Micro-Nutrients for Our Good Health

(Vitamins and Minerals are necessary for virtually all reactions to occur in our body)

Micro-Nutrients are needed by our body in smaller quantities than Macro-nutrients. They are needed to ensure a healthy metabolism. They produce the essential enzymes, hormones and other substances essential for function, growth and development. Vitamins and minerals are micro-nutrients. They do not contain calories. Vitamins and Minerals must be taken in appropriate amount. As each vitamin or mineral has a recommended intake range, they should be consumed through diet first and if found under-consume then one can take help of supplementation.  Eating a balanced diet with as many wholefoods as possible is the best possible way to avail all the nutrients.

Vitamins vs Minerals

Vitamins and minerals are differ in basic ways. Vitamins are organic and can be broken down by heat, air and acid whereas Minerals are inorganic and hold on to their chemical structure. That’s why, the minerals in soil and water easily find their way into our body through the plants, fish, animals and fluids we consume. But it is tough to shuttle vitamins from food and other sources into our body because cooking, storage and simple exposure to air generally inactivate these more fragile organic compounds.

Vitamins:

Vitamin A, Vitamin B1 (Thiamine), Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin), Vitamin B3 (Niacin), Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic acid), Vitamin B6 (Pyriodoxine), Vitamin B7 (Biotin), Vitamin B9 (Folic Acid or folate), Vitamin B12, Vitamin C, Vitamin D, Vitamin E, Vitamin K.

Minerals:

Magnesium, Iron, Calcium and Phosphorous, Chromium, Copper, Fluoride, Iodine, Manganese, Chloride, Molybdenum, Selenium and Zinc.

Vitamins & their Types

Vitamins are scientifically classified into fat-soluble and water-soluble. Our body needs fat-soluble vitamins every day to work properly, but we don't have to eat foods containing them daily as our body stores these vitamins in our liver and fatty tissues for future use. Water-soluble vitamins are absorbed directly into the bloodstream as food is broken down during digestion or as a supplement dissolves.

• Water-soluble vitamins are absorbed directly into the bloodstream as food is broken down during digestion or as a supplement dissolves.
• Fat-soluble vitamins are Vitamin A, Vitamin D, Vitamin E and Vitamin K. 
• Fatty foods and animal products, such as vegetable oils, milk and dairy foods, eggs, liver, oily fish and butter are generally rich in fat-soluble vitamins.
• Many fat-soluble vitamins travel through our body only under escort by proteins that act as carriers.
• If anybody has much more than he/she needs, then fat-soluble vitamins can be harmful.
• Water-soluble vitamins are vitamin B and vitamin C group. 
• Fruits, vegetables, potatoes, grains, milk and dairy foods are generally rich in water-soluble vitamins. They are found in the watery portions of the foods.
• Water-soluble vitamins are not stored in our body, so we need to take them frequently. But If we take more than we need, then our body gets rid of the extra vitamins when we urinate.
• As our body does not store water-soluble vitamins, they are generally not harmful. 
• Water-soluble vitamins are generally destroyed by heat or when exposed to the air. They can also be lost in water at the time of cooking. 

How we Preserve Water-soluble vitamins in cooking?

The best available way to keep as many of the water-soluble vitamins as possible is to steam or grill our foods, rather than boil them. If food boiling is must then we must use the cooking water in soups or stews rather than pouring it away.

Minerals and their Requirement

Sources of Minerals

Minerals are required by our body to perform many functions for example to build strong bones and teeth, to control body fluids inside and outside cells and to convert the food we eat into energy.

• Meat, cereals, fish, milk and dairy foods, vegetables, fruit (especially dried fruit) and nuts are rich in minerals. 
• Trace minerals are found in small amounts in a variety of foods such as meat, fish, cereals, milk and dairy foods, vegetables and nuts.
• Calcium and iron are very major essential minerals for our body, but there are also many other types of minerals that are an important part of our diet.
• Compounds like Iodine and fluoride must be taken in traces, as these are the essential nutrients that our body needs to work properly, but in much smaller amounts than vitamins and minerals.
• Major minerals maintain proper water balance in our body. Sodium, chloride, and potassium are responsible in doing this. 
• Three other major minerals i.e. calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium are responsible for healthy bones. 
• Sulfur helps in stabilizing protein structures, including some of those that make up hair, skin, and nails.

Deficiency of Micro-nutrients

As tiny as the amounts are, however, the consequences of their deficiency are severe. In practice, vitamin and mineral deficiencies overlap and interact. Iodine, vitamin A and iron are most important in global public health terms; their lack represents a major threat to the health and development of populations the world over, particularly children and pregnant women in under-developed countries.

• Iodine deficiency is estimated to have lowered the intellectual capacity.
• Iron deficiency in the 6 to 24 month age group is impairing the mental development. Severe iron deficiency anaemia is also causing deaths.
• Vitamin A deficiency is compromising the immune systems.
• Folate deficiency is responsible for severe birth defects.

Who could benefit from Supplements?

People who don’t get enough micro-nutrients from food alone or are on low-calorie diets or have a poor appetite or avoid certain foods (such as vegetarians) might consider taking supplements. Health care providers might also recommend supplements to patients with certain medical problems.

Dietary Supplements

• Children aged 6 months to 5 years should take a supplement that contains vitamins A, C and D. This acts like a precaution because growing children may not get enough, especially those not eating a varied diet, such as picky eaters. 
• People who are not going often outdoors or if they usually wear clothes that cover up most of their skin when outdoors should take daily vitamin D supplements.
• Pregnant women should have a folic acid supplement up to week 12 of her pregnancy as it helps in preventing neural tube defects.
• In postmenopausal period, calcium and vitamin D supplements may increase bone strength and reduce the risk of fractures in women.
• People after 50 should get recommended amounts of vitamin B12 from fortified foods or dietary supplements because they might not absorb enough of the B12 that is naturally found in food.

When it is Harmful?

When we take vitamin and mineral in the form of supplements, we must be aware that taking too many or for too long can cause harmful effects to us.

• If anyone try to cut down on his/her salt intake, he/she might avoid vitamin and mineral supplements that come as effervescent tablets/capsules, as they can contain up to 1 gm of salt per tablet/capsule. 
• As fat-soluble vitamins are stored in our body for long periods, toxic levels can build up. This is most likely to happen if we take supplements.
• When one have too much of one major mineral, he/she may found deficiency of another. These sorts of imbalances are usually occurred by overloads from supplements.
• When we take too much sodium through table salt or processed foods, we may end up in losing needed calcium as our body rids itself of the surplus sodium and excreted when our body senses that sodium levels must be lowered.  
• High-dose supplements of antioxidants may resulted into health risks in some cases. For example, high doses of beta-carotene may increase the risk of lung cancer in smokers. High doses of vitamin E may increase risks of prostate cancer and one type of stroke.