Today everyone is concerned about fitness and well-being. We are always in search for supplements and magical diets that can help us achieve our goals instantly. Be it weight loss, muscle gain or mass gain. In this quest of finding the ultimate supplement we often neglect the fundamental nutrients required by the body.
Interestingly, being informed about the sources and benefits of the nutrients you can yourself pick out the diet and supplements that can help you achieve your fitness goal. So, we’ve compiled a list of nutrients and their sources which should help you out:
Nutrients
Nutrients are the substances that are required by a living body to survive, grow and reproduce. You can consider them to be building blocks of living organisms. There are 7 kinds of nutrients – Proteins, Carbohydrates, Minerals, Fats, Vitamins, Water and Fibre. Out of these seven, first 6 are known as essential nutrients as they cannot be synthesised by the body whereas fibre is a non-essential nutrient.
Macro and Micro-Nutrients
Out of these seven nutrients 3 are required by body in larger quantities for survival and are hence called macronutrients while other 4 are called as micro nutrients. These macronutrients are – Protein, Carbohydrates and Fats while Fibre, Water, Minerals and Vitamins are micronutrients.
Natural sources of Macro-nutrients
Proteins- Eggs, Chicken breast, Salmon, Milk, Yoghurt, Lentils
Carbohydrates (complex)- Oatmeal, Brown rice, Sweet potatoes, Beetroot, Whole wheat bread, Whole wheat pasta
Fats- Almonds, Walnut, Peanut, Flaxseeds, Avocado, Cashews, Dark Chocolate
Natural sources of Vitamins and Minerals
Vitamin A or retinol is present in carrots, pumpkins, spinach, mangoes and sweet potatoes
Vitamin B-12 or cobalamin is present in meat, poultry, fish, milk, cheese, fortified soy-milk and cereals
Vitamin C or ascorbic acid is present in citrus fruits, potatoes, broccoli, bell pepper and spinach
Vitamin D or calcitriol is present in fatty fish and fortified milk and cereal
Vitamin E or calciferol is present in green, leafy vegetables and whole grains and nuts
Vitamin K or phylloquinone is present in eggs, milk, spinach, broccoli and kale
Iron is present in red meat, poultry, eggs, fruits, green vegetables and bread
Calcium is present in yogurt cheese, milk, salmon and leafy vegetables
Magnesium is present in spinach, broccoli, legumes, seeds, and whole-wheat bread
Supplements that you can add to your diet
There are certain micronutrients that are not easily replenished by body and are not available in your diet. You can consider taking them as supplement to your diet.
Below mentioned supplements are for informational purpose only. Please consult a physician before starting any doses.
• Probiotics because they boost your immune system and improve intestinal health.
• Coenzyme Q-10 which promotes a healthy heart by reducing blood pressure and cholesterol.
• Glutamine which is a amino acid responsible which promotes digestive health by strengthening your immune response.
• Omega 3 Fats are the most popular supplements due to the immense benefits can come with them. They help in lowering your cholesterol levels, improve your heart health and promote learning and brain health.
