Micro-Nutrients: Vitamins & Minerals

Vitamins & minerals are found in natural foods. They are essential to the normal functioning of our bodies and with a few exceptions, cannot be made by our bodies.  

See below for more details on the functions & sources of vitamins & minerals.

Many people ask us about taking a vitamin & mineral supplement.  

Here's our recommendation:
Our preference is that you get your vitamins & minerals from real food rather than pills, but it takes quite a bit of effort and planning to ensure that you have a varied & healthful enough diet to provide all the nutrients your body needs.

The key is to eat a wide variety of vegetables, fruit, whole grains, legumes, seeds, dairy & lean protein. Your body is designed to process the nutrients in real food, not in manufactured pills.

Pills are not replacements for food. They cannot replace the protein, fats & carbohydrates that your body needs. You cannot stop eating food, take vitamin & mineral pills instead and expect to be healthy.

Some people say they take supplements "just in case," as a type of nutritional insurance. However, with that mindset, it's easy to slip into unhealthy eating habits because you think you'll get what you need from the pills. We would much rather have you be diligent about your food choices.

However, if your doctor tells you that you have a deficiency in a specific vitamin or mineral, you may need to take a supplement. Because vitamin B-12 is found mostly in animal products, vegans and some vegetarians may choose to take B-12 supplements.  Other common deficiencies include vitamin D, iron & calcium.  If you think you may have a vitamin or mineral deficiency, it's best to consult with your doctor.

You can also track your food intake on a website or app such as MyFitnessPal.com which will give you an idea of whether or not you're getting an adequate amount of some of the major vitamins & minerals.

More About Vitamins:

Vitamins have hundreds of different functions. Some examples of what they do are:

• energize and regulate our metabolism
• help form blood clots when we bleed
• promote cell growth

There are two types of vitamins: water-soluble vitamins and fat-soluble vitamins.

A water-soluble vitamin is a vitamin that dissolves in water and cannot be stored in the body for a long period of time. Water-soluble vitamins travel through your body and the excess is excreted in your urine. These kinds of vitamins need to be replaced daily. Vitamins B and C are water-soluble vitamins.

A fat-soluble vitamin is a vitamin that can be stored in the liver and fat tissues of your body until your body needs them. Vitamins A, D, E and K are fat-soluble vitamins. Fat-soluble vitamins can be stored in your body for up to six months.

For lots of great information on all the vitamins, including which foods to find them in, their properties, functions & the daily requirements, check out this vitamin chart.

More About Minerals:

There are two types of minerals, major minerals and micro minerals.

The major minerals are those elements that have a daily requirement of more than 100 mg. They include calcium, phosphorus, sodium, potassium and magnesium.

The micro minerals are also known as trace minerals and have a daily requirement of less than 100 mg. They include iron, iodine, fluorine, zinc, copper cobalt, chromium, manganese, molybdenum, selenium, nick, tin, silicon and vanadium.

Click here for details on functions & sources for a variety of minerals.