Helpful Hints for Optimizing Vitamin and Mineral Intake

By Dr. Deedra Mason
Every bit as important as ingesting the right nutrients is making sure that they are properly absorbed by the body. The following is a seven-point list that can help ensure your body is making the best use of all it receives:

1. Fruits and vegetables should be as fresh as possible and organically grown products are preferable. If vegetable and fruit juices are preferred, those freshly prepared are best, but those prepared in advance are good up to 48 hours before they begin to lose their vitamin content, if refrigerated.

2. Utilize a blender or food processor to help chop up fruits and vegetables to help make digestion easier. Seeds and nuts can also be chopped or ground up and taken with milk or in powder form.

3. A vegetable or fruit juicer provides you with an excellent means of optimizing vitamin and mineral intake as juices are much more easily digested and absorbed. When using one, do not forget to include the seeds and leafy parts, as they are high in minerals.

4. Fruits and vegetables, in addition to being high in vitamins and minerals, also provide roughage to maximize bowel function. This decreases the need for laxatives, whose excessive use can lead to an atonic bowel condition.

5. If taking commercial supplements that are in a tablet form, they will be better absorbed if they are crushed before ingestion. Liquid or capsulized forms are better absorbed by the elderly population, as less digestion is required. They are always more effective if taken with a meal.

6. Refined carbohydrates such as white and brown sugar will decrease immune function and predispose one to diabetes if used frequently and in large amounts. Calcium and magnesium loss also increases, which leads to wasting of bone and a higher incidence of fractures.

7. Protein from fish, chicken, rabbit, nuts, tofu and tempeh are better than red meats sources due to their having less fats and a wider variety of amino acids which are better utilized by persons over age 25. In addition, ground beef consumed in fast-food establishments are often very high in salt as well as fat.

Hopefully, these points will help provide some simple means for increasing the absorption of these important micronutrients on a daily basis. Remember, you are what you eat, and measures like this can help you be your best!