Among the micronutrients, vitamins are well known, but not well understood by consumers in general. Most people probably think of a bottle of supplements when considering the role of vitamins in their lives, but the best vitamin sources are whole foods. In fact, there is much more bang for the buck by getting vitamins from foods. Individual nutrients lose value by themselves - a prime example of the whole being greater than the sum of the parts. Many nutrients work optimally only when accompanied by cofactors, such as water, other vitamins or fats, among others.
Last week, I started sharing the foundational pillars that make up whole health. Without these pillars firmly in place, health crumbles and a series of chronic consequences takes hold. The first two pillars mentioned were digestion and blood sugar balance. Let’s take a look at the remaining three.
The nutrient profile of whole foods is degrading, so sometimes mineral supplements are required like copper, iron, iodine, and manganese.
Increasing potassium rich whole foods and decreasing packaged and preserved foods can often normalize blood pressure issues.
Calcium is probably the most well-known – yet least understood – mineral discussed. Also, dairy is not the only efficient source of calcium.Â
