Micronutrients: Vitamins, Minerals, Phytonutrients, & Bioactive Compounds
As a recap from Nutrition 101’s preview: micronutrients cannot be made in the body, must be obtained through our diet, and are necessary for basic functioning and bodily processes. Micro refers to how we only need small amounts of these nutrients compared to large amounts as proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. You can think of macronutrients as our energy source and micronutrients as what facilitate energy production.
Micronutrients can be found in plants, animals, or in isolation in supplement form. While you can supplement micronutrients in isolation, our current understanding is that consuming micronutrients via whole food sources and mixed meals is most optimal. The hypothesis is that the interaction of the micronutrients from these whole food, mixed meal forms allows for optimal bioavailability, interaction, and absorption. Bioavailability is becoming a buzzword in nutrition and simply is a substance’s ability to be absorbed and used by the body.
There are countless vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, and bioactive compounds we could cover. This article will be a starting point of what you need to know about micronutrients to start being aware of how to incorporate them into your eating patterns.
(Disclaimer: This is not advice nor a recommendation. The amounts listed are straight from the USDA Dietary Guidelines for the generic population and are not specific to you. Discuss specifics with your medical/licensed professional.)
Vitamins
Water Soluble Vitamins
Our water soluble vitamins are Vitamin C and the B-Complex family which includes thiamine, niacin, riboflavin, biotin, folic acid, B12 and more.
These vitamins are water soluble because they have the ability to be dissolved in water. A simple example to think of is salt (sodium-chloride) water. These vitamins are essential, but because they can be dissolved in water these vitamins are not stored in the tissues of our body and are excreted in our urine after circulating and in our blood stream. Therefore, we must replace these vitamins daily for optimal health and it can be difficult to overload on water soluble vitamins. On the flip side, especially because we secrete these vitamins daily, we can become deficient if we’re not replenishing ourselves with enough water soluble vitamins. Deficiencies can lead to disease and illness.
To get water soluble vitamins from our diets the following should be included:
★ Animal meat or by-products like dairy and eggs
Note: vegetarians or vegans may want to discuss with their medical professional about supplementing vitamin B12 and choline depending on their diet and individual situation
★ Green leafy and brightly colored vegetables
★ A variety of nuts & seeds
★ Grains and legumes (that are micronutrient rich. Remember: this means unrefined or unprocessed)
Fat Soluble Vitamins
Fat soluble vitamins can be dissolved into fat and oils. These vitamins can be stored in the body's tissues, however they must be absorbed with fats in our diet. When consumed without dietary fats the vitamins are not easily absorbed and indigestion can occur.
When it comes to fat soluble vitamins we can get too much of a good thing. Since we can store these vitamins in our body, too high doses of fat soluble vitamins for extended periods of time can lead to toxicity. (You can kind of think of this like how alcohol is intoxicating). Therefore, we need to make sure we don’t overdo it with the amount(s) we consume. However, like with water soluble vitamins, deficiency in fat soluble vitamins can cause disease and illness as well. In fact, we’re still often prone to being more deficient in our fat soluble vitamins. The best way to avoid either extreme is to eat a variety of foods and consult a licensed professional if you’re supplementing.
Another important note: because fat soluble vitamins require fats for our bodies to absorb them, fat-blocking supplements can interfere with our body’s ability to absorb these vitamins.
Fat soluble vitamins are vitamins A, D, E, and K. Food sources to get your fat soluble vitamins can include:
★ Fatty fish at least once a week
★ Nuts & seeds
★ Fortified (aka having had vitamins or other supplements added so as to increase the nutritional value) dairy products (milk, yogurt, etc.)
★ Dark leafy greens, dark colored fruits, & some plant oils
Minerals
Minerals are naturally occurring elements or compounds that are required to sustain life. We cannot make minerals in our body and must consume minerals from our diet. Minerals are often “inorganic” metals, whereas vitamins are “organic” meaning they can be broken down by air, acids, and/or heat.
Minerals play a role in bodily functions and processes like bone structure, our antioxidant system, thyroid function, and transporting oxygen in our blood.
Minerals include elements like calcium, copper, iron, iodine, magnesium, potassium, sodium, zinc, etc.
Even though we’re battling our soil being depleted of minerals, most people do not need mineral supplementation. Minerals can be found in high quantities in sources like: dairy (milk, egg, yogurt, cheese), beef, shellfish, whole grains, dark leafy greens, legumes, nuts, root vegetables.
USDA guidelines:
★ fish weekly
★ 3-7 servings green, leafy veg/week
★ 3-7 servings mineral rich tubers (potato, turnips)/week
★ 3-7 servings legumes, whole grains/week
★ 3-7 servings lean cut means, dairy by-products/week
Phytonutrients and Bioactive Compounds
Phytontrients (aka phytochemicals) and bioactive compounds are “extranutritional” compounds found in tiny amounts in plant foods that can positively influence our health, but are not essential for our survival. Think of them as extraordinary nutrients. These can also be referred to as antioxidants and include: carotenoids, phytoestrogens, lycopene, phytosterols, polyphenols, resveratrol, etc.
Antioxidants help protect us from free radical damage. The simplest breakdown of antioxidants and oxidation is that as a result of our bodily processes, destructive free radicals are produced as by-products which can bind on to healthy cells and cause damage. We often call the damage oxidative stress. We can also get free radicals from other sources like pollution from our environment. If antioxidants are present, antioxidants can provide an alternative for these free radicals to latch onto instead of our healthy cells. The oxidative stress can then be removed from our body with the antioxidants rather than destroying our healthy cells.
The science of phytonutrients and bioactive compounds is becoming increasingly popular and exciting as we are accelerating towards this “food as medicine” era! Some extraordinary scientists focusing on these extraordinary nutrients are Dr. William Li – who is proving how we can “Eat to Beat Disease” – and Dr. Josh Axe – whose practice revolves around how Ancient Nutrition has been proven for ages to naturally and effectively heal. Dr. Axe provides a solid overview of phytonutrients and example food sources here.
One of the Most Important Rules of Nutrition & Nutrients: Variety is Key
As I mentioned above, micronutrients can be taken in isolation however it’s the whole food effect of how the nutrients interact from the whole food form with other foods that seems to be the most effective.
Regardless if you’re an omnivore, vegetarian, vegan, pescatarian, paleo, etc. variety in your diet is absolutely essential for optimal health! Even if you’re eating healthily, we need different types of vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, grains, legumes, meat and animal by-products (if you partake) in order to achieve optimal levels of all the different nutrients we need!
Eat the Rainbow
A common nutrition tip to ensure you’re getting a variety of micronutrients is to diversify your diet by “eating the rainbow”. Eating the rainbow encourages eating a variety of whole foods according to their natural colors in order to get the diversification of nutrients we need. Remember: a variety of whole foods interacting together seems to help improve bioavailability, interaction, and absorption of these nutrients!
Interestingly, we can get a clue to what phytonutrients will benefit which part of our body based on its color, shape, and/or taste. Dr. Axe and Jillian Michaels have numerous fascinating podcasts around this that will blow your mind. One of my favorites is linked here. A couple examples he gives in the podcast as to how foods clue us in to the benefit they provide:
★ A walnut looks like your brain & is one of the top brain foods
★ Beets are the color of your blood & are amazing for the heart and cardiovascular system
★ Tomatoes have 4 chambers like your heart & provide health benefits for your heart
Avoid Restriction/Elimination/Low Calorie Diets for Extended Periods of Time
Unless medically supervised, in general, there is no need to be on any restrictive or low calorie diets for an extended amount of time. Simply, the less you eat the more you risk not meeting the nutrient amounts you need!
Additionally, it’s generally recommended to not eliminate any food groups from your diet unless medically required to do so. Eliminating any food/food groups, especially those that are naturally occurring, eliminates the nutrients they can provide.
Be Mindful of Quality and Quantity
Generally, a moderate and balanced approach to diet will provide the majority of us all the micronutrients we need. Deficiencies are more common, but be mindful to not over supplement to avoid any toxicity levels. Of course, higher quality sources will bring higher quality results and provide even better benefits.
Micronutrient Sufficient Diet
As a form of next steps, the following suggestion from USDA guidelines for a 2000 cal/day diet to hit your micronutrient needs.
★ 4 servings fruit/day
★ 2.5 cups vegetables/day
★ 3 cups dark green veg/week
★ 2 cups orange veg/week
★ 3 cup legumes/week
★ 3 cup starchy veg/week
★ 6.5 cup other veg/week
★ 3 oz whole grain, 3 oz other grains/day
Note: when food is refined or ultra-processed, we lose some of these valuable micronutrients! This is why whole grain options are often preferred and recommended to have in your diet over processed/refined carbs.
★ 5.5 oz meat, poultry, fish/day
★ 3 cup dairy (milk, cheese, yogurt)/day
★ 6 tsp oils/day
Lastly, for good measure:
This is not advice nor a recommendation. The amounts listed are straight from the USDA Dietary Guidelines for the generic population and are not specific to you. Discuss specifics with your medical/licensed professional.