7 Nutrients You Probably Aren’t Getting
by Jeannie Moloo, PhD, RD
The new U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans were released in January of this year. Of particular interest are the seven nutrients found low in Americans’ diets. They are: Vitamins A, C, and E and fiber, calcium, potassium, and magnesium. These nutrient inadequacies may increase the risk of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and many other health conditions.
Vitamin A is important because it protects and maintains our eyes and the linings of our respiratory tract, intestinal tract, and urinary tract as well as the integrity of our skin. The main reason Americans’ diets are low in vitamin A is because we don’t eat enough deeply pigmented fruits and vegetables. These foods are especially rich in the carotenoids alpha- and beta-carotene, which the body converts to vitamin A.
Vitamin C literally holds us together. Vitamin C helps with production of connective tissue. It’s needed for healthy gums and teeth, skin, bones, and ligaments and for the healing of cuts and wounds. It also helps in synthesizing brain chemicals and neutralizing potentially harmful free radicals. The American dislike for fruits and vegetables may be the reason we are falling short in this nutrient.
How do you boost the vitamin C content of your diet? Eat a variety of fruits and vegetables. At least 2 ½ cups of vegetables and 2 cups of fruits every day will give you ample amounts of vitamin C.
Vitamin E is an antioxidant that can help disarm free radicals thereby protecting the body’s cells from damage. We have to work at getting enough vitamin E from our diet. It’s in nuts, seeds, green leafy vegetables, and whole grain foods, especially fortified whole grain cereals. Suggestion: Make your afternoon snack an ounce of your favorite nut (but just an ounce because of the calories) or toss some sunflower seeds into your salad.
Dietary fiber is important for our overall health because it can help prevent heart disease, cancer and other conditions. Studies have shown that the number one source of dietary fiber in our diet is vegetables, in the form of french fries, and whole grains from hot dog and hamburger buns. To boost the fiber content of your diet, eat more fruits and vegetables and whole grain foods, including cereals. One serving of a high-fiber cereal can give you 1/3 of the daily recommended amount of dietary fiber.
Another must have high-fiber, phytonutrient rich food is legumes, including beans and lentils. We should all be eating a serving of beans (1/2 cup) every day. It doesn’t matter which bean – navy, pinto, kidney, black – just eat beans!
The American diet is also falling short on calcium, potassium, and magnesium because the foods rich in these nutrients – fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and dairy products – are typically low in the American diet.
We need calcium for building strong teeth and bones. It also plays a role in the constriction and relaxation of blood vessels, contributing to a healthy blood pressure.
Potassium helps our body regulate fluid balance, blood pressure, and transmission of nerve impulses. Foods rich in potassium are fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and nuts and seeds.
Magnesium is involved in every energy reaction in our body and it is important for healthy muscles and bones. Magnesium rich foods are green leafy vegetables, enriched whole grains, nuts and seeds.
How do you know where you stand?
Keep a 3-day food record and then take a look at it. Are you eating at least 2 ½ cups of vegetables and 2 cups of fruit every day? Are your fruits and vegetable selections from every color hue or are you sticking with same old, same old choices (variety is key to getting amble nutrients)? How about dairy – are you getting 3 cups of low-fat or fat-free milk (or an equivalent amount of low-fat or fat-free yogurt) every day? Are you eating at least six servings of whole grain foods such as whole grain cereals, breads, crackers, brown rice, and whole-wheat pasta? Do you eat nuts and seeds or legumes such as beans and lentils weekly?
If you aren’t eating this mix of foods, then chances are very good your diet is low in these seven nutrients.
Why not just supplement?
The notion that you can extract a single nutrient from a food and put it in a pill and expect it to perform the same as it does in the food is an attractive one. But the latest nutrition science research is showing us it’s not the individual nutrient that helps fight disease, rather the synergistic effect of nutrients and nonnutrient chemicals found together in foods.
Bottom Line:
If you want to make sure your diet is rich in the seven must have nutrients - Vitamins A, C, E and fiber, calcium, potassium, and magnesium - the key is to eat more fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds!
