Health and Fitness

A major part of losing weight is making sure that you’re eating the right foods. This doesn’t just mean foods with less calories – it also means having sufficient amounts of essential vitamins and minerals in your diet.

In order for your body to function correctly you need to consume enough vitamins. Apart from vitamin D, your body cannot create its own vitamins. Therefore, you need to get vitamins from other sources. There are two kinds of vitamins:

1. Water-soluble vitamins are vitamins that your body cannot store. You have to replace these vitamins frequently in order to stay healthy.
2. Fat-soluble vitamins are vitamins that your body can store. However, you have to include a sufficient amount of these fat-soluble vitamins in your diet.

The most important water-soluble vitamins are vitamin B complexes, vitamin C and Folic Acid. These are commonly found in fresh fruit and vegetables. These water-soluble vitamins are lost through the cooking process, or if the fruits are cut and left out in the open. Therefore, it’s important to try to eat as many raw fruits and vegetables as possible. If the vegetables do need to be cooked, it’s important to try to blanche them, steam them, grill or stir-fry them. Alternatively, you can have them in soups or stews where you also consume the water in which they are cooked.

In order for your body to function properly, you also need to consume the right amounts of minerals. These minerals and other trace elements are essential for good health, and can be found naturally in various foods. Some of the important minerals are:

• Calcium, for strong bones
• Iron, for proper oxygen transportation in the blood stream. Iron is also important for having sufficient energy throughout the day.
• Sodium for balancing bodily fluids, and to ensure that your nerves function correctly.
• Iodine, for maintaining thyroid gland activity

These important minerals are found in dairy products like milk and cheese, vegetables, nuts, meats, fish and legumes.

Various factors will affect the amount of minerals your body needs. These factors include your age, physical condition and daily activity level. Most food labels indicate the amount of essential nutrients or minerals it contains, as a percentage of daily requirements.

In general, you should be able to consume the requisite amount of vitamins and nutrients by following a balanced diet. Such a diet includes three to five servings of fruits and vegetables as well as plenty of dairy products such as milk and cheese. You should also eat a variety of proteins including fish, lean meat and legumes. Starchy food such as rice, pasta or potatoes will provide energy for your body, but you should be careful to eat them in moderation when you are trying to lose weight.

Normally, you should not have to take multi-vitamin tablets to get enough vitamins and minerals. Instead, you should focus on maintaining a balanced diet which will provide sufficient nutrition naturally.