“Nutrition can be compared to a chain in which all essential items are separate links. We know what happens if one link of a chain is weak or is missing. The whole chain falls apart,” says Patrick Wright, the famous researcher on food-related diseases. Micronutrients are small but vital links that hold our system together. Let's get into how you can incorporate them into your diet to make it wholesome and nutritious.
The human body is a complicated network of systems that are remarkably integrated by tiny links that can snap due to malnourishment.
Micronutrients, which include vitamins and minerals, provide the necessary strength and resilience to these strategic links and help your system sustain a healthy metabolism without any breakdown.
They give a boost to the immune system by repairing cellular damages.
Micronutrients are required in small quantities by our bodies but are essential for the growth, development, and normal functioning of the various systems.
However, a mere look at the long list of vitamins and minerals, their functions, food sources, and the outcomes of their deficiencies can send you into a tizzy.
The salient features that you have to remember are that vitamins and minerals perform several vital functions in your body, and hence, they are part of the essential nutrients that your diet should contain.
The best way to intake vitamins and minerals is through diet only.
The key word with regard to your intake should be moderation.
Anything, however essential it is, when consumed in excess, could unsettle the balance by giving rise to complications.
Vitamins are known as organic substances as they are produced by plants and animals.
There are 13 essential vitamins that are classified as water-soluble vitamins and fat-soluble.
All the eight B vitamins (B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7, B9 & B12) and vitamin C are water-soluble vitamins.
Vitamins A, D, E & K are the fat-soluble vitamins.
As the water-soluble vitamins are easily excreted from the body through urine, you have to consistently include them in your daily diet to obtain their benefits.
Fats and lipids aid the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins by the body.
However, the excess storage of these vitamins could lead to complications.
Fruits and green & leafy vegetables, milk, eggs, and other dairy products, meat, fish, mushrooms, cereals, nuts and seeds, and whole grains are the primary sources of vitamins.
It is essential for you to understand that a certain percentage of vitamins, especially the water-soluble ones, are lost in the process of cooking due to exposure to heat.
Hence, steaming or grilling could be a healthier way to cook your food for preventing the loss of nutrition.
Each vitamin has its own specific crucial function:
To experience the world of benefits offered by these wonder vitamins, all you need to do is to include them in tiny quantities in your daily diet.
While it is a fact that we require micronutrients in small quantities, let us never overlook the reality that the lack of micronutrients can result in serious health issues.
The deficiency of vitamins can prove disastrous to your body.
Lack of vitamins in your diet will lead to primary deficiencies.
Secondary deficiencies occur when your system is unable to absorb or utilize the vitamins due to certain sedentary habits.
Osteoporosis, vision impairments, skin infections, toothaches, and bleeding gums are a few of the common complications resulting from vitamin deficiencies.
Minerals are inorganic substances that are absorbed from the earth through soil and water by plants and animals.
The functioning of bones, muscles, heart, and brain depends on your intake of minerals.
Minerals are also crucial for making enzymes and hormones.
There are about 50 minerals that our body stores in varying amounts.
They are classified into macro-minerals and trace minerals.
The body requires macro-minerals in larger quantities in contrast to trace minerals
The macro-minerals include calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, sodium, potassium, chloride, and sulfur.
You need calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium in good quantities to keep your bones healthy.
Intake of sodium, chloride, and potassium helps bring about a balance of water in your body.
The regular consumption of sulfur strengthens the protein structures in the hair, skin, and nails.
The trace minerals include iron, copper, chromium, fluoride, iodine, manganese, selenium, and zinc.
Iron transports oxygen throughout your body, fluoride prevents tooth decay, copper helps in the formation of enzymes, and zinc sharpens your ability to taste and smell.
Minerals are absorbed by the bloodstream and are excreted by the kidneys like the water-soluble vitamins.
However, excess consumption of one mineral might impair your body’s ability to absorb another mineral.
This could result in mineral imbalance or deficiency.
This kind of imbalance occurs mostly due to overloads caused by supplement usage.
Most of us remain unaware of the fact that excess intake of sodium through processed foods or in the form of table salt can lead to calcium deficiency.
When there is a rise in sodium levels, your body receives a signal to excrete the excess sodium.
As calcium always binds with excess sodium, you automatically lose calcium as well.
Thus, indiscriminate consumption of processed foods will eventually lead to calcium deficiency and bone disorders.
Similarly, excess phosphorus will hamper your body’s ability to absorb magnesium that is essential for enzyme activation and functioning of the muscles and nerves.
Minerals also interact with vitamins, as in the case of vitamin C, that helps you absorb iron more efficiently.
Food sources rich in minerals include egg, meat, milk, cheese, cereals, dried fruits, nuts, vegetables, beans, banana, orange, melons, salt, etc.
Do you know that the food that you consume has a greater impact on the overall performance of your genes and DNA?
Genetic research has shown that individual genetic variations greatly influence the assimilation, metabolization, storage, and excretion of micro and macro-nutrients.
Right now there's no magic pill that can reset your genetic makeup, but it doesn't mean that you are stuck with your genetic profile either.
