This month in BootCamp, we've been reminding you how important it is to eat a wide variety of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, lean protein, nuts, legumes and dairy in order to get all the vitamins and minerals you need.A lot of people take a multi-vitamin as "insurance" that they are getting their nutrients. However, that can actually contribute to bad eating habits because you start to think, "Well, it's ok if I didn't eat all my vegetables today because I took my vitamin."
Furthermore, recent research shows that for healthy people there is no clear benefit from taking vitamin or mineral supplements! (For people with specific deficiencies or diseases, that may be a different story.) See this LA Times article for more details.
Besides the isolated vitamins that are in your multi-vitamin pill, whole foods have SO MUCH more to offer. Scientists don't even know what all the phytochemicals in food are! Those phytochemicals are not only beneficial in themselves, but when they interact with the other phytochemicals in your food, they provide even more benefits.
THE BOTTOM LINE: Nothing beats having a healthy, whole, balanced and varied diet! With that said, however, we know that most of us do not ALWAYS get ALL the nutrients we need. Here's your chance to ask for help:
Post your comment here to let us know which vitamins or minerals you think are lacking in your diet, and we'll give you tips on what foods to incorporate into your eating habits so that you can more easily get all the nutrients you need.
My roommate has been taking vitamin B (says that it helps with staying up and not getting sleepy in the afternoon). What foods have a lot of vitamin B?
ReplyDeleteGreat question.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, there are many other things you should be doing first to boost your energy.
1: Get enough sleep! It's not fair to your body to cheat it of the sleep it needs and then try to boost your energy with a pill. There is no substitute for rest & sleep!
2. Exercise! Exercise will naturally boost your energy when it releases endorphins. If you feel sleepy in the middle of the day, go for a short walk or run.
3. Eat right! Eat small meals & snacks throughout the day that contain both protein and carbohydrate. This will keep your blood sugar balanced and keep your energy up. Also, avoid highly refined carbs & sugar as they will lead to an energy crash.
Another thing to keep in mind, especially for women, is to make sure you are getting enough iron. An iron deficiency will also make you feel low in energy.
With all that said, here's some background on B vitamins.
There are many B vitamins: B1 (thiamin), B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin), B6 (pyridoxine), B12 (cobalamin), and folate.
Because there are so many B vitamins, it's important to eat a well-rounded, balanced diet to ensure you get all of them.
The B vitamin that most people think of as giving them energy is B12. Vitamin B12 is naturally found in foods that come from animals, including fish, meat, poultry, eggs, milk, and milk products. Fortified breakfast cereal also contains B12.
I don't drink much milk because I am alergic and so I also don't have much cheese or yogurt or any dairy products. I don't think I am getting enough calcium in my diet. I know there is a good amount in Broccoli, but I don't eat that much of it. What food would be a good source of calcium?
ReplyDeleteTeenagers need 1300 mg of calcium per day, adults need 1000 mg per day and adults over 50 years old need 1200 mg per day.
ReplyDeleteYou might want to track your calcium intake for a few days to find out whether or not you really are deficient.
Here is a list of whole food sources and their calcium content:
3 oz. sardines: 372 mg
1/2 c. cooked Chinese cabbage: 239 mg
1/2 c. cooked spinach: 230 mg
1/2 c. rhubarb: 174 mg
3 oz. canned wild salmon with bones: 167 mg
1 c. cooked kale: 122 mg
1/2 c. cooked white beans: 113 mg
1/2 c. cooked bok choy: 79 mg
1 c. broccoli: 70 mg
1/2 c. cooked pinto beans: 45 mg
1/2 c. cooked red beans: 41 mg