Why do we need vitamins and minerals?

Just like macronutrients, carbs, protein and fats (explore previous articles) are vital for our overall health; vitamins and minerals are important too…

What are vitamins and minerals?

Both are micronutrients. They are sooo small and doesn’t give energy. However, both are needs to ease processes, including providing energy and nutrient metabolism, that keep us alive. Vitamins and minerals are super significant and their absence has its devastating impact. Without them, many processes, if not all, will not proceed in the supposed way leading to disease.

For vitamins and minerals, there are certain recommended levels of consumption. Both can be either consumed excessively or scarcely. Consequently, leads to toxicity or deficiency. And either way, it will have negative impact on health.

• Vitamins

Vitamins are distributed in 2 main categories. Fat soluble and water soluble. Fat soluble vitamins are vitamin A, D, E and K. They need fats help to be distributed in the body. Moreover, our body can store them. However, water soluble, cannot be stores and they move along with the blood. They are vitamin C and B vitamins (including vitamins B6, B12, niacin, riboflavin, and folate). Whether they are fat or water soluble, we need them.

• Minerals

Minerals can be either trace or major. And it does not mean one is important more than the other. It is a trace mineral, if it is needed in small amounts, The opposite is true about major minerals. Unlike vitamins, minerals cannot be destroyed by heat, air, acid, mixing. Little care is needed while food preparing…

But there is no food that has minerals by its own. It is always collection of all nutrients.

Examples of trace minerals are chromium, copper, iodine, iron, selenium, and zinc. Even though they are needed in trace and minor amounts, they play a reallyyy important role in immunity, energy yielding process…etc. Examples of major minerals are calcium, phosphorus, sodium, potassium and more…

Why we need them?

Obviously, vitamins and minerals are musts in our diet for its extraordinary functions in the body. Some play a vital role in immune system. Such vitamin A, C, E Selenium and Zinc. Some are important for healthy growth and development of bones like vitamin D and Calcium. Others are good for metabolism including Iodine. And thats not all….

In Never Be Sick Again book by Raymond Francis. He said that there are 2 reasons of why people get sick and it is basically by either deficiency or toxicity of one or several nutrients, not restricted to vitamins and minerals. Yet, he believed that you can avoid being sick by correcting the deficiency or toxicity. Simply, give your body cells what they need and avoid what they don’t need. And obviously, this never “accomplished”. “As result, we suffer, we age, the quality of life is diminished and we die”.

Dying is a bit cruel but it is quite true. According to WHO, top 10 leading causes of deaths in 2019 were ALL DISEASES!!!

 Anyhow…

 The book explained that all other reasons that we know now as causes of a disease are not the actual causes. Like genes, infections, stress etc… He said that these causes are not going to impact us if we are, from the first place, not suffering from any deficiency neither toxicity of either vitamins and minerals. He added that the required levels of whatever micronutrients not necessarily be the same as the recommendations we know… these recommendations are only proved to prevent a specific disease without a promise to provide overall health. What I mean is that the recommendations are limits, whether the minimum amount or the maximum, you can exceed or lower it. You’ll only know when you try it…

In addition, there is a coach that I really respect treats her patients via balancing levels of vitamins and minerals. Just by correcting the levels of specific vitamin or mineral, she can correct the underlying problem. As some of these micronutrients works together and others works against each other. Balancing them out is one of the main approaches of her in treating her patients

I need to discuss it in another post, it’s so interesting 😉

How to get them?

FOOD…;)

Food already is complex enough that contains a mix of most, of not all, vitamins and minerals. Yet, agricultural modern systems and processing altered the nutrient content of various food.

Therefore, proper handling of food, of course, play an important role in whether you really taking the amount needed of nutrient from the food. Cooking as example, is able alter nutrient content. Vitamins can be lost while cooking, especially boiling. With minimal lost while roasting, baking or steaming. Frying or Sautéing can improve the absorption of fat soluble nutrients.

Moreover, nutrient content depends on seasons and when it was picked. Since fruits and vegetables are full of vitamins and minerals, when it is picked is important. The nutrient content differs when it is not on season on not ripe enough.

Another point is that, as mentioned above, micronutrients themselves interact with other. And not always in a cooperative way. Vitamin D as example helps in calcium absorption. Vitamin C improves iron absorption. On the other hand, vitamin C blocks the body use of copper. Which is important for our red blood cells. Calcium interrupts iron absorption. That’s why it isn’t advised to have meat sources with milk or yoghurt. And that’s why special attention is needed when you prepare your meal.

Supplements are another ways of assuring proper intake of vitamins and minerals. Many respected people have agreed that food nowadays are not enough to supply our body with the required amount of vitamins and minerals.

In sum, proper intake of vitamins and mineral are necessary. It is the key to run away from diseases and live long, happy and healthy.

References:

• Rolfes, S. R., Pinna, K., & Whitney, E. (2014). Understanding normal and clinical nutrition. Cengage learning.
• Francis, R., & Cotton, K. (2002). Never be sick again: Health is a choice, learn how to choose it. Health Communications, Inc..
• https://www.helpguide.org/harvard/vitamins-and-minerals.htm
• https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/cooking-nutrient-content#:~:text=Some%20minerals%20and%20vitamin%20A,the%20nutrient%20content%20of%20food.
• https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/Vitamins-and-minerals