7 Nutrients you probably aren't getting enough of
Brett Nethell
Written on 4th August
Micronutrients are often missed in a world that hyper-focuses on macronutrients, that is carbohydrates, protein and fats. More and more people are waking up to the fact that micronutrients often play a larger role in their health than macros, but still turn to synthetic multivitamins and focus on the nutrients everyone knows about.
As important as B vitamins and vitamin A are for us, we need a whole lot of micronutrients that are so often forgotten about, that don't even have RDIs for people to check if they are getting enough of. What are these nutrients that most aren't getting enough of? Make sure to read to the end to find out.
1. Potassium
It is recommended that men get 3,400 mg and women get 2,600 mg of potassium every day, but most never come close to these amounts. Eating foods that lack potassium and never turning to drinks that are a rich source of potassium leads to puffiness, muscle weakness, bloating, cramps, fatigue and even heart palpitations.
Potassium isn't found in large quantities in the average person's diet. Whole foods such as potatoes, salmon, milk, white button mushrooms, pomegranate juice, tomatoes and squashes are all rich sources of potassium to help fluid retention dissipate, and support cell and muscle function, as well as bone, kidney and heart health.
This is one area where eating more whole foods really begins to change how you feel. You aren't just removing toxic ingredients, you're adding more nutrients back in. Always prioritise potassium-rich foods and drinks to help you feel your best.
2. CoQ10
Some of you may have heard of this before, but many have not. It doesn't even have an RDI percentage but is one of the most powerful tools for energy levels, and is a nutrient that most people never get in their diet, or at least never in meaningful amounts.
Eating more heart organ from lamb, cows or even venison can supercharge your CoQ10 levels and help power your mitochondria. CoQ10 feels like a stimulant after digesting it, but keeps energy strong and high for days, not just a few hours like stimulants do.
Animal organs, and in particular heart, are the highest-yielding whole foods when it comes to CoQ10, but fish such as wild-caught sardines and salmon can also be a great source.
3. Magnesium
Magnesium is responsible for over 300 functions in the body, but most people are deficient. When we try to heal any aspect of our health, it is incredibly difficult to do so if we don't have enough magnesium.
Magnesium deficiency affects our ability to stay calm, switch off and sleep well. Since most of our health is downstream from sleep, it is no wonder then that magnesium has a cascading effect on our health.
The good news is we can turn to nature for our magnesium, whether that's through liquid magnesium supplementation, sea swims, salt baths or even magnesium balms. The health industry has led us to believe we need to buy synthetic powders to restore what we can get from nature.
4. Vitamin E
Vitamin E is crucial for good health and helps protect us from free radicals, supports our immune system and boosts skin health, but again, turning to supplementation isn't the best idea to help counteract a deficiency.
Olive oil is one of the best sources of vitamin E, along with squash and bell peppers. Vitamin E can also help counter the effects of seed oils and PUFA, since these are often high in free radicals, and vitamin E protects us from this free radical damage. A deficiency can cause muscle weakness, poor balance, slow reflexes and poor immunity.
5. Zinc
Zinc deficiency has to be one of the most common in society, with modern diets extremely lacking in bioavailable zinc, and zinc-rich foods hardly consumed out of fear.
Zinc is crucial for hormone health, and since our hormones control so much of how we feel day to day, it's important to prioritise zinc levels, but again from natural sources, not supplementation. Zinc needs to be balanced with copper, and within whole foods it is balanced naturally and ready to consume without issues. When supplementing, this balance isn't there and needs to be engineered in, but this often causes more issues.
Zinc is also vitally important for gut health, immunity, skin health and even our sense of taste and smell. The best sources of zinc are oysters and organs, followed by red meat.
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6. Calcium
Calcium deficiency is unfortunately very common in today's society. With the fear of milk and the lack of vitamin D people have, which directly helps calcium absorption in the gut, the result is weak bones, muscle cramps and even a lowering of metabolism, as research suggests low calcium intake is associated with obesity.
Getting more calcium in is thankfully easy to do with raw milk and other calcium-rich dairy such as cheese, but wild-caught fish such as sardines and salmon can also contain a lot of calcium when the bones are left in and eaten.
Balancing phosphate from food with calcium is also important, as an excess of phosphate from foods such as meat in relation to calcium can trigger a stress response within the body, so ensuring a high-calcium diet is key.
7. Glycine
If I had to choose one nutrient above the rest that had dropped from modern diets so much, it would be glycine. This amino acid is so powerful for our health, especially gut health, but has been forgotten by most.
When we moved away from nose-to-tail eating, ditched bone broths, embraced muscle meat only and opted for plant-based ingredients over animal-based ones, we lost glycine, and with it, most people lost their strong gut health.
Glycine helps us maintain the integrity of the intestinal mucosal barrier, in other words, seal our gut so we can actually start absorbing nutrients again. It also helps our skin health in tandem with helping our gut, and also aids bile acid production for proper fat digestion.
Bone broth, bone-in cuts of meat and sardines are the best sources of glycine. Start with making a simple bone broth once a week and never look back.
Summary
We needn't turn to synthetic supplements when whole foods offer the solution. The issue isn't the foods, it's how modern diets have become nutrient-sparse. Including more of the foods listed above can help you boost these crucial nutrients and reclaim your vitality.