Genetic testing helps in analyzing an individual’s genome that can predict how effectively his/her body can absorb and assimilate the food items that the individual consumes along with the chemicals that are present in them.
You can counter-balance your genetic risk for certain deficiencies and health conditions through a personally tailored diet and other healthy lifestyle choices.
Upload your raw data to Xcode Life for insights into 700+ health-related traits!
There is no dearth of recommendations and advice for the healthiest diet in today’s health conscious world.Since our genes respond to the food we eat,biologists at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) have strived to find answers to certain questions at the molecular levels.
Do the food we eat contribute to healthy cellular processes? Are we getting the benefit of what we eat?
Their recent genetic research actually speaks for what the ‘gene’ might consider a healthy food preference, limiting the risks of lifestyle related diseases. The ideal diet must consist of: one-third protein, one- third fat, one- third carbohydrates.
Gene expression refers to the process where information from a gene’s DNA sequence is translated into a substance, like a protein, that is used in a cell’s structure or function. A diet with 65% carbohydrates, causes a number of classes of genes to work overtime. This affects not only the genes that cause inflammation in the body, but also genes associated with development of cardiovascular disease, some cancers, dementia, type 2 diabetes and all major lifestyle-related diseases. A common dietary advice to keep genes healthy and prevent chronic diseases is one that reduces inflammatory reactions in the body and also minimizes the body’s need to secrete insulin.
Dr. Berit Johansen, a professor of biology at NTNU, says “In choosing what we eat, we choose whether we will provide our genes the weapons that cause disease”.
Be it the ‘youth gene’ or the genes that are linked to cardiovascular diseases, a new balanced diet sheet needs to be drawn keeping in mind that every meal has the right amount of fat, protein and good carbohydrates..
Eating disorders can be caused by a mix of sociological, psychological and genetic factors. According to Johansen, “the ability to resist or otherwise, it seems, maybe built into your DNA.” Some noteworthy findings are:
On a positive note, research proves that volunteers showed positive changes within 6 days of diet- change. So remember it’s never too late to alter your food preference in spite of the genetic inclinations.
Are you looking to lose weight and live healthier? Do you have diabetes and are looking to modify your diet for better control over your blood sugar? Are you switching from carbohydrate rich foods to protein and fiber rich foods? Are you avoiding sugary drinks and choosing sugar free alternatives? Do you look at the ingredients of packaged foods before buying them?
As you probably know by now, there is a lot of information out there with many products advertising themselves as fit for diabetics. But how can you empower yourself to make informed choices? There are two numbers you should know before picking your diet plan: Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load.
Food that we eat contains carbohydrates which are essentially complex, modified sugars.
The carbohydrate in any food is broken down by the body into simple sugars and then metabolized to give you energy.
This breakdown of carbohydrates is the cause of a spike in your blood glucose levels after consuming any food.
Glycemic index (GI) quantifies the impact that carbohydrates in food have on blood sugar levels.
It answers the question, ‘if I eat a specific amount, say 100g of a particular food, by how much will it increase my blood glucose levels?’
The GI scale runs from 0-100 with 100 being the GI of pure sugar.
Carbohydrate and sugar rich processed foods such as white bread, pastries and cakes have high GI values around 70-90.
In comparison, basmati rice which is also mostly carbohydrate has a value around 58.
Apples on the other hand are considered a low GI food and have a value around 30, making them a very healthy option for you.
A second equally important but often underappreciated metric is the Glycemic Load (GL).
The GL value represents the impact of a food on blood glucose levels taking into account the amount of carbohydrate contained in the food.
This is important because for a given serving size, not all foods contain the same amount of carbohydrates.
What exactly does this mean?
Here is an example that may help you understand the difference. Take the case of the juicy watermelon that we all love to eat during the sweltering summer months. The GI for watermelon is very high, around 72 which at first glance may make it unsuitable for diabetics. But consider the fact that a 100 gram serving of contains only 5 grams of carbohydrates. Taking this into account, the GL for watermelon is a value around 7.
Now let’s check the GI and GL values for a banana. A ripe yellow banana has an approximate GI value of 50. Seems like a better fruit than the watermelon. But the GL value for the banana is actually much higher (~13). Why? Because a 120g serving of bananas has 24 grams of carbs in them, greatly increasing the GL.
So in comparing the two, for the same serving size, watermelons have less of an impact on your glucose levels.
Even if we take into consideration that we might eat more of the watermelon because it’s mostly water, they still end up being the better choice because of the difference in GL.
This doesn’t mean that you should avoid bananas either. Rather being properly informed allows you to determine the right portion sizes for what you eat.
When planning your meals, take into account both the GI and GL of foods and prevent diabetes . Better choices make for better health!
Xcode Life is a leading personal-genomics company based in India, with a global presence. Our core technology incorporates latest scientific advances in human genetic testing and bioinformatics to create highly personalized and effective products for proactively managing health and wellness.
All of us know that eating a combo of cheesy supersize pizza, bulging burger, and an ice cream sundae is bad for our health. Yet, the craving for the yummy big Mac burger and a tasty cream cake from a roadside shop doesn’t seem to lessen.
