7 Nutrients Your Diet May Be MissingAre you getting enough essential nutrients -- like calcium, fiber and vitamin E -- in your diet?
Think your diet is healthy? Guess again. The 2005 Dietary Guidelines for people says many adults lack seven essential nutrients -- from calcium to fiber -- and certain groups of people are missing even more. Filling in so many nutrient gaps seems insurmountable without supplements, but more often than not, food can solve the shortfalls.
Calcium: Essential Nutrient for Muscles, Bones, and MoreSome examples of foods that provide around 300 milligrams of calcium per serving:
8 ounces of milk or yogurt
8 ounces calcium-added orange juice
1 1/2 ounces hard cheese
8 ounces fortified soy beverage
Bonus nutrients: Dairy foods and soy supply magnesium; orange juice packs potassium.
Fiber: Essential Nutrient for Overall HealthHere are some easy ways to boost fiber intake:
Snack on whole-grain crackers, fruit, or vegetables or popcorn (a whole grain) instead of cookies, candy, and chips.
Choose whole-grain breads and cereals, whole-wheat pasta, and other whole grains, such as quinoa, millet, barley, cracked wheat, and wild rice.
Look for breads with more than 3 grams fiber per slice; go for cereals with five or more grams of dietary fiber per serving.
Start a meal with bean-based soups, such as lentil or black bean. Add canned, rinsed chickpeas to salads, soups, egg, and pasta dishes.
Include fruits, vegetables, and whole grains at every meal.
Bonus nutrients: Fresh and lightly processed fruits and vegetables and beans are rich in potassium; beans also supply magnesium.
Magnesium: Essential Nutrient for Bones, Immunity & MoreHere's how to satisfy magnesium needs:
Opt for whole grains; quinoa and cracked wheat (bulgur) are particularly magnesium-rich
Snack on pumpkin seeds
Sprinkle an ounce of slivered almonds on top of cereal or low-fat frozen yogurt
Choose legumes, such as black beans, white beans, and soy as a protein source a few times a week instead of meat
Consume three servings of low-fat dairy foods each day
Bonus nutrients: Quinoa and cracked wheat are filled with fiber; almonds are bursting with vitamin E and contain calcium; and milk is an excellent calcium source.
Vitamin E: An Essential Nutrient to Combat Free RadicalsHere's how to get more vitamin E:
Snack on sunflower seeds or almonds and add them to salads, steamed vegetables, and cooked whole grains
Enjoy a nut butter sandwich on whole-grain bread
Use sunflower and safflower oil instead of corn or vegetable oils
Combine low-fat milk, honey and 1 ounce toasted slivered almonds in a blender for a delicious and nutritious smoothie
Include vitamin E-fortified ready-to-eat whole-grain cereals
Bonus nutrients: Whole grains supply fiber; sunflower seeds offer magnesium and fiber; and milk contains calcium.
Vitamin C: Essential Nutrient for a Healthy Immune SystemYour body can't store vitamin C or make it, so you need some every day. Include some of these vitamin C-rich foods in your choice of fruits and vegetables:
Raw sweet red pepper, 1/2 cup: 142 milligrams
Medium kiwi: 70 milligrams
Orange juice, 6 ounces: 61-93 milligrams
Strawberries, 1/2 cup raw: 49 milligrams
Cantaloupe, 1/4 medium: 47 milligrams
Broccoli, cooked, 1/2 cup: 51 milligrams
Bonus nutrients: Vitamin C-rich foods also provide potassium and fiber. Sweet red pepper and cantaloupe are rich in carotenoids. Consuming vitamin C at meals or snacks improves the absorption of iron from plant foods and iron-fortified grains.
Vitamin A and Carotenoids: Essential Nutrient for Eyes
Concentrating on including colorful produce will likely get you more carotenoids than you're eating now. Top picks include:
Carrots
Sweet potato
Pumpkin
Spinach
Cantaloupe
Sweet red pepper
Broccoli
Bonus nutrients: Foods that contain carotenoids are rich in potassium and supply fiber; there's vitamin E and magnesium in spinach, and vitamin C in broccoli.
Potassium: Essential Nutrient for Nerves and Muscles
Bonus nutrients: Beans supply magnesium and fiber. Sweet potato, broccoli, and cantaloupe can boost fiber and carotenoids; yogurt contains calcium.
Folic AcidFolic acid is the synthetic form of the B vitamin folate. Once you conceive, folic acid (and folate, the natural form) help protect your baby against neural-tube defects (and possibly cleft lip and/or palate) during the first 30 days.
Getting the recommended 400 micrograms of folic acid every day from supplements or foods along with a diet rich in folate-filled foods is critical for women who may become pregnant. Folate is important throughout the remainder of pregnancy, too. It's involved in cell production and guards against a certain type of anemia.
The body absorbs folic acid with twice the efficiency of food folate, which explains the recommendation for the man-made variety. Even so, folate-rich foods are important, too.
Iron
Iron is responsible for transporting oxygen to cells and tissues throughout the body. It's important for women to consume adequate iron before pregnancypregnancy as well as during.
"Pregnancy is a drag on iron stores and may cause iron-deficiency anemiaanemia in mom," Wright says.
To avoid health problems, experts say women should include foods rich in heme-iron, the highly absorbable form found in animal foods, and include iron-rich plant foods or iron-fortified foods along with vitamin C. Vitamin C enhances the absorption of non-heme iron. The ideal amount is about 18 milligrams of iron daily for women ages 19 to 50. Pregnant women should get 27 milligrams a day.
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