin A in fruits than you are in vegetables, which also works in your favor as you can turn them into a smoothie.
Final Words on Maximize Vitamins & Minerals Benefits
It does not matter if you choose to get your vitamins and minerals directly from your foods or you use a vitamin supplement. The most important thing to remember is that you still need to incorporate vitamin rich foods into your diet.
If you are not getting the proper diet that your body needs, then adding a supplement for vitamins really won’t do you any good. You will only be wasting your money, time, and energy on something that will not help you in the long run. It is also important to have your doctor check you to make sure that you are getting the proper vitamins and minerals that you need in your diet.
While having a good amount of vitamins and minerals in your body is healthy, you do not want to overload your body with more than it can handle. This is why it is important to make sure that you are keeping track of what you are eating and letting your doctor know at your yearly checkups. Not only will they be able to help you get started, they will also help you be able to stay on track with the amount that your body needs.