Eating foods that are high in nutrients is a great way to make sure you are getting all of your vitamins and minerals. Getting your daily vitamins and minerals is very important for health, and you could take a multivitamin to make sure you are getting all of them. However, it is much better to get your nutrients from food, and it isn’t that difficult if you eat nutrient rich foods. There are many foods that are high in nutrients, and if you make them a part of your daily diet you might not need a multivitamin.
1. Brazil Nuts
Brazil nuts are creamy, tasty nuts that grow on trees in the Amazon Rainforest, and they are incredibly high in selenium. Just 1 ounce of Brazil nuts has over 7,000 percent of your daily value of selenium! You actually only need to eat one to meet you daily needs for selenium. Selenium is an important mineral for thyroid function, and it also helps with joint inflammation. So, you certainly want to make sure you are getting enough selenium. Aside from this vital mineral, Brazil nuts are a good source of magnesium and phosphorus, and they are one of the foods that are high in nutrients that you should include in your diet.
2. Red Bell Peppers
Oranges have become synonymous with vitamin C; however, red bell peppers are actually an even better source. One red bell pepper has 253% of your daily value for vitamin C. Vitamin C is needed for collagen production, which means red bell peppers can help support healthy joints and make your skin glow! The vitamin C in them also helps your body absorb iron from plant food, but try to eat your red bell peppers raw because vitamin C is heat sensitive. While they are a great source of vitamin C, eating a red bell pepper will also give you 17% of your daily value of vitamin B6.
3. Sesame Seeds
I love adding sesame seeds to salads for their nutty crunch. If you add just one ounce to your salad, you will be getting 27% of your daily value of calcium, 15% thiamin, 23% iron, 25% magnesium, 14% zinc, 57% copper, and 34% manganese! With so many nutrients, it is like adding a multivitamin to your salad. As a great plant source of calcium, sesame seeds will help you meet your calcium needs, which is important for bone health and proper muscle contraction. The high copper content in sesame seeds is also helpful for bone health, and it helps your body utilize iron properly. With so many health benefits, I am going to continue adding sesame seeds to my salads.
4. Pumpkin Seeds
Pumpkin seeds are another great seed to add into your diet for their high levels of nutrients. These little seeds have 18% of your daily value of vitamin K, 23% iron, 38% magnesium, 14% zinc, and 43% manganese in one ounce. The high level of manganese in these seeds helps your body keep your bones strong, normalizes blood sugar, supports nerve health, helps your body synthesize fatty acids, assists with thyroid function, and helps your body utilize biotin, thiamine, and choline! Did you know manganese was so important? Now that you do, you can be sure to get plenty of this important mineral by adding pumpkin seeds to your morning cereal.
Kale is considered one of the healthiest greens on the planet, and for good reason. One cup of chopped kale has 209% of your daily value of vitamin A, 134% vitamin C, 684% vitamin K, 26% magnesium, and 121 milligrams of omega 3 fatty acids. The very high levels of vitamin K in kale help blood clot properly, protect bones from fractures, prevent postmenopausal bone loss, and prevent calcification of arteries. The vitamin A supports vision health, immune and inflammatory systems, and cell growth. With so many nutrients and health benefits, it is hard to come up with a reason not to add kale to your diet!
Although potatoes are often considered a bland side dish, they are actually very healthy. Eating one baked potato with the skin will provide you with 48% of your daily value of vitamin C, 46% vitamin B6, 21% folate, 33% manganese, and 46% potassium. If you can believe it, the 46% daily value of potassium actually makes potatoes a better source of this mineral than bananas! It is important to eat foods that will supply you with enough potassium because it helps your body maintain normal blood pressure by improving kidney function and opening blood vessels. Potassium also decreases the risk of getting kidney stones and prevents calcium from being leeched out of bones. So, instead of reaching for a banana for your potassium, reach for a baked potato.
Lentils are not generally considered to be nutrient superstars; however, they are actually high in several key nutrients. Lentils contain 22% of your daily value of thiamin, 36% phosphorus, 49% magnesium, and 90% folate in one cooked cup! Yes, the lowly lentil is one of the best sources of folate. Folate supports red blood cell production, prevents homocysteine build up in the blood, supports skin cell production, helps nerves function properly, prevents osteoporosis related fractures, and even helps ward off dementia and Alzheimer’s. Eating lentil soup suddenly sounds much tastier!
Adding all of these healthy foods to your diet will help you get all of the nutrients you need to be healthy. An easy way to get several of these nutrient rich foods into one meal would be to eat a baked potato topped with sautéed kale and pumpkin seeds. It sounds yummy to me. Which of these healthy foods do you often eat?