There is no doubt that you need a wide range of vitamins and minerals in your diet, but you might not understand why they’re so important and what they can do for your health. Vitamin C is an obvious one. But many others play important roles in your body, and we don’t always get enough of them in our diet. So, here are six essential vitamins and minerals that will help you stay healthy.
Vitamin A
If you want to keep your eyes and skin healthy, you 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. Retinoids are more readily found in animal products, while carotenoids are usually plant-based.
As a general rule of thumb, you’ll find vitamin A in many orange foods, including carrots, sweet potato, and cantaloupe melon. Some 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 careful of supplementing, as too much vitamin A can be dangerous, especially if you’re pregnant. Your body stores it rather than flushing out any excess, and if it gets too high, it can be toxic. So stick to getting your vitamin A intake from foods, and you shouldn’t have to worry!
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 that has caused many health issues, including serious ones.
Almonds are a great natural source of vitamin E. To boost your vitamin E intake, you can eat sunflower seeds, soybeans, spinach, and kale. Asparagus, celery, cucumber, and tomato are great too! Here’s an excellent recipe for an almond and raspberry shortbread
Iron
If you’ve been lacking in energy and feeling out of breath lately, it could be a sign that you’re not getting enough iron. Women can be particularly prone to iron deficiency anemia. Thanks to the blood we lose at “that” time of the month! Iron helps hemoglobin, the pigment in red blood cells, that transport oxygen around the body.
The liver is an excellent source of iron, but you’ve still got plenty of other options if you don’t eat meat. Spinach, beans, lentils, chickpeas, soybeans, sesame seeds, and pumpkin seeds can also give you an iron boost. Bonus points if you can team these with vitamin C-rich food to absorb the iron more efficiently. An excellent example of this combination is this sweet potato curry recipe, is full of iron boosting chickpeas and spinach, plus vitamin C to help with absorption
Magnesium
Chronic fatigue and muscle cramps maybe a common problems for you. This may be a sign you need to up your magnesium intake. Unfortunately, this is a mineral that many people are deficient in, which is bad news given its many vital roles in the body. From heart health to protecting against osteoporosis, this is one mineral you don’t want to be lacking!
Worried you’re not getting enough magnesium? Eat more bananas, dark chocolate, leafy greens, and pumpkin seeds. These foods will make you get more of it. These raw chocolate bars are a yummy, natural way to boost your magnesium level.
Potassium
Potassium is another mineral that can cause many problems if you’re not getting enough of it in your diet. It keeps muscles and nerves healthy and is crucial for your kidneys and digestive system.
Good sources of potassium include avocado, bananas, potatoes. Also sweet potatoes, prunes, and raisins. You can also drink coconut water, which often contains other minerals such as magnesium and zinc. These Banana and Sweet Potato Muffins are a great way to combine two potassium-rich ingredients and is delicious
Chromium
Chromium is a mineral that many people have never heard of, but it’s crucial to ensure 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 different to get enough chromium, as whole grains, meat, most vegetables, and some herbs contain it. This chicken curry recipe gives you a healthy dose of meat and veggies and is super easy to make too!
Eating a balanced diet with whole foods is the way to go for getting essential vitamins and minerals into your diet. You should Eat rainbow and load up your plate with lots of different colors every day. These simple steps will make sure you don’t become deficient in essential nutrients.