Many of us don’t pay much attention to nutrition facts because we usually stick to diets that are highly restrictive or even completely absent of them. For some people, it’s easier to avoid reading labels than to read nutrition facts. Nutrition facts can be confusing and vary depending on the food you’re eating. The nutrition facts you see on food packaging may be highly misleading because they don’t take into account what you might be missing out on without those nutrients. Let’s take a look at the four main nutrients you should be paying the most attention to, especially if you’re trying to lose weight.
Potassium is found in a lot of foods and it is one of the most important nutrients for our body. We need a minimum of a hundred milligrams of potassium per day to maintain our body processes. Foods such as bananas, potatoes, sweet potatoes, eggplant, kidney beans, and many others are really high in potassium. Sweet potatoes are also a very rich source of potassium and also contain an extensive list of other vitamins and minerals such as calcium, iron, selenium, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, sodium, and zinc. One of the main nutritional benefits of sweet potato comes from the fact that they are high in an amino acid called beta-carotene, which converts into vitamin A when eaten.
Sodium is a substance that is found in both food and water and is vital to human health. It helps regulate blood pressure, heart rate, the fluid in our stomachs, and the amount of salt we have in our systems. Another example of a good source of sodium is potassium. Potatoes are also a good source of potassium, another essential nutrient. In fact, a diet consisting entirely of potassium is beneficial to your overall health.
Oxidative damage is a result of free radical damage and the consumption of foods high in antioxidants may increase oxidative damage. These foods include, but are not limited to, berries, grape fruits, red wine, tomatoes, broccoli, spinach, and various legumes and nuts. There are also several studies that show that eating dark green leafy vegetables, dark chocolate, and certain nuts and seeds may increase risk of oxidation and also help with blood sugar regulation. However, it is not currently clear how the antioxidants affect blood sugar regulation.
Some people are concerned that eating foods rich in antioxidants can increase a person’s risk of developing cancer or other chronic diseases. The evidence shows that antioxidants do not increase your risk of developing cancer. But eating foods high in antioxidants may lower your risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Research has shown that eating a diet high in antioxidants can help reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes. This is because antioxidants may act as insulin mimickers. Insulin is a substance that allows cells to use glucose for energy.
There are two types of antioxidants. The first is coenzyme Q10. It is found in many plant-based foods. The second is vitamin E. Both of these antioxidants have been proven to be beneficial to our health. However, research has shown that eating foods that contain vitamin E may increase a person’s risk of developing beta carotene-related diseases such as beta-carotenemia, cataracts, and age-related macular degeneration.
A diet including a lot of dark green vegetables such as sweet potato, dark leafy greens like spinach, kale, and cabbage, dark colored grapefruit, cantaloupe, and Brazil nuts may also provide some of the necessary amounts of beta-carotene and other antioxidants to help lower one’s chances of getting these diseases. Brazil nuts, walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, pecans, chestnuts, and flaxseeds are all good sources of vitamin E. Other good foods to eat are olives, oily fish, chicken, turkey, red meat, eggs, carrots, spinach, and other green leaf vegetables. These foods are not only good for your heart, but they are also very good for your stomach as well.
As we have seen above, the best way to get adequate amounts of Vitamin A, C, E, and potassium is to eat a diet rich in these foods. However, if you feel that you need a little extra help along the way, there are some super foods that you can eat. These include ginger, lime, and guava. Keep in mind that these super foods can increase your blood pressure, and therefore should be consumed in moderation. The guidelines recommend taking one gram of vitamin A for every KG of body weight, or two grams of vitamin C for every 100 pounds of body weight.
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