Nutrition is one of the key aspects that is detrimental to success and well-being of any athlete. *I bet you didn’t know about it! Haha!* As someone who doesn’t have any nutritional background, every single time I walk into a grocery store I face a big dilemma. I always try to choose the healthiest, most nutrient-filled food from thousands of choices. Not that I can’t pick anything *Thankfully, I don’t suffer from indecisiveness! Fewhhh!*, but I always question whether all fruits and vegetables that I buy can indeed provide me with all vitamins and minerals that I need in order to properly fuel my body.
Normally, I would complement my diet with vitamin pills; however, as of recently, various (usually contradicting) health reports made me question their effectiveness as well as their safety and potential harmful side effects on my health. I’m kind of worried since most of them are synthetically made.
Since I’m still looking into this issue, I figured I can as well educate myself a little bit more about nutritional benefits of various fruits and vegetables. *I mean, one doesn’t hurt another, right?!*
I found this image.
And this one.
Despite the great benefits of the above mentioned products, we neglect to realize that very often we get only a fraction of them. Why? Because depending on the method of preparation (or incorrect cooking), the nutritional value is drastically decreased, if not wiped out completely. So how can we preserve vital nutrients in food?
- Choose whole vegetables & fruits over pre-cut ones
- Try to stick to seasonal & local food
- Consider canning or freezing some food for winter
- Cook gently: reduce cooking time, temperature & amount of water added
- Cut fresh produce right before consumption
- Avoid reheating at all cost
- Give preference to a quick rinse as opposed to soaking whenever possible
What are your thoughts on vitamin supplements and pills? How do you preserve the nutritional value of your food?
xoxo
Olena
candies & crunches 
I’m pretty anti vitamin – but I also monitor my vitamins and minerals pretty closely too. I do use nutritional yeast and kombucha for my b12, but if I didn’t do that, I’d take a supplement since I dint get that from my diet.
Yeah, that’s the ones we pretty much don’t have much choice with. What are the tools that you use in order to monitor the intake? xoxo
I keep a food diary on Calorie Count and have a dietician analyze it every few months to make sure I’m getting what I need. Vegan + runner means I have to be vigilant!
That’s true! It’s better be careful than regret later. I think it’s very wise of you to have meeting with a dietician. xoxo
I love the fruit and vegetable facts! Will definitely try to expand my fruit and veggie intake.
Yay! ❤
I’m pretty hesitant about most vitamins and supplements, preferring to get my nutrition and/or boost my workouts through a well balanced diet/exercise regime instead. That said, I am taking a prenatal multivitamin right now…gotta do what’s best for my baby! And I do occasionally add plant-based proteins to my smoothies. Other than that, I’m all about the food. It’s much more enjoyable, right?!
Most definitely! Congratulations on your pregnancy! I hope it goes well and without any complications ❤
I also add protein to my smoothies to help my muscles to recover and I think it's fine as long as there is no overdoing it 🙂
xoxo
I like to take multivitamins every now and then to give my body a boost, but nothing beats getting everything naturally. Your body was made to get the good stuff from your food. Thanks for sharing the charts!! Always good having a bit of extra info 🙂
You are very welcome, darling!
Although I think it is best to eat healthy and strive to get your main supply of vitamins that route, I also know it’s impossible to get all we need from foods alone.
A little over a year ago, I was catching a cold every other week, my hair was thinning, I was eating healthy, and I was running a ton. But my body just wasn’t getting all the vitamins it needed. I visited my Dr. and she put me on Prenatals (no I’m not pregnant) she said they are the best source for women to get the extra vitamins they need.
Crazy, about 3-4 weeks after being on them daily, I quit getting sick, a few months later I noticed my hair starting to grow in thicker. I’ve been taking them for 15 months now, and I have only caught 1 cold in all that time.
So I am a believer by both healthy eating and vitamin suppliments:)
That’s awesome! At some point I had to take iron pills against anemia and they helped me quite a bit as well. I was told to drink them with orange juice because it helps the iron to absorb better. This is super important since our bodies stop absorption of any given vitamin or mineral after a certain amount. Thank you for stopping by! xoxo
I am not a huge fan of supplements. If you can get everything you need through food, then great! However, If your body really is lacking something, then I think it is ok to supplement that. Osteoporosis runs in my family and I have already been diagnosed with osteopenia. So I do take calcium supplements. Yes, I could just drink more milk…but I don’t. So I guess I am in-between. Whatever works and makes you feel good and healthy 🙂
Very true! Plus I don’t think that too much milk would be good for your stomach either 😀 I truly hope that your condition improves! xoxo
I try to pay attention to what I eat, but not so much in the table form that you do. 🙂 However, I have recently become a major fan of the avocado! I love them….even plain.
It’s a perfect fruit indeed! xoxo
I absolutely LOVE that table!
I am in the ‘mostly vitamins are worthless, BUT … ‘ camp, for a couple of reasons:
– I can eat anything, and I get everything I need from eating whole foods.
– My kids eat lunch at high school, where ‘nutrition’ still seems highly optional, so I supplement for them by making sure we have a side-salad with dinner.
– My wife is allergic to many, many foods – apples (and most other tree fruits), nuts, legumes, coconuts, and has a rough time when I get TOO vegetarian on her. She struggles to get her needs met, so definitely supplements (plus has VitD absorption issues so needs a massive supplement of that).
So I think if you can and do eat properly – and your body functions properly at absorbing and utilizing nutrients – you are wasting money on vitamins. But many people don’t – or can’t – get full nutrition from food, so supplements help. As you suggest, always check with your doctor.
Thanks for the great post!
Hi there! I very much agree with your opinion, vitamin pills are definitely a good option for people who don’t get enough of nutrients through other sources. It’s definitely better than nothing. Thank you so much for stopping by!
xoxo
Olena
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You’re so sweet! Thank you so much for mentioning me in your post, Michael! ❤ xoxo
I agree it is best to get vitamins naturally from food.
Thank you, Alexandra, for stopping by! xoxo