vitamins Archives | BioThrive Health

Did you know that what we eat literally becomes the parts of our body that we depend upon? Most people do not. Food is fuel but it is also information.

Our diet in North America has become more focused on the speed in which it is ready to eat than the nutritional content it has. When Rachel Ray was asked the inspiration behind creating the 30 minute meals she responded that 30 minutes was the amount of time people were will to wait for a pizza to be delivered!

I want to show you why our foods are so important and what to focus on. There are many diet plans out there that tell you exactly what to eat. I don’t want you to diet. I want you to have an amazing relationship with food. I want you to enjoy the food you eat, have it taste great and I want you to know how to prepare it easily. I want you to feed your cells and your satisfaction by knowing and eating real food.

One of the most important things for you to understand about nutrition is the importance of micronutrients. The foods we eat are either micronutrients or macronutrients. Micronutrients are essential in small amounts for healthy bodies such as vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and phytochemicals. The great news is that food like fruits and vegetables are full of micronutrients!

While micronutrients are the literally the ingredients of every cell in our body that make up our organs and structures, macronutrients provide the energy to do the work of building and living. We need macronutrients for normal growth and development. The three main parts of macronutrients are proteins, carbs and fats. Protein is what provides us with the building blocks needed to sustain life. Carbohydrates are what our body needs for an on demand energy source. Fats are what supply our bodies with stored energy for use later on.

Micronutrients exist in many foods but I want to bring your attention to plant based micronutrients as the powerhouse of these vital substances. A whole food plant-based diet is ideal nutrition:

Low in saturated fat and cholesterol by minimizing animal product consumption
Moderate in whole grains, nuts, and seeds
High in vegetables, fruits, and beans

The standard American diet (SAD) does not provide the vitamins and minerals required for a healthy life. Who eats more than five servings of fruits and vegetables in a day? Vitamins are like an insurance policy. If you can’t eat a balanced diet, a good multivitamin is helpful.

Anybody who lives at 35 degrees latitude or above should also take Vitamin D. The angle of the sun is such that you aren’t going to make any Vitamin D from October to April. Also, because some of our fish is contaminated with mercury it’s difficult to get enough omega 3 fatty acids, which are anti inflammatory, just from eating fish. A good mercury free fish or krill oil is beneficial.

Even though vitamins can fill in gaps, they really should not be used as our regular source of nutritional micronutrients solely. We used to think vitamins and minerals could cover all our bases and provide all the benefits missing in our diet. However, vitamins do not contain a crucial element in plants called phytonutrients. Phytonutrients protect us against disease. They’re thought to be present in higher amounts in foods untouched by pesticide and grown locally vs. picked when they’re green so they can make the trip from Chile and sit on the shelf for two weeks. Eating organic and eating locally isn’t just trendy, it’s scientifically better for you.

Not all vitamin supplements are created equal either. They’re not monitored by the FDA because they aren’t foods and aren’t drugs. A vitamin labeled 250 mg of vitamin C might or might not have 250 mg. It could have 5 mg. And it’s perfectly legal.

Look for the label USP or GMP to indicate that the supplement company has kept themselves to higher standards. That way you know what you are paying for!

Tag: vitamins

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