Are you someone who has repeatedly tried to control your sweet tooth but remain succumbed to the lures of junk food?
Maybe it is not your fault at all!
Scientists from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in Maryland say so.
According to their findings eating junk food on a regular basis can lead to already known risks of cancer, inflammation, infections, allergic reactions, and permanent scarring in your DNA.
Yes, it is true.
Junk food can alter your DNA and carry on the scar for generations to come altering the mini-ecosystem that exists in our body forever.
It is the foremost cause of obesity and leads to various problems in the immune system and disturbs the intricate chemical makeup of the stomach.
But permanent damage to DNA comes as a shocker as well as a waking call for all the junk food lovers out there!
Our body has evolved over time to adjust to its surroundings and the same goes for the bacteria in the gut.
When you munch on too much junk food, the bacteria in your stomach get affected.
Research has shown that they have already undergone a lot of changes in their gene expressions due to our unhealthy food habits.
Even our DNA has been encoded with our poor dietary choices.
These changes are directly passed on to our off springs stretching across generations.
A mother’s eating habits have a great potential in shaping her child’s flavor and preferences even before birth and determines the child’s choice of food, sugar or vegetable.
The new study also reveals the effect of paternal DNA in molding a child’s food habit.
The developmental imbalances created during a child’s critical developmental period could leave the baby’s immune system weak and may cause autoimmune and allergic diseases.
The only way to counteract this alarming condition is a radical change of lifestyle.
The transfer of strained DNA can be stopped only if the present generation moves towards a healthier diet.
Stress is one of the routine terms used by most of us, in the present day. Right from a 5 year old to a 50 year old, everyone is accustomed to some type of issue that causes stress. Stress has extreme after effects. But, do we really want to partner with Stress our whole life?
Stress is either physical or mental. Physical stress occurs when our body experiences severe strain. Worry, fear and anxiety the main reasons of mental stress. Both forms of stress have serious effects. It is highly important to detect and manage stress in the early stages in order to lead a healthy life.
Once you’ve decided to get rid of stress, it is important for you to find out the factors that prompt it.
Eating unhealthy food or eating very small portions than what is actually required, influences stress as the body does not receive the right amount of nutrition.
People, who don’t shake it right, suffer severe stress.
A recent research states that people with a negative attitude experience more stress than the ones who think positively.
Improper sleeping patterns and lack of interest in other activities that render relaxation, causes stress.
Now that you’ve looked at the factors of stress, it is crucial for you to understand how to manage and eliminate stress.
Stress levels differ from person to person. With the past experiences you’ve had with stress, figure out how much stress you can really handle. Once you find this out, keep track of it.
Learn to manage time. Do the right things at the right time.
Do not push yourself to some unrealistic promise of completing loads of work in a very short span of time.
Eat healthy with the right portions. Do not skip meals. Acquire maximum nutrition.
Adopt stress relieving techniques like yoga to maximize relaxation and stay stress free.
Make exercising a habit. It prompts positive thoughts and surrounds you with a good energy.
Develop healthy sleeping patterns.
Start doing things that interest you apart from your routine work.
Eliminating stress is unthinkable. But, you can manage it for sure.
Food without salt is tasteless and unappetizing. But, too much salt intake is not good for health. Of course, our body needs salt but not as much as we consume. Only one gram of salt is essential for an adult in a day and even lesser is the need for salt in children. But people take a lot more salt than is medically recommended which is a concern.
1. High Blood PressureThe pressure that the blood puts on the blood vessels is known as blood pressure. Many reasons like too much body weight, no exercise as well as too much salt intake could lead to the increase in blood pressure. This could lead to various health complications like a stroke or a heart attack. People think that as they grow older, it is natural for the blood pressure to grow. It is not so. If you control the daily amount of salt in your food, you can keep your blood pressure under check.. |
2. Stomach CancerIf a person is high on salt consumption, he/she is more susceptible to getting stomach cancer. A bacteria known as H. Pyroli is the cause for stomach cancer. Now too much salt intake can damage stomach lining, which in turn would leave the stomach vulnerable to H. Pyroli, and increase the chances of developing stomach cancer. |
3. OsteoporosisA condition where the bones lose its density and become thin or brittle is known as osteoporosis. Many people around the world suffer from this disorder. Calcium is stored in our bones. Too much salt intake causes this calcium to be flushed out of the body through urine causing the bones to turn weak and brittle. This disorder is very common in women after menopause but this can be checked by consuming lesser amount of salt in the daily diet. |
4. Diseases of the KidneyThe kidneys maintain the balance of fluids in the human body. They monitor the amount of fluid which is flushed out from the blood into the urine. Too much salt intake can cause malfunctioning of the kidneys. Also when calcium from the bones is flushed out by the urine, it could cause a deposit to form in the kidneys leading to kidney stone. |
5. Retention of WaterToo much salt in the diet could lead to water being retained in the body which could lead to bloating. This can be cured by reducing salt consumption |
Hence to reduce health hazards and to lead a normal life it is advisable that people eat more fresh food rather than tinned and junk food as they all have huge quantities of salt in them and thereby increasing your overall salt consumption levels.
