7 Nutrients You Require On A Daily Basis According To Experts

We always strive to balance out our diets, trying to eat right and get all the nutrients. But at times it might have struck you that which nutrients do we really need to fulfil our everyday requirements. Well And Good have actually consulted experts and found out which food we can consume to fulfil our day to day needs and not rely entirely on supplements.

“Diet and lifestyle vary greatly from person to person, which is why it’s important to get your blood levels checked with a physician to see exactly what you’re deficient in,” said Dr. Svetlana Kogan, MD, a holistic and integrative physician to Well And Good.

Monica Ruffo who founded Well Told Health, a company that makes supplements using organic food, told Well And Good, “Diet and lifestyle vary greatly from person to person, which is why it’s important to get your blood levels checked with a physician to see exactly what you’re deficient in.” So taking notes from these two experts, here are the seven foods that you need to replace the co-ordinating supplement.

Turmeric

“To use turmeric medicinally, you need 500 to 1,000 milligrams a day, and 500 milligrams is about a quarter of a teaspoon,” Ruffo says. “If you like the taste of it, just add that much to your lunch and dinner and you actually don’t need a supplement.” This might not be a problem in India as turmeric is used in a variety of meals but in the US it is a top selling supplement (excluding multivitamins).

Probiotics

“One 8-ounce glass of organic kefir has what you need,” says Dr. Kogan. Good bacteria is known to improve digestion and even improving your mood. But you can’t rely on yoghurt alone as you’ll need to have at least ten in a day.

Vitamin D

“Out of 100 patients, I’d say 80 are significantly deficient,” says Dr.Kogan. 10 to 15 minutes of sun exposure in the morning should suffice, so plan to take morning walks!

Vitamin C

Dr. Kogan suggests an extra kick of Vitamin C can keep you away from seasonal colds and you can skip the supplements for that. “Most people today get more than enough vitamin C from food,” Ruffo says. “One handful of blueberries, blackberries, or strawberries is packed with vitamin C,” she says. Another food-based vitamin C hack is drinking a glass of water with freshly squeezed lemon juice.”

Calcium

Dairy is insufficient for keeping up the intake of calcium and in fact Ruffo says, “Ironically, research has shown that populations that consume a lot of dairy actually have the highest rate of osteoporosis.” So what can we do to fulfil our daily calcium needs? “One cup of broccoli a day has close to 500 milligrams of calcium, which is the daily requirement,” Dr. Kogan says.

Magnesium

According to Dr.Kogan the recommended dosage in between 100-300 milligrams in a day which unfortunately can’t all be fulfilled by food. “Magnesium is a trace mineral and traditionally, you used to be able to get enough through plants, but our soil has become so depleted that you really can’t anymore,” Ruffo says. So if you are suffering from migraines, insomnia, high-blood pressure, or IBS get a supplement recommended from a physician.

Omega-3

Fish eaters can get their hands on Omega-3 easily as they need to consume 200 to 500 milligrams a day. For non-meat eaters, there is always flax seed to save the day, one tablespoon and you’re good.