Answering: What Nutrients Does My Body Need

By Olivia Cross


People need certain forms of nutrition to maintain life and health. Everything needed to survive and flourish can be found in fresh, whole, organically-grown food. However, much of the food found in stores today has little nutritional value, while environmental pollution and modern-day stress makes a proper diet more important than ever. "What nutrients does my body need?" is most easily answered with foods and supplements like vitamins and minerals.

Researchers have proved that modern food supplies are less nutritious than those enjoyed by former generations. Mono-cropping, factory farming, and depletion of soils has lowered the nutritional value, as does long-term storage and transport of foods. The use of chemical pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers has also made our food less wholesome and our health requirements higher.

Basic needs for the human body are fats, carbohydrates, and proteins, with a plentiful supply of water to give the body the fluids needed for proper digestion and utilization of these elements. Unfortunately, not all foods provide adequate nutrition, even if the gross amount of calories ingested is sufficient.

Fats, for instance, are often regarded as evils, but many are vital to development and energy production. Many important fats go rancid quickly, and all can be harmed by high heat during processing; good fats can turn into harmful toxins. Manufacturers routinely remove important elements like Omega-3 fatty acids, which shorten shelf life, and use altered fats to restore taste and texture. For this reason, health experts advise supplementation of essential fatty acids.

Protein is another thing which may be deficient in the daily diet. People who limit the amount of meat, eggs, and dairy products they consume may be getting less than the forty grams that are recommended as a minimum for each day's consumption. Getting less than this amount can cause fatigue, loss of muscle strength, lack of mental alertness, weak hair and nails, and other conditions that affect health and well-being.

Carbohydrates are vital nutrients, but they often make up too much of the diet. Refined carbohydrates - white flour products and sugary foods - in particular lead to the plague of obesity. The body cannot process refined carbohydrates properly, and they also do not provide quality nutrients but are instead 'empty calorie' foods. This causes other conditions, as well, such as diabetes, heart disease, and chronic fatigue. Whole foods and fresh vegetables and fruits should provide the carbohydrate portion of a balanced diet.

Long-standing dietary advice has caused general confusion about fats. Many experts have said that they are unnecessary for health and should be limited. However, some are vital to well-being, while good fats cause less weight gain than an over-indulgence of carbohydrates. There are some elements in fish oil, for instance, that cannot be found in other foods in quantities sufficient for proper development and maintenance of nervous tissue.

Whole foods grown by sustainable agricultural methods provide good fats and the vitamins and minerals needed for health and vitality. If the diet is poor because of lack of time, knowledge, or access to quality food, supplementation with dietary aids from reputable manufacturers may be the answer.




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