Understanding micronutrients

You have likely heard of macronutrients, aka, carbs, protein and fat. But how much do you know about micronutrients?

Micronutrients include two main groups: vitamins and minerals. We need smaller amounts of these nutrients compared to carbs, protein and fat. Although we require less, they are still crucial. They keep our bodies in working order. They support many functions and systems.

Aside from vitamin D, our bodies can’t make micronutrients. This means we need to get them from our diet. We get vitamins from both plants and animals. Minerals are found in soil and water. Plants and animals absorb these minerals from the soil and water. This is how minerals make their way into the foods we eat.

Let’s dig deeper into vitamins and minerals.

Vitamins

There are two groups of vitamins. They are fat- and water-soluble vitamins.

Vitamins A, D, E and K are fat-soluble. We store them in our muscles, liver and fatty tissue. Eating these vitamins with foods high in fat, e.g., olive oil and nuts, allows our bodies to absorb them more easily.

The rest are water-soluble. Aside from vitamin B12, they are not stored in the body. Most of the other vitamins are “flushed” from our bodies through urine. This means we need to eat vitamin-rich foods on a regular basis.

Here are the vitamins our bodies need.   

• Vitamin A 
• Vitamin C 
• Vitamin D 
• Vitamin E 
• Vitamin K 
• Vitamin B1  
• Vitamin B2 
• Vitamin B3 
• Vitamin B6 
• Vitamin B12
• Pantothenic acid
• Biotin
• Folate

Minerals 

We rely on minerals for many functions in the body. For instance, minerals help keep our bones and muscles strong.

There are two main groups of minerals. These are macro and trace minerals. We need larger amounts of macro minerals. Our bodies need fewer trace minerals.

These are the minerals our bodies need. 

• Calcium
• Chloride
• Cobalt
• Copper
• Fluoride
• Iodine
• Iron
• Magnesium
• Manganese
• Phosphorus
• Potassium
• Selenium
• Sodium
• Sulfur
• Zinc

5 tasty recipes loaded with vitamins and minerals

Breakfast fajitas

Cherry almond yogurt parfait

Italian bean and vegetable soup

Cashew chicken and broccoli stir-fry

Pasta with ricotta and mushrooms