What is the Difference Between Macro and Micronutrients?
While macronutrients often receive more attention, it is the micronutrients that can really draw the line between vitality and illness.
Macronutrients are needed in daily doses of up to 10s or 100s of grams per day, and can be easily found in things like carbohydrates, proteins, and good fats – these are the things which we include in our diet for the smooth functioning of major bodily systems and provide us with important tools like energy and calories.
Though micronutrients are needed in significantly smaller amounts than macronutrients (typically several micrograms to a gram per day), the role they play is instrumental to warding off disease and protecting the health integrity of bodies they inhabit. Micronutrients can be categorised into four main groups.
Water Soluble Vitamins
These water soluble micronutrients include vitamins B1, B2, B3, B4, B5, B6, B7, B9 B12, and vitamin C. They easily dissolve in water and therefore need to be regularly replenished in order for the body to maintain a stable amount. All of these vitamins are involved in multiple processes, but are particularly important for energy production.
Fat Soluble Vitamins
Vitamins A, D, E, and K dissolve more efficiently alongside other fatty substances, and are therefore recommended for consumption in tandem with a meal. After being consumed, they will be stored in the liver or fatty tissues throughout the body. Fat soluble vitamins are most useful for bone growth, organ function, and blood clotting.
Trace Minerals
Technically minerals but still belonging to the micronutrient group, things like iron, manganese, fluoride, copper, selenium, zinc, and iodine are essential for wound healing, hormone creation, and defence against oxidative damage.
Macro-minerals
Potassium, calcium, phosphorous, chloride, sodium, sulphur and magnesium all fit into the macro-minerals subgroup. They are needed in slightly larger amounts than other micronutrients, and all play roles within the body that are extremely diverse. Some of those roles include nerve and muscle function, digestive fluid balance, blood pressure maintenance, and bone and cell membrane structure.
Where to Find Micronutrients
The best place to find micronutrients is not in supplements, but rather in food. Fresh fruits, vegetables, seeds and nuts contain all of the micronutrients we need to function and more, which is one of the reasons why it is so important to consume them in wide variety.
Different plant foods contain different nutrients, and studies suggest that we crave the foods which contain the ones we are most in need of. Because the daily amount of micronutrients needed is so small, replenishing them is a fairly easy process.
Encourage your body to adjust to eating a variety fresh fruits and vegetables every day to fortify your health and protect you from developing nutrient-deficient diseases that could have been avoided. You ca do this by having smaller meals, snacking while at https://www.cryptothrills.io/ or simply cultivating healthier eating habits. For such a small thing, the health benefits of micronutrients are truly invaluable.