Can you get all of your nutrition from food? Why or why not?

1. 57

   Gina Welds-Hulseposted 8 years ago

   Can you get all of your nutrition from food?  Why or why not?
   
   

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2. 86

   WiccanSageposted 8 years ago

   Depends on the person, and on their diet.
   
   I think an average person with a healthy, balanced diet probably can. Some people might need help, depending on health issues that might cause mal-absorption or deficiencies.

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   1. 57

      Gina Welds-Hulseposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      I think even with a healthy, balanced diet it is challenging to get all nutrients from food....issues-food additives/processing, soil depletion, pesticides, lack of trace minerals, long distances our food tends to travel before we get it. Thoughts?

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   2. 86

      WiccanSageposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      In my mind, a healthy diet doesn't gen. include processed foods. Eating a wide variety of produce from various sources (supermarket, locally grown, organic, frozen even, etc.) helps keep promote balance and overcome what some sources might lack.

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   3. 57

      Gina Welds-Hulseposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      I suggested that processed food was an issue/problem.  Check my comment again. I suggested that these issues make it difficult for anyone to have a healthy, balanced diet.

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   4. 0

      Matt Reynoldsposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      While I do think that it is 'possible' to get all nutrition from food sources, I think the way food is currently sold makes it difficult/unlikely. More than a few people will have to rely on high-quality supplements, especially if they are deficient.

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3. 61

   V Greenfieldposted 8 years ago

   My husband and I tried juicing and we noticed a big change. It was double the nutrients from a normal balanced meal. I found that I wasn't tired anymore and I felt much healthier.

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   1. 57

      Gina Welds-Hulseposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      ....and all levels were good after being checked?  B12, Vitamin D, iron, magnesium, CBC, everything?  I do juicing also, and I found that I still was not getting everything. I'm glad it's working for you. Would you like to share some juice blends?

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   2. 61

      V Greenfieldposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      I can't really say anything about the vitamin levels, because we didn't check them. We were more using the juicing as a way to lose weight in a healthy way. We juiced two times a day at dinner and breakfast and then ate a normal lunch with eggs+fish.

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4. 44

   Ashish Dadgaaposted 8 years ago

   We all know that vitamin supplements are no substitute for a healthy diet, but nobody's perfect when it comes to healthful eating. It can be particularly challenging to get the nutrients you need if you're dieting or if you avoid animal or dairy products. So, many of us take a daily multivitamin as nutritional insurance. Multivitamins may not be all they're cracked up to be. Moreover, many multivitamins contain some micronutrients in amounts in excess of those recommended in the government's Dietary Guidelines.
   
   The best way to get the nutrients we need is through food. A balanced diet — one containing plenty of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains — offers a mix of vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients (some yet to be identified) that collectively meet the body's needs. Maybe what counts is the synergistic interactions of these nutrients — which might also help explain why trials of single nutrients often don't pan out.
   
   Some nutrient-dense foods:
   
   Avocados
   
   Chard, collard greens, kale, mustard greens, spinach
   
   Bell peppers
   
   Brussels sprouts
   
   Mushrooms (crimini and shiitake)
   
   Baked potatoes
   
   Sweet potatoes
   
   Cantaloupe, papaya, raspberries, strawberries
   
   Low-fat yogurt
   
   Eggs
   
   Seeds (flax, pumpkin, sesame, and sunflower)
   
   Dried beans (garbanzo, kidney, navy, pinto)
   
   Lentils, peas
   
   Almonds, cashews, peanuts
   
   Barley, oats, quinoa, brown rice
   
   Salmon, halibut, cod, scallops, shrimp, tuna
   
   Lean beef, lamb, venison
   
   Chicken, turkey

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5. 87

   watertiger21posted 8 years ago

   I think it depends on quite a few things, including the person themselves. I personally cannot get all my nutrition from food because my intestines don't do their job correctly (darn Crohn's disease).

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   1. 57

      Gina Welds-Hulseposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      I agree with that. I have lupus, pernicious anemia and a few others so I have to use supplements.  However, unless we grow our own foods in soil that's not depleted, most of us would have to use supplements, as I don't feel our diet would suffice.

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6. 0

   RTalloniposted 8 years ago

   The case for supplements still rages. If taken, high quality supplements should be used.  Eating foods that introduce more enzymes into our systems and eating more raw foods help us absorb nutrition from food.

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   1. 57

      Gina Welds-Hulseposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      You're right.  I was part of a medicinal supplements summit this week and it's so hard, but not impossible, to find high quality supplements. Leaky gut, which many unknowingly suffer from, can prevent a great diet (and even supplements) from working.

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7. 52

   veganfitspirationposted 8 years ago

   To answer your question simply, yes.  It is possible to meet all of your nutritional needs though food, sunlight and water.  WILL the average person get all their nutrition from food, likely no.  The typical american (western) diet emphasizing processed foods, frozen foods, canned foods, pesticides and GMO's will ultimately disrupt metabolism of certain nutrients.  Additionally,  it is easy to eat enough modern day foods to be full without seeking out nutrient dense foods.  If you consider our ancestors, hunters and gatherers, they needed to constantly be seeking out a variety of foods (whole foods from the earth) to be full.  This is so different from today where people can microwave a processed dinner of fried potatoes and chicken and feel full.  I am a Registered Dietitian and strongly recommend first and foremost a healthy diet to try to meet your nutritional needs.  The synergistic effect of the nutrients mixed in their natural food allow your body to metabolize them best.  If a person is going to buy supplements, PLEASE, buy high quality supplements.  If you buy cheap supplements and think they may be doing at least a little good, wrong.  Cheap supplements made with synthetic nutrients actually cause inflammation in the body.  Excellent question and I hope this answer sheds some light on the topic.

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8. 68

   Debangee Mandalposted 8 years ago

   
   
   A good question..
   Even after healthy intake of all kinds of food, people are still suffering from various deficiency disorders.
   We get proteins from- meat, fish .pulses etc.
   Carbohydrates from- rice, wheat, sugars etc.
   Fat from- butter, cheese, vegetable oils, nuts etc.
   Vitamins from- fruits , green leafy vegetables etc.
   
   But what we still lack is one essential -MINERALS (even after intake of various veggies and fruits.)
   
   Women have great risk of calcium deficiency . Even after intake of milk, 1 in 4 women suffer from osteoporosis.
   
   30 % of the population , out of which 50% are children suffer from iron-deficiency anemia.
   
   These instances prove that after the age of 40 , it is necessary that people must take vitamin and mineral supplements to compensate the deficiency. Even though vitamins and minerals are required in minor amounts, they are essential for healthy living.

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