Our Top Ten Nutrients
Our body relies on a complex system of checks and balances. Above all, it requires an army of nutrients to ready our biological machinery for the herculean task of keeping us alive. To refuel, we turn to food. Food, of course, provides a vast array of nutrients essential to our body’s performance. But here’s the real kicker: our modern diet is increasingly failing to satisfy this basic nutritional need.
Besides cleaning up our diets, we can also use supplements to cover any nutritional shortfalls. And although, as health nerds, we could wax lyrical about every nutrient under the sun, we’ve whittled it down to our top ten, paying close attention to those that are notoriously awkward to get from your diet.
The B vitamins
That the B vitamins play a role in almost every biochemical process is a testament to just how integral they are to our health. This family of nutritional powerhouses are water-soluble and, generally, quite delicate, meaning our bodies cannot store them. For this reason, we need to replenish our reserves every day. The problem is that most of our diets provide borderline, or deficient, B vitamins, largely due to our appetite for ultra-processed food.
How B vitamins support our health:
• Reduction of tiredness and fatigue
• Skin health
• Heart Health
• Immunity
• Hormonal health
Most multivitamins deliver a good spread of B vitamins. You may wish to build on this dose with an additional low-strength B-vitamin complex.
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Vitamin D3
Dubbed the ‘sunshine vitamin’ because the body manufactures it after sun exposure, vitamin D is a powerhouse for health. Vitamin D maintains normal bones, teeth, and muscle function – and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. This nutrient is also critically important for immunity. However, since the body synthesises vitamin D from sunlight, ensuring a regular intake isn’t always easy in the UK. Plus, many groups in the population are already at risk of low vitamin D.
How vitamin D supports our health:
• Immune function
• Bone and teeth health
• Muscle function
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Vitamin K2
Derived from the German word ‘koagulation’, Vitamin K is a fat-soluble vitamin that plays a varied role in health, some of which are still being discovered by scientists. Most notably, vitamin K is involved in blood clotting, bone metabolism, and regulating blood calcium levels. Unfortunately, the vast majority of modern diets generally don’t provide enough vitamin K, which conspires to threaten overall health.
How vitamin K2 supports our health:
• Bone health
• Heart health
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Magnesium
Impressively, magnesium plays a role in more than 300 biochemical reactions in the body, maintaining normal muscle and nerve function, supporting normal psychological function, and protecting bones and teeth. And that’s not all. This mineral also contributes to energy metabolism and supports the reduction of tiredness and fatigue. The problem is many of us aren’t getting enough magnesium through diet alone.
How magnesium supports our health:
• Bone and teeth health
• Energy release and the reduction of tiredness and fatigue
• Muscle function
• Nervous system function
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Iron
A building block for red blood cells and DNA and essential for transporting oxygen throughout the body for energy production, iron is critical to your overall health and happiness. Too little, and you’ll find yourself sluggish, exhausted, and weak. Unfortunately, an iron deficiency is widespread amongst all ages and both sexes, reflecting a societal move towards plant-based diets and a reduction in meat consumption. Women of childbearing are also at risk due to menstruation, pregnancy, and breastfeeding.
How iron supports our health:
• Immune function
• Energy production
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Iodine
An essential trace mineral – meaning you must attain it from dietary sources – iodine is central to the working of the thyroid gland, skin health, and the nervous system. The tiny amounts of iodine needed by the body play a vitally important role in our health and wellbeing. For several years, it was believed that the UK population was obtaining sufficient iodine. More recently, however, research has reported that iodine intakes are significantly below what they should be, especially amongst specific groups in the population, like schoolgirls.
How iodine supports our health:
• The production of thyroid hormones
• Normal skin
• Nervous system health
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Selenium
Though somewhat under-the-radar, selenium is a powerhouse for health. Selenium is an essential mineral, which means you must obtain it through diet alone. Your body utilises selenium to produce potent antioxidants that neutralise ‘free radicals’, unstable chemicals, which – in excess – conspire to damage cells. In recent years, dietary intakes of selenium have fallen sharply, most likely due to our modern-day processing and refining of food, which removes much of this essential nutrient from our diets
How selenium supports our health:
• Immune function
• Thyroid function
• Maintenance of hair and nails
• Normal sperm health
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Chromium
A small yet mighty essential trace mineral, chromium plays a multifaceted role in the body, supporting normal macronutrient (carbohydrates, fats, and proteins) metabolism and the maintenance of normal blood glucose levels. Nevertheless, as with many of the nutrients we’ve already mentioned here, the modern-day trend to process and refine food conspires to deplete dietary sources of chromium.
How chromium supports our health:
• Macronutrient metabolism
• Normal blood glucose levels
Broccoli is incredibly rich in chromium, delivering an impressive 22µg in just one cup.
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Zinc
The second most abundant trace mineral in the body, zinc is tremendously important for scores of biochemical and cellular functions, playing a critical role in immune function, protein synthesis, wound healing, and gene expression (2). Zinc is an essential mineral, which means your body can’t produce it naturally or even store it. As such, you need a regular and reliable intake through your diet. Unfortunately, many of us are deficient in zinc due to advances in food processing.
How zinc supports our health:
• Immune function
• Wound healing
• Skin health
• Fertility
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Fish Oils (Omega 3 fatty acids)
In an ideal world, we should all consume a balance of omega-6 and omega-3 in a ratio of 3:1. However, in the last few decades, our omega-6 intake has increased exponentially, while our omega-3 consumption has fallen sharply. One possible explanation for this is the changes associated with modern agriculture. The imbalance in favour of omega 6 is incredibly problematic for our health, especially when so many vital organs depend on omega-3, namely our brain and eyes.
How omega 3s support our health:
• Brain health - DHA contributes to the maintenance of normal brain function, based on a daily intake of 250mg DHA.
• Heart function - Both DHA and EPA support the normal function of the heart and contribute to the maintenance of normal blood pressures, based on a daily intake of 250mg of DHA and EPA.
• Vision - DHA contributes to the maintenance of normal vision, based on a daily intake of 250mg of DHA.
