I often talk about macronutrients (macros), but very rarely actually address micronutrients.
Time to address the micronutrients a bit.
Micronutrients are the vitamins and minerals you take in when you consume foods. Your body requires a certain amount of each of the vitamins and minerals on a daily basis for good health. If you do not get the recommended daily amount in, your health may suffer.
This does not mean it will suffer immediately, but over time different health issues may arise due to lack of certain vitamins and minerals.
Without getting too scientific, in depth, and complex, I am going to make it easy for you…
“Eat The Rainbow”
If you eat a variety of fruits and vegetables on a regular basis, you will likely get in all the necessary vitamins and minerals you need.
Yes, you can get your daily allowance by taking multi-vitamins or other supplements, but you are always better off to get your nutrients in food form rather than supplement form.
This is one of the reasons I am not a huge fan of doing a ketosis diet long term. It is a great way to lose weight and has been shown to improve some other health markers, but is nearly impossible to get the variety of fruits and vegetables when doing so.
That does not mean you have to eat a high carbohydrate diet either. You can consume a lot of vegetables with a low carbohydrate intake.
To add to the benefits of "Eating The Rainbow," your fruits and vegetables are also how you get a lot of your antioxidants to protect and repair your body from inflammation and other damage to the cells by daily activities. This cell damage and breakdown is what causes many health issues people deal with.
If you don't consume a variety of foods, don't try to make it happen quickly or you will struggle. Start slow and add in something new every 1-2 weeks. The slower you go with the process, the less frustrated you will feel with changing up the foods you consume.
Questions about this or your nutrition in general? Email me at brianne@getyourfixpt.com
