In continuation of my last post, I'm going to talk about the remaining food categories that we all need if we want to eat well. Remember, it's important to have a good balance of the essential nutrients in your diet to ensure you eat properly. So, let's see some other food categories that you need to eat properly.
Vitamins
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We need vitamins to stay healthy, for instance, vitamin C helps us in the absorption of iron. Vitamin C is an antioxidant which can be obtained from various sources like:
- Guava
- Blueberries
- Kiwi fruits
- Blackcurrants
- Oranges
- Sweet potatoes
- Broccoli
- Papaya and
- Strawberries.
Also, we need other vitamins such as vitamin A which can be found in pumpkins, and carrots, and vitamin E which can be obtained from nuts. Each kind of vitamin has its specific role and function in the body, however, they are all needed to help maintain a good health. Although the specific amount of vitamins for men and women may differ a bit, however, we all need vitamins. The essential vitamins needed in our body include:
- Vitamin E
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin D
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin K
- The B vitamins and
- Vitamin C
Eating a diet that is healthy and balanced is no doubt the best way to get all these vitamins. You need to include vegetables and fruits in your diet and possibly use a multivitamin.
Water
Did you know that our body is able to survive for a long period of time without food and there has been records of some people that have survived for about 382 days without having to eat food (they had good medical supervision) and they had no negative side effects. While this is not a suggestion that you fast for that long, it's just to prove that we can survive without eating food for a long time. On the contrary, it's not possible to survive that long without water, in fact, staying without water for a few days could result in serious health issues. The human body contains water which is about 55 to 75 percent of the body mass. It helps in the disposal of waste, regulation of our temperature, aids digestion and is a major component of all the cells in our body. When the body is dehydrated, it can lead to various symptoms such as:
- Fatigue
- Rapid heartbeat
- Dizziness
- Dry skin and
- Possibly death if not properly treated
There are several ways to take water, apart from directly drinking water, we also take-in water via the fruits and vegetables we eat. So, it's possible to be hydrated by eating lots of fruits and vegetables too.
Minerals
They are also similar to vitamins, they help the body to function properly and stay strong. Each mineral comes with its own unique role, for instance when it comes to blood production, iron is needed. Magnesium is a vital compound that is involved in over 300 reactions in the body while phosphorus helps to strengthen our teeth and bones. The major minerals that our body needs include:
- Calcium
- Trace minerals
- Sodium
- Phosphorus
- Iron
- Chloride
- Potassium
- Magnesium
All these minerals can be obtained by eating good organic food, fruits and vegetables.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids
This is also one of the essential nutrients that our body needs. It is involved in optimizing the health of our brain and the prevention of heart disease. In fact, it's involved in several aspects of our health so you need to make it a part of your diet.
They are a kind of polyunsaturated fat that are essential fatty acid. Since it's not like other types of fatty acids, your body cannot synthesize it so you need to get it from the food you eat. The best sources of omega-3 fatty acids are mackerel, salmon and sardines. Also, you can get them from plants like walnuts, chia seeds and flax.
Now that you know about the major essential nutrients, this will serve as a guide when choosing what you eat and it will help you eat food properly.
In the next article, I'll be talking about the advantages of essential nutrients, major sources of essential nutrients and others. Thanks for reading and I hope you were able to learn something new today.
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