How to Get Five Important Nutrients You Need to Maintain Health

Date: 10/05/20

A nutritious diet is an important factor when it comes to your overall health. But sometimes it can be hard to know what to include to balance your meals and ensure you are getting the right vitamins and minerals. One way to get these valuable nutrients is to round out your meals with fresh, colorful fruits and vegetables, whole grains, proteins, and low-fat dairy items. To make sure your body gets what it needs, the health experts at Envolve, an integrated healthcare solutions company, have put together five tips to help you make your meals healthy and delicious, too.

1. Claim Calcium. Calcium is an important mineral that your body needs to stay healthy. You might know that the main function of calcium is to maintain strong bones and teeth, but did you know that calcium is also vital for the development of strong muscles? Getting calcium from the food you eat might be easier than you think. Dairy items like hard cheeses, milk, and plain yogurt are good choices. Some other options high in calcium includes sardines, almonds, beans, and green vegetables. Start your day with plain yogurt, fresh berries, and a little bit of honey or granola for a calcium-rich breakfast.

2. Identify Iron. An iron-rich diet is an important part of your health and can boost your energy, support your immune system, and regulate body temperature. Iron is also the mineral that helps hemoglobin transport oxygen in the blood. About 10 million Americans are iron deficient.[1] When your body doesn’t transport enough oxygen, you can experience low energy and headaches. Adding foods to your diet such as chicken, shrimp, spinach, sweet potatoes, or peas can improve your iron intake and help keep you healthy and strong.

3. Partake in Protein. Protein is an important macronutrient and is fundamental to the health of your muscles, bones, skin, and hair. Shaping your diet to include healthy proteins is vital to your overall wellbeing. Luckily, there are many ways to get a healthy dose of protein into your daily meals. Eating legumes, nuts, whole grains, poultry, eggs, and dairy is your best bet to enhance your protein intake. Try an easy protein-packed lunch of grilled or baked chicken on a bed of quinoa. Don’t forget the baked or steamed veggies like broccoli, butternut squash, and zucchini for a well-rounded and tasty dish.

4. Devour Vitamin D. Vitamin D is an important factor in your body’s absorption of calcium, thus a vital component of bone health. Plus, this vitamin also plays a role in improving your mood. The best way to get Vitamin D in your diet is through fatty fish like tuna and mackerel, dairy products, or egg yolks. Having a hard time getting enough Vitamin D through the food you eat? You can also soak up the appropriate amount of Vitamin D by spending just 10-15 minutes in the sunshine, two or three times a week. Don’t forget to wear sunscreen and stay hydrated while you enjoy the sun!

5. Fancy Fiber. A diet high in fiber is important for overall gut health, proper blood sugar levels, and can even lower cholesterol. Fiber can also help you feel fuller, longer – leading to better weight control by lowering hunger between meals. Some sources of fiber include chickpeas or garbanzo beans, pinto beans, avocado, and raspberries and blackberries. Looking for a healthy snack full of fiber? Try hummus, which is made from chickpeas, with celery or carrot sticks.

About Envolve, Inc.®

Envolve, Inc.® is a family of health solutions, working together to make healthcare simpler, more effective and more accessible for everyone. As an agent for change in healthcare, Envolve is committed to transforming the health of the community, one person at a time. Envolve unifies specialty pharmacyPBMvisiondental24/7 nurse advice servicesMSO solutions, and more. For more information, please visit our website www.envolvehealth.com or contact us at mediainquiries@envolvehealth.com.

 

[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3685880/#:~:text=In%20the%20United%20States%2C%20the,who%20have%20iron%20deficiency%20anemia.