Your body relies on vitamins and minerals to power all the various processes that keep you alive and healthy. According to the NIH, Magnesium, for example, is needed in more than 300 biochemical reactions in the body (http://dietary-supplements.info.nih.gov/factsheets/ magnesium.asp). One of its most vital functions is regulating the rythym of the heart, but it also has a role in metabolism, regulating the blood sugar, and is essential to the immune system.
Eat the Rainbow
The best way to make sure your body gets all the nutrients it needs is to eat a wide variety of whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and healthy fats. We all have our favorite foods, and it is easy to get into a food rut. Try to be adventurous in the produce aisle, and look for recipes using new ingredients. Think about the color of your food. Unhealthy meals tend to be monochromatic-- high on simple carbs and low on nutritional value. The beautiful colors in fruits and veggies are advertisements for how good for us they are. Get lots of calcium from dark leafy greens, and antioxidant lycopene and vitamin C from ruby red tomatoes. Blueberries are a treasure trove of antioxidants and nutrients, one of the very healthiest foods to eat.
What About Supplements?
Research has proven time and time again that our bodies get the best nutrition from whole foods, not from supplements. While diets high in vitamins have consistently been shown to reduce the risk of cancer, studies that try to duplicate the preventative effect with supplements have been disappointing. In a landmark study, Beta-carotene supplements actually increased the incidence of lung cancer in trial participants (referenced on the National Cancer Institute site (http://www.cancer.gov/clinicaltrials/results/final-CARET1204). The effect was still measurable even six years after participants stopped taking the supplements! Yet diets high in beta-carotene and Vitamin A have never been linked to lung cancer.
What about multivitamins? Multivitamins contain high doses of many nutrients (like "Centrum, A-Z"). When you ingest large quantities of water-soluble vitamins like C & B, your kidneys will flush most of the excess from your system immediately, removing other nutrients as well. Some vitamins (A,D,E, and K) are fat soluble. It isn't easy for your body to get rid of excess, and the vitamins aren't absorbed well unless consumed with some type of dietary fat. Finally, many vitamins and minerals interfere with the absorption of other nutrients. Calcium blocks the absorption of iron and zinc, but your body can't absorb calcium without vitamins C and D. If you take in all these nutrients at once, it is questionable what you will really be able to absorb.
Sneaky Fruits and Veggies
If you are having trouble getting lots of veggies and fruits into your meals, try these tricks:
Fruit/vegetable blend juices are tasty, and packed with nutritional value. Pure vegetable juices are an acquired taste, but have the added benefit of being low in sugar. Vruit is a brand you can find in Whole Foods that tastes mostly like fruit, but includes things like celery and spinach juice.
You can also keep some dried cranberries or blueberries handy, and throw them into salads or baked goods whenever you can.
Freeze-dried fruits and veggies are a great snacking alternative. They are crunchy and super tasty, so much better than a potato chip!
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