Hello, all!!!
One primary variable in the nutrition equation is MICRO NUTRIENTS. I took a nutrition course last weekend and it's increeeeeedible what we're learning about the role of micro nutrients in the body.
Vitamins: 14 (4 fat-soluble, 10 water-soluble)
Minerals: 23 (16 essential, 7 non-essential)
Phytonutrients: 25,000 (7 different classes categorized in dozens of different groupings)
These are found most abundantly in whole fruits, vegetables, fish, and grains.
I'm not going to list off every vitamin, mineral, and phytonutrient and their purposes in the body, but I'll paint the picture of their importance using one vitamin:
Vitamin D
regulates over 1,000 genes and hormones every single day. That's 1/24 of the human genome. That's pretty significant when you think about it.
Best sources: sunlight, fresh fish, cod liver oil, eggs, mushrooms, fortified foods.
Over 70% of people are deficient (don't be one of them!!).
And that's just 1 vitamin!! Now think about all the others!!
Micro nutrients are responsible for:
-disease prevention
-fat loss
-energy production
-gut health
-hormone production
-and every single bodily process you can think of.
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If you want to FULLY dive in to your individual micro nutrient needs -
Go through the following 2 links and come up with a game plan for your 7 days. Literally write which fruits and veggies you'll eat each day according to the chart for your gender and age. That way it can serve as a checklist AND as a shopping list. It should only take about 3 minutes per link….SO DO IT NOW!
Here are the general recommendations for fruit: https://www.choosemyplate.gov/eathealthy/fruits
Here are the general recommendations for vegetables: (notice the "weekly sub group" table…..this is why I always say "eat the rainbow".) https://www.choosemyplate.gov/eathealthy/vegetables
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Over 2 billion people world wide are nutrient deficient in one or more vitamin, mineral, or phytonutrient. Reasons we're nutrient deficient:
1. It's difficult to properly track and measure micro nutrient intake.
2. Modern food prep and conventional cooking destroy the nutrients in the food.
3. Fruits and vegetables lose a percentage of their nutrient value every day after they've been picked. Most of the time in America we don't eat them until they're about a week off the vine, so while the food is still good, many of the nutrients have decomposed.
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Signs you're deficient in micro nutrients:
1. Low energy.
2. Can't lose or gain weight even though your calories on on point.
3. Thyroid issues.
4. Digestive issues.
5. Disease.
6. Infection.
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Because of all this I choose to supplement with daily multi-vitamins. And I recommend vitamins to every single person (because of the above reasons).
Here's what I use: 1st Phorm Micro-Factor
They're capsules and not pressed pills, which is important! Plus it's the most cost-effective while extensive multi-vitamin I've found!
Comment below with any questions!!