If you think you are getting all the essential vitamins and nutrients you need from food, try keeping a diet record for a few days and having a dietitian look over it. I’m willing to bet there’s something missing. It’s not because you haven’t been diligent, trust me, even the most well rounded diets are falling short on something. Why? Because there are just some nutrients that are not very prevalent in commonly eaten foods.
According to nationwide data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys, here are the essential nutrients that are most often missing from our diets:
• Fiber – most Americans get about ½ of the fiber they need everyday to prevent constipation, enhance satiety (that feeling of fullness that comes from a variety of factors including “bulk” in our diet) and keep cholesterol levels down.
How can you get more? - load up on fruits and vegetables. Have at least one serving at every meal (preferably more than one when it comes to vegetables).
• Phosphorus – we need phosphorus for healthy bones and teeth, growth, maintenance and repair of cells and tissues and energy production.
How can you get more? - concentrate on meat and milk, the two best sources of phosphorus.
• Magnesium – is vital for over 300 biochemical reactions in the body including bone health, muscle and nerve functioning.
How can you get more? - the top sources of magnesium are halibut, almonds, cashews, soybeans and spinach followed by mixed nuts, cereal, peanuts, peanut butter and potatoes.
• Calcium – is vital for more than just bone health. It is important for muscle, nerve and blood system functioning.
How can you get more? - dairy is your best bet for calcium. If you avoid dairy for some reason (and remember, even people with lactose intolerance can tolerate some dairy), opt for calcium and vitamin D fortified orange juice, soy or rice milk and take a calcium and vitamin D supplement (or other fortified products such as whey protein powder).
• Vitamin D – is vital for bone health and joint health as well as many other functions in the body (vitamin D receptors are found throughout the body).
How to get more? - for sources of vitamin D choose fortified milk, salmon, mackerel, tuna fish, fortified yogurt or orange juice, mushrooms exposed to UV light. However, getting enough vitamin D from just food alone or the sun is difficult. Taking a liquid vitamin D supplement is a great way to make sure you get enough each and every day.
The best advice of all is to vary your diet. Dietitians often advocate variety because the more foods and beverages you choose from, the more likely you will be to consume an array of essential nutrients (and get at least some of these key ones that are often missing).