These include vitamins and minerals found in foods. Vitamins are necessary for energy production, immune function, blood clotting, and other functions. Meanwhile, minerals play an important role in growth, bone health, fluid balance, and several other processes.

VITAMINS

FAT SOLUBLE

They are transported and stored in fat cells.

VITAMIN A

Vitamin A and its provitamin beta-carotene are important for vision, growth, and development and maintenance of epithelial tissue (skin, hair, nails, bones & teeth), immune function, and reproduction. Main sources include animal products including liver, milk, and eggs as well as dark green leafy vegetables and yellow-orange vegetables and fruit like carrots, sweet potatoes, cantaloupe, and apricots. Deficiency can cause blindness and increased susceptibility to infection.

VITAMIN D

“Vitamin D is a group of fat-soluble secosteroids responsible for increasing intestinal absorption of calcium, magnesium, and phosphate, and many other biological effects. In humans, the most important compounds in this group are vitamin D₃ and vitamin D₂.”1 It is found in oily fish – such as salmon, sardines, herring and mackerel, red meat, liver & egg yolks. Sunlight on the abdomen is also a great source of Vitamin D.

VITAMIN K

Vitamin K is a set of compounds that help hemostasis (blood clotting), bone metabolism, and other physiological functions. It can be found in spinach; broccoli; iceberg lettuce; and fats and oils.

VITAMIN E

“Vitamin E is a group of eight fat-soluble compounds that include four tocopherols and four tocotrienols. Vitamin E deficiency, which is rare and usually due to an underlying problem with digesting dietary fat rather than from a diet low in vitamin E, can cause nerve problems.”2 Foods high in vitamin E include sunflower seeds, almonds, spinach, avocados, squash, trout, shrimp, olive oil, wheat germ oil, and broccoli.

WATER SOLUBLE

These vitamins are stored and transported through the body in water.

VITAMIN B

There are 8 B vitamins (B Complex): thiamine (B1), riboflavin (B2), niacin (B3), pantothenic acid (B5), pyridoxine (B6), biotin (B7), folate (B9) and cobalamin (B12). They all play different roles in function but generally help your body produce energy and help regenerate cell molecules. Except for B12, your body doesn’t store these vitamins for very long, so eating a diet with foods that are high in B vitamins is important.

Sources of B vitamins include meat (especially liver), seafood, poultry, eggs, dairy products, legumes, leafy greens, and seeds.

VITAMIN C

Vitamin C is an antioxidant and is necessary to make collagen, the fibrous protein that makes up parts of your skin, bones, teeth, ligaments, and other connective structures. It also helps improve iron absorption, promotes resistance to infection, and helps with steroid, neurotransmitter, and hormone production. Sources include citrus fruits and green leafy vegetables.

MINERALS

CALCIUM

Most abundant mineral in the human body and serves various functions including mineralization of the bones and teeth, muscle contraction, blood clotting, blood-pressure control, immunity, and possibly colon cancer prevention. Sources include milk products, sardines, anchovies, green leafy vegetables, and legumes. Vitamin D is required for calcium absorption, and no more than 500 mg should be ingested at once, as that is all the body can absorb.

IRON

iron regulates cell growth and differentiation. It is also essential for hemoglobin production, which carries oxygen from the lungs to tissues as well as myoglobin, which is the protein responsible for making oxygen available for muscle contraction and helps produce energy. When iron intake is low, so is hemoglobin production, which decreases the amount of oxygen, being delivered to the cells. Signs of deficiency include fatigue and decreased immunity. Sources include clams, grass-fed organ meats, pumpkin seeds, white beans and lentils, spinach, and beef.

MAGNESIUM

Magnesium is important for regulating muscle and nerve function, blood sugar levels, and blood pressure, and for Macrominerals (Calcium, sodium, potassium, magnesium & phosphorus) that regulate water balance and distribution inside the body making protein, bone, and DNA. Sources include Legumes, nuts, seeds, whole grains, and green leafy vegetables (such as spinach).

ELECTROLYTES

Macrominerals (Calcium, sodium, potassium, magnesium & phosphorus) regulate water balance and distribution inside the body

SODIUM (SALT): Stays mostly outside the cells. Excess sodium may contribute to hypertension, osteoporosis, and calcium excretion-usually due to eating too much processed foods. Not enough sodium is known as hyponatremia, which can cause nausea, vomiting, fatigue, and even seizures (rare).

POTASSIUM: Stays mostly inside the cells. Generally under-consumed due to the fact that it’s found in fruits and vegetables like avocados, spinach, bananas & sweet potatoes. Insufficient amounts are linked to hypertension and osteoporosis.

As you can see, a lot of these food sources overlap and if you’re eating enough of a well-rounded diet of whole foods and vegetables using macros, you will be getting your micronutrients as well.\

EXAMPLES

POTASSIUM