It is easy to lose sight of how important food is to the human body sometimes. We all know that eating food is a necessity, but the types of food you consume can directly affect your health if you aren’t getting a healthy balance of foods, and by extension, nutrients.

Certain nutrients such as sodium, we can often absorb too much of in the form of salt. Lesser known nutrients such as potassium, we can sometimes miss out on. Potassium is important for healthy organ function. If you aren’t keen on fruit and vegetables, this is a nutrient that you may be deficient in, as it is found within many vegetables, bananas, and whole grains. Be sure to keep different types of fruit in your weekly diet as a genera rule, to help ensure a plentiful supply of vitamins, and in the case of bananas, potassium.

Calcium is a well known nutrient, and it is often said that bone strength is dependant upon healthy levels of calcium in the body. There is another important side of this nutrient that doesn’t get mentioned enough, and that is its effect on the nervous system and musculature. When a nutrient is intrinsic to bone, muscle, and nerve health, it is important that you keep an eye on your intake. Milk and cheese have good levels of calcium in them, but there are non dairy options too, such as spinach.

Iron deficiency occurs quite often across the world, and is an important corner stone of healthy red blood cell production. Red blood cells carry oxygen from the lungs, around to every part of the body. Your muscles, organs and brain needs a good oxygen supply to function properly, and so red blood cells are very important. Those who eat red meat, and dark green leaves like kale or spinach will be least at risk of deficiency. If neither of these are in your diet, then you may be at risk of Anaemia or other blood related issues.

Vitamins are extremely important for a healthy human body, and I will cover a few of them here. Vitamin A first of all, which can be found in carrots, broccoli, peaches, and apricots. This vitamin has been proven to be important in eyesight, and reproductive health. Maintaining a strong immune system is also difficult without a healthy intake of vitamin A.

Most vitamins are accumulated in the body based on what we eat, but your lifestyle can have an effect on vitamin D levels too. Sunlight promotes higher vitamin D levels, but foods such as salmon, and certain oils will help too. This is an essential vitamin for bone strength.

B vitamins are an important part of healthy nerve structure and brain function, with protein rich foods such as meat being a good provider. Dark leafy foods are also a good source of certain B vitamins and B9 is especially important for pregnant women.

Vitamin C can be found within citrus fruits in high levels, and so adding an orange to your diet every now and then should ensure you do not have any concerns in this area. In earlier centuries, vitamin C deficiencies were common in people who spent months at sea, and can lead to an unpleasant condition called Scurvy, but thankfully, vitamin C deficiency is now rare.

By far the most important part of dietary health is to maintain a diverse approach to food consumption and pay attention to leafy vegetables, fruits, and meats. Every part of the body requires different types of nutrient to function in an optimal way, and you can take nutrient supplements along with a varied diet if you are worried you may not be getting enough of what your body needs. This can be especially true of people who suffer with illnesses that involve diarrhoea or vomiting regularly. This leads to insufficient absorption of fluids into the body, along with nutrients. If you are eating a healthy variety of foods but worry about a health condition of this nature, be sure to discuss the situation with your doctor.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here