Vitamins and minerals are essential for the proper functioning of your body. They boost the immune system, support normal growth and development, and help cells and organs do their jobs. Eating a mix of foods is the best way to get all the vitamins and minerals you need each day. But what does your body really need? And is it possible to get too much of a good thing? This comprehensive guide will provide you with a detailed overview of essential vitamins and minerals, their sources, and recommended intakes for a healthy life.
Understanding Vitamins and Minerals
Vitamins are organic substances made by plants or animals, while minerals are inorganic elements that come from soil and water and are absorbed by plants or eaten by animals. Your body requires both in varying amounts to function optimally.
Types of Vitamins
Vitamins are classified into two main categories:
- Fat-soluble vitamins: These vitamins (A, D, E, and K) dissolve in fat and are stored in your body.
- Water-soluble vitamins: These vitamins (C and the B-complex vitamins) dissolve in water. Your body can't store these vitamins, so you need a fresh supply every day.
Types of Minerals
Your body needs larger amounts of some minerals, such as calcium, to grow and stay healthy. Other minerals like chromium, copper, iodine, iron, selenium, and zinc are called trace minerals because you need only very small amounts of them.
Key Vitamins and Their Sources
Vitamin A
Vitamin A is crucial for vision, immune function, and cell growth. Teen guys need 900 micrograms of vitamin A each day, while teen girls need 700 micrograms each day. Carrots are full of substances called carotenoids that your body converts into vitamin A, which helps prevent eye problems.
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Sources: Carrots, liver, and supplements.
Caution: It is possible to get too much vitamin A, so be careful with supplements. Don't take vitamin A supplements If you're taking isotretinoin (such as Accutane) for acne or other skin problems.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is needed to form collagen, a tissue that helps to hold cells together. It's essential for healthy bones, teeth, gums, and blood vessels.
- Sources: Fruits and vegetables.
Vitamin D
This vitamin is unique - your body manufactures it when you get sunlight on your skin! Teens need 15 micrograms (600 IU) of vitamin D from food or supplements every day. A glass of milk is a good source of vitamin D.
- Sources: Sunlight, milk, and supplements.
Vitamin E
Vitamin E is an antioxidant and helps protect cells from damage.
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- Sources: Vegetable oils, nuts, and green leafy vegetables.
Vitamin K
Vitamin K helps blood to clot, so cuts and scrapes stop bleeding quickly. You'll find vitamin K in green leafy vegetables, broccoli, and soybeans.
- Sources: Green leafy vegetables, broccoli, and soybeans.
B Vitamins
- Vitamin B12: Found naturally in fish, red meat, poultry, milk, cheese, and eggs. Vitamin B12 is important for making red blood cells and keeping nerves working well. Vegans (vegetarians who eat no animal products at all, including dairy products) may need to take vitamin B12 supplements.
- Vitamin B6: Important for normal brain and nerve function.
- Niacin: Helps the body turn food into energy. Teen guys need 16 mg of niacin daily.
- Folate: Helps the body make red blood cells. Liver, dried beans and other legumes, green leafy vegetables, asparagus, and orange juice are good sources of this vitamin.
Essential Minerals and Their Sources
- Calcium: To have strong bones, you need to eat foods such as milk, yogurt, and green leafy vegetables, which are rich in the mineral calcium.
- Iron and Zinc: The best sources for the minerals zinc and iron are meats, fish, and poultry. But you can get these from dried beans, seeds, nuts, and leafy green vegetables like kale.
The Healthy Eating Plate: A Guide to Balanced Nutrition
The Healthy Eating Plate, created by nutrition experts at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and not subjected to political or commercial pressures from food industry lobbyists, provides a visual guide for creating healthy, balanced meals. It emphasizes the importance of incorporating a variety of food groups in appropriate proportions. The Healthy Eating Plate is based exclusively on the best available science and stands in contrast to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s MyPlate.
Key Components of the Healthy Eating Plate
- Vegetables: The more veggies - and the greater the variety - the better.
- Fruits: Include a variety of fruits in your diet.
- Whole Grains: Eat a variety of whole grains (like whole-wheat bread, whole-grain pasta, and brown rice).
- Protein Power: Protein should constitute ¼ of your plate. Fish, poultry, beans, and nuts are all healthy, versatile protein sources-they can be mixed into salads and pair well with vegetables on a plate.
- Healthy Plant Oils: Choose healthy vegetable oils like olive, canola, soy, corn, sunflower, peanut, and others, and avoid partially hydrogenated oils, which contain unhealthy trans fats. The Healthy Eating Plate encourages consumers to use healthy oils, and it does not set a maximum on the percentage of calories people should get each day from healthy sources of fat.
- Water: Drink water, tea, or coffee (with little or no sugar). Limit milk/dairy (1-2 servings/day) and juice (1 small glass/day).
Environmental Considerations
Just as different foods can have differing impacts on human health, they also have differing impacts on the environment. The Healthy Eating Plate acknowledges this interconnectedness.
No Calorie or Serving Count
The Healthy Eating Plate does not define a certain number of calories or servings per day from each food group. The relative section sizes suggest approximate relative proportions of each of the food groups to include on a healthy plate.
Cultural Adaptability
There are many cultures around the world in which people may not eat their meals from a plate. The principles of the Healthy Eating Plate can still be applied by focusing on the relative proportions of food groups.
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Alcohol Consumption
For some people, moderate alcohol consumption can offer health benefits, whereas for others, alcohol may pose risks. This should be considered on an individual basis.
Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) and Daily Values (DVs)
Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) are a set of reference values used to plan and assess nutrient intakes of healthy people. Recommended intakes of nutrients vary by age and sex and are known as Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) and Adequate Intakes (AIs). However, one value for each nutrient, known as the Daily Value (DV), is selected for the labels of dietary supplements and foods. A DV is often, but not always, similar to one's RDA or AI for that nutrient. DVs are used by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to help consumers determine the level of various nutrients in a standard serving of food in relation to their approximate requirement for it.
Should You Take Supplements?
If your diet includes a wide variety of foods - including whole-grain products, fresh fruits and vegetables, dairy products, nuts, seeds, eggs, and meats - you probably get the vitamins and minerals your body needs. Healthy teens usually don't need supplements if they eat a well-rounded diet. There are many supplements on the market, and of course their makers want you to buy them. Beware of unproven claims about the benefits of taking more than recommended amounts of any vitamin or mineral. Just because something is good for you doesn’t mean that more is better. Some vitamins and minerals can cause health problems if you get too much of them. Talk to your doctor or a dietitian if you're skipping meals, dieting, are a picky eater, or have any concerns about your diet. Check with your doctor before taking vitamin or mineral supplements.
The Importance of a Balanced Diet
Eating well now is especially important because the body needs a variety of vitamins and minerals to grow and stay healthy. Eating a mix of foods is the best way to get all the vitamins and minerals you need each day. Fruits and vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy products, lean meats, fish, and poultry are the best choices for getting the nutrients your body needs. When deciding what to eat, check food labels and pick items that are high in vitamins and minerals. For example, when choosing drinks, you'll find that a glass of milk is a good source of vitamin D, calcium, phosphorous, and potassium. A glass of soda, on the other hand, doesn't have any vitamins or minerals. You can also satisfy your taste buds without sacrificing nutrition while dining out: vegetable pizzas or fajitas, sandwiches with lean cuts of meat, fresh salads, and baked potatoes are just a few delicious, nutritious choices.