We hear a lot of talk in the nutrition sphere about the importance of maintaining a healthy, balanced diet. Oftentimes, the conversation stops after discussing the importance of our macronutrients (protein, fat, and carbohydrates) and water intake. Becoming knowledgeable and proficient in providing our bodies with the macronutrients they need to work optimally is an incredible place to start when digging into personal nutrition.

When that sound foundation with those major nutrients is met, or while working to become more confident in consistently meeting those macronutrient needs, we can also begin to dig in a little deeper and work to understand our micronutrient needs as well.

WHAT ARE MICRONUTRIENTS?

 What do they do in our bodies, why are they important, and in the simplest ways how can we ensure that we are meeting our basic micronutrient needs? 

Micronutrients are vitamins and minerals that are required in limited amounts for normal growth, normal cell function, and normal development in living organisms.  

VITAMINS

Vitamins are organic nutrient compounds found in foods (or synthetic forms) that are vital to our bodies in limited amounts. Think of vitamins like the complex and intricate parts of a car: The car is our body and the vitamins we give them are all the varying parts of the car that keep it running smoothly. Each part within that car has a differing role, a distinct purpose to keep the machine running as efficiently as possible.

Some vitamins work to help us resist infections, some help in assisting proper blood clot formation, and some are crucial for cell replication and cell differentiation. And many work together with other vitamins and minerals to ensure that all functions continue to run smoothly in our bodies. 

Some vitamins found in our daily food choices: vitamin A, vitamin C, folate, niacin, biotin, vitamin D, and more

MINERALS

When we think of minerals, we are thinking back to the periodic table of elements that we were introduced to in high school chemistry. The minerals needed in our body come from the inorganic substances occurring naturally in our environment. Major players in the mineral world are working to keep our bone density strong, to keep our DNA and RNA supported, to ensure our cell membranes stay intact, to maintain homeostasis within our body fluids and inside of cells, and support our energy.

These micronutrients are often much less talked about than macronutrients, but they are just as important for our health and longevity.

Some minerals found in our daily food choices: calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, as well as trace minerals + electrolytes. 

WHERE DO WE GET OUR VITAMINS AND MINERALS? 

The simplest way to begin ensuring that vitamin and mineral needs are met is to focus on adding diversity to our food choices. This ensures that we are getting a wide variety of what nature is offering since these whole foods are packed with micronutrients.

What if fresh fruits, veggies, or certain nutrient-dense foods aren't readily available to us at all times? That’s ok! More convenient and budget-friendly options like frozen or canned fruits and vegetables maintain their abundant micronutrients and may be more feasible to add to our days.

We can start in baby steps, inventorying our current nutrition habits and determining if there are any gaps in vitamins and minerals that we could make small shifts to boost intake just a bit. Just with all considerations in making our nutrition a lifestyle that we can sustain and ENJOY, adding micronutrient diversity to our days can very much be approached the same. If I know that kale offers my body lots of great vitamins and minerals (vit a, k, b6, calcium, potassium, and many others), but I hate the taste of kale, that’s not exactly going to be a viable, enjoyable or sustainable option in my diet. And the whole point of developing a nutritional lifestyle that sticks is to find options that work both for the taste buds and the budget. 

Most of us may already be including a great number of vitamins and minerals into our diets without even knowing!

ORANGE, RED & YELLOW FOODS:

Foods like sweet potatoes, mangoes, squashes, cantaloupe, apricots, carrots, and plums. Many of the carbohydrate sources that we already enjoy contain beta-carotene, which our bodies transform for us into Vitamin A. These get their color from their pigments, called carotenoids, and most fruits and even leafy green vegetables with bright, vibrant colors are going to offer our bodies great supplies of beta-carotene. 

Why do we need it? This vitamin in one of its functions helps our DNA function to the best of its ability, helping to control vital important cell communications and gene expression. WOW, RIGHT?

DIVERSE MEAT CHOICES INCLUDING RED MEAT, POULTRY & FISH

In terms of B vitamins, meat sources are actually one of the best dietary options for obtaining these tiny superhero vitamins and are some of our best sources of the B vitamins thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pyridoxine, and B12. In animal sources, these vitamins are found in the muscle tissue which reveals a hint at their importance in the function of life in the sources we are getting them from (i.e. supporting enzymes in critical energy metabolism within the mitochondria of those muscle cells). Meat sources are also loaded with excellent quantities of iron and zinc, minerals needed within our bodies for processes such as proper oxygen delivery within the bloodstream and proper immune system function.

PLANT-BASED SOURCES OF B VITAMINS

Tempeh, nuts, muesli, nutritional yeast, whole grain rolled oats, mushrooms, avocado, tahini, and fortified cereals. Many of these sources also include a variety of minerals as well, as whole grain oats provide chromium, seeds, nuts, and mushrooms are great sources of copper and leafy greens are loaded with magnesium, iron, and calcium.

The biggest takeaway here in this intro to micronutrients: diversity is our friend. Just as our bodies appreciate diverse methods of physical activity, they also depend on our ability to provide them with lots of different food options to ensure we are gleaning the important micronutrients we need to keep those behind-the-scenes operations working properly. With diversity in the diet, most supplementation through synthetic vitamins is not necessary. 

If I’m just beginning to really pay attention to my micronutrient intake, that best bet again is to always work to add a bit more diverse color into the regular food day. I can load up smoothies for ease with lots of leafy greens, grab a few frozen sides of pre-chopped seasonal or colorful veggies for a quick roasted sheet pan, and just check in with myself to see what types of diversity I’ve offered my body over the course of the week. 

Outlier populations like pregnant and nursing women, the elderly, or those with specific metabolic limitations that may hinder proper absorption of any given nutrient may have different needs where supplementation of a daily multivitamin (likely supplementing the mineral calcium, as well) is beneficial and important. 

A NOTE ON NUTRIENT DENSITY

In today’s nutrition climate, buzzwords and hot topics come and go. The phrase “nutrient dense” is something we hear about often. We want nutrient density in our choices! We specifically want MICROnutrient density, meaning food choices that are full of vitamins and minerals. 

A “nutrient-dense” food could also apply to a food that is high in macronutrients (protein, fats, and carbs). A candy bar can actually be labeled correctly as nutrient-dense, as it’s calorie-dense from the fat and carbohydrates included in its composition. That candy bar is not bad; it is nutrient dense in a different way. Similarly, a piece of homemade lasagna (delicious, healthful, and absolutely allowed to be part of a balanced nutritional approach) can be labeled as nutrient-dense, as it’s got a good amount of fat, carbohydrate, and some protein from the meat or cheeses added.

When you hear the phrase nutrient-dense, consider what type of nutrients are being referred to. Is it offering your body nutrition in the way of those foundational macronutrients? Or is it a nutrient-dense choice like a summer salad with lots of fruits & veggies might be, really hitting some micronutrient needs?

Thinking about micronutrients are our higher-hanging nutritional fruits but when we can arrive at a place that allows us to consider our intake of these components, we are really working to help our bodies perform their best for the long haul!

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