How much fruit, which vegetables, and which ones at all? This is how you cover your daily vitamin requirements cleverly (and without expensive supplements)
"Eat 5 servings of fruit and vegetables" - almost everyone knows the "5 a day" campaign, which was launched by the German Society for Nutrition, various health insurance companies, and the German Cancer Society, among others. That's a good thing, because fruit and vegetables contain many vitamins that are not just "just" healthy, but sometimes even essential.
But between everyday stress and the like, healthy nutrition quickly slips down the priority list far too far and the vitamins only work so semi-well. Yet it can be so simple.
This is why vitamins are so important
Without vitamins, nothing works in your body. In contrast to the three macronutrients ( carbohydrates, protein, and fat ), vitamins do not provide energy in the form of calories, but they are the substances that are needed for every reaction in your body, no matter how small: nervous system, energy metabolism, the immune system, hormone formation, digestion, cell division and and and. All this only works with the help of vitamins. There are 13 vitamins in total, which can be roughly divided into two groups: Vitamins A, D, E and K are fat-soluble vitamins, and the rest - for example, vitamin C - are water-soluble vitamins. Which is the most important vitamin of all, you ask? All are equally important for you and your health - there is no "all-around talent" among the vitamins.
Vitamins are therefore essential, i.e. vital. The only problem is: Your body cannot produce them itself (except partially vitamin D through sun exposure on the skin). That is why he is dependent on you giving it to him through food. The equation is simple: there is no life without vitamins. If, on the other hand, you take care of an adequate supply of vitamins, you are fit, healthy, vital, and efficient and also make yourself more resistant to germs and diseases. Because if you eat fruit and vegetables regularly, you reduce the risk of stroke, coronary heart disease, and colon cancer. This is confirmed by the current DGE nutrition report.
Despite your stressful job, you should fill up your vitamin stores by noon at the latest. With these healthy recipe ideas:
,
Cover vitamin requirements: With these tips, it works
To cover your vitamin requirements, you do not have to know exactly how much of which vitamin you need. If you are still interested, you can read about it in our vitamin ABC or on the website of the German Society for Nutrition. The reassuring thing is that studies show that taking supplements with a balanced diet has no advantage. So you can cover all vitamins with a healthy diet without any problems.
By the way, it can make sense to have your blood count checked occasionally so that you know whether your body is missing something. But maybe you should try our tips first. Because with these you will definitely cover your vitamin requirements:
1. Eat 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day
The rule mentioned earlier is as simple as it sounds: try to eat 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day. The following always applies: It is better to eat a little more vegetables than fruit, as the former provides less sugar. Otherwise, you can't go wrong. The 5 servings can be distributed throughout the day as snacks or integrated into main meals as a side dish. A kiwi for breakfast, a few raw food sticks in between, or a small salad with an omelet in the evening. You can also simply pack your "greens" into a shake or smoothie.
2. Pay attention to the right preparation
Some vitamins, including vitamin C and several B vitamins, are extremely sensitive to heat. Water-soluble vitamins are also quickly washed out by too much water when cooking. Not all vitamins do, however, and some even benefit from the heat. Although the vitamin C content of vegetables is reduced by cooking or baking, the cooking process in carrots, for example, increases the proportion of beta-carotene (vitamin A precursor), as this study shows. According to studies, the same phenomenon occurs with tomatoes: tomato paste or sauce contains more lycopene than fresh tomatoes, for example.
Beta carotene and lycopene are among the secondary plant substances. These bioactive substances are also incredibly important for our health and are often part of studies.
Processed or cooked vegetables are not necessarily low in vitamins, it depends on the vegetables themselves. Therefore, it is smart to choose different preparation methods and integrate raw vegetables as well as steamed and cooked vegetables into your diet.
3. Eat the bowl with you
In most cases, you can save yourself peeling, because most of the vitamins are under the peel. And it would be a shame to just throw them away. Be sure to wash your fruit and vegetables, because (unfortunately) some pesticides can also get stuck on the skin. In the best-case scenario, you should choose organic foods as a precautionary measure to benefit even more from the vitamins they contain.
4. Go for whole grains
Vitamins are not only found in fruit and vegetables: Cereal products, legumes and nuts also contain important vitamins. A perfect addition to your daily serving of fruit and veg. To absorb as many vitamins as possible, you should definitely use whole grain instead of white flour products when it comes to cereals. Most of the nutrients are in the shell of the grain. For light flour and white rice, this is removed, and with it the vitamins it contains.
5. Use oil regularly
To cover your vitamin needs, you should not only eat fruit and vegetables diligently but also (the right) fat. High-quality vegetable oils such as rapeseed oil, olive oil, or linseed oil not only provide essential fatty acids, but are themselves rich in vitamins and, above all, necessary to absorb the fat-soluble vitamins A, E, and K. They are found, among other things, in carrots, tomatoes, peppers, broccoli or spinach. To get a full load of vitamins, you should always refine your vegetables with a dash of oil.
6. Pimp your food with sprouts and seeds
Would you like extra vitamins? Then you should make sprouts and seeds the icing on the cake of your meals. They provide heaps of vitamins, especially B vitamins, which are only found in small amounts in fruit and vegetables, as well as valuable minerals and trace elements. This makes them the perfect supplement to really provide your body with everything the vitamin spectrum has to offer.
Read also: Busting the Myth: Debunking the Notion that You Can't Eat Papaya During Menstruation
On the sandwich, in the salad, in the vegetable pan, in the bowl, or as a topping for oatmeal or muesli, they also provide additional aroma and crunch. And a few extra vitamins are so easy for you.7. Eat seasonally and locally
Eating seasonally makes sense. Not only because it is then easier to use regional products with short transport routes, which means that more vitamins are contained in the food. Your body loves variety. The greater the variety, the more different nutrients it gets. And he benefits from that.
In addition, the needs of your body also change depending on the season, which can be supported by seasonal fruit and vegetables: Typical winter vegetables such as kale provide extremely high levels of vitamin C to boost the immune system. Spring vegetables such as asparagus or spinach have a draining effect and boost the metabolism. In summer, water-rich berries, tomatoes, and courgettes help to stay hydrated and in autumn, beetroot and pumpkin are the best preparation for the cold season thanks to their valuable antioxidants.
Do I need vitamin supplements?
Normally you can easily cover your vitamin needs with the help of a varied and diverse diet - and of course our clever tricks. Supplements are therefore not absolutely necessary.
In addition, water-soluble vitamins such as vitamin C cannot be stored at all or only in very small amounts. So it doesn't make much sense to go wild with any additional preparations according to the "watering can principle".
Read also: Check out 5 High Blood Pressure Medicines that are easy to get lifestyle
"Dietary supplements are useful if the right nutrients are taken by the right person at the right time in the right amount" is the " plain text dietary supplement " of the consumer centers. So if you know for sure that you cannot cover your vitamin requirements due to your diet ( vegans really need these supplements! ), illnesses, intolerances, or an increased need (pregnancy), supplements make absolute sense. Talk to your doctor or doctor about it beforehand and don't wildly take any supplements. Full vitamin stores despite busy everyday life? Of course, it works. As you can see, it doesn't have to be complicated. You don't have to weigh everything exactly, nor do you have to meticulously look at which vitamin you need and in what quantities. Unless you eat vegan.
The only thing you have to watch out for as an omnivore is: Eat varied, diverse, and preferably fresh. This is particularly easy with our individual nutrition plans. If you then manage to implement our tips, you really don’t have to worry about your vitamin requirements.
Top 8 Best Impressive Health Benefits of Apples
15 Staple Foods to Make Healthy Eating Easy: How To Make Healthy Foods Taste Good