Your Supplementation Profile

Three Essential Supplement Groups

A balanced diet is one that provides the correct level of nutrients suiting each individual. It not only includes the essential nutrient groups as listed below, but also sufficient protein, carbohydrate, fat and also air and water to maintain health and well being.

VITAMINS
Vitamins are complex substances needed in small amounts by the body for normal functioning.
There is a vast range of vitamins, found in varying amounts in different foods.

1. Vitamin A is found only in animal foods, but its precursor (from which the body can convert vitamin A) can be obtained from fruits and vegetables (particularly yellow and orange ones).
2. The B-complex is a large group of vitamins in itself, found most commonly in beans, yeasts and sprouted seeds.
3. Vitamin C is probably the most well known vitamin found in citrus fruits and many other fruits, such as strawberries and vegetables, such as broccoli, cauliflower, and peppers (the fresher the better).
4. Other vitamins include Vitamin D (which the body makes itself via the action of sunlight on skin), vitamin E (found in fats and oils, therefore nuts and seeds are a good source), vitamin K (essential for blood clotting, but needed in only tiny amounts in the diet) and the little known Vitamin U (most noted for its presence in cabbage).

MINERALS
Minerals come from the earth and eventually return to the earth and can most simply be defined as molecules that cannot be reduced to simpler substances. They are therefore in this state synonymous with the minerals found in soil and rocks. We cannot eat minerals in this form; therefore plants that grow on and are nourished by the soil convert raw minerals into a state our bodies can use. Animals that feed on vegetation pass the minerals even further into the food chain, and enable us to obtain minerals from meat sources too. Calcium is probably the best-known mineral, for its role in strong bone and teeth formation. A rich and well-utilized source is green leafy vegetables, so anyone avoiding dairy products need not worry about any deficit of calcium in their diet.

ESSENTIAL FATTY ACIDS
Although most people know of the body's need for vitamins and minerals there is not such an awareness of the requirement of essential fatty acids, if anything people are constantly being told to reduce their fat intake and so may see these acids as harmful.

There are a whole range of Essential Fatty Acids, but they basically break down into two groups; the omega 3 and the omega 6 fatty acids.