Depending on your diet you will more than likely need more vitamins / minerals. We have all heard of yin and yang. This is the delicate balance that exists in every facet of our existence. Our health also maintains a yin / yang balance Eating only fruits and vegetables tips the balance heavily in the yin direction. Eating only animal protein tips the balance heavily in the yang direction. Both are unhealthy.
Here is a general overview from one extreme to the other from Michael Tierra's book "the way of herbs":
Extreme Yin
- watery fruits (orange), small fruits (hawthorn, juniper, lycii)
- small fruits (cherry, blueberries), flowers (chamomile, honeysuckle, elder)
- leaves (spinach, comfrey, alfalfa, skullcap)
- roots (carrot, parsnip, turnip)
Balanced between Yin & Yang
- seeds (rice, sunflower, oats), neutral roots / bark (echinachea, slippery elm, sassafras)
- dairy (cheese), bitter roots / bark (rhubarb, genatian, cinnamon)
- fish (tuna, salmon), long roots (dandelion, burdock, ginseng)
- poultry (chicken, turkey)
Extreme Yang
- red meat (beef, pork, venison), processed roots (rehmannia, red ginseng)
How do we get from here to the discussion of minerals and vitamins? If we are eating a properly balanced diet rich in a full spectrum of colors and textures, you should have no need for supplements. However, we not always have the ability to obtain enough of the proper nutrients in our foods. If you eat a primarily Yang diet (meat & potatoes) you are more likely to have a deficiency in vitamins. If you eat a primarily Yin diet (fruits & vegetables) you are more prone to mineral deficiencies.
Below is a SHORT list of important Vitamins and Minerals - please remember that ALL vitamins and minerals are important... if you feel you are lacking in any you should strive to change your diet to better accommodate your body's need than to take supplements.... if you can help it.
Iodine - we have discussed in depth iodine deficiency. This is one mineral that can be very difficult to obtain naturally. Tuna, Salmon, Iodized Salt, and root vegetables that have been grown in iodine rich soils are all good sources of iodine. Iodine works primarily with your metabolism and thyroid, which is the reason that many people are misdiagnosed with Hypothyroidism instead of iodine deficiency.
Recommended reading:
http://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/minerals/health-benefits-of-iodine.html
Calcium - we all know about calcium and its benefits to bones, but there are more health benefits of calcium in our diet - heart health, proper weight management, fights cancer, and helps maintain a healthy alkaline level (cancer can't live in an alkaline environment). Foods rich in calcium include salmon, tuna, spinach, broccoli, oranges, almonds, soybeