Essential Nutrients: How Do I Get Them?

Nutrients are essential for growth, healing, and repairing the body. Nutrients include things such as vitamins, minerals, and amino acids. Most nutrients are obtained through what we eat, drink, and put in our bodies!

There are six essential nutrients that your body needs

1. Proteins: Made up of amino acids, proteins help to form new muscle, and heal and repair tissues in the body.

   Sources of protein include: Meat, eggs, fish, nuts, beans, bone broth, and collagen. It is important to consume the highest quality such as organic, grass-fed.

2. Carbohydrates: Once in the body, carbohydrates convert into glucose, which is where we get our energy. The quality of the carbohydrates you choose is important, and vegetables are a great carb option. Because healthy carbohydrates are full of fiber, the body takes a longer time to absorb them. This helps regulate blood sugar, and prevent energy crashes throughout the day.

   Sources of healthy carbohydrates include vegetables, squash, sweet potatoes, nuts, and beans.

3. Fats: These are essential for the brain, and the absorption of some vitamins and minerals. Fats are also excellent for people struggling with chronic pain and inflammation.

   Sources of healthy fats include avocado, salmon, nuts/nut butters, flaxseed, coconut, butter, and high-quality oils, such as extra-virgin olive oil, coconut oil, and avocado oil.

4. Water: You can go weeks without food, but cannot last more than a few days without water. The human body is made up of about 60% water, so getting enough water on a daily basis is crucial. Water improves brain function, mood, and detoxification, just to name a few.

   Additional sources of water are vegetables and fruits.

5. Vitamins: There are 13 essential vitamins for the body that play a role in many bodily functions. For example, vitamin C plays a role in immunity and helping the body heal. While vitamin B12 keeps the body’s nerve and blood cells happy.

   A great way to get more vitamins in your diet would be to eat a diversity of vegetables.

6. Minerals: These are a key player in adrenal health, strengthening bones and teeth, maintaining proper hydration, and healthy blood pressure. Some examples of minerals are zinc, iron, and calcium. Mineral depletion can stem from eating too much sugar and processed carbohydrates.

   Sources for minerals include Real Salt®, vegetables, nuts, salmon, liver, sardines.

Unfortunately, due to the quality of the food being sold today, maintaining proper levels of nutrients can be a challenge with diet alone. A solution to this is supplementation!

At the Nutritional Wellness Center, we use a combination of whole food supplementation and Nutrition Response Testing® in order to determine which nutrients the body may be lacking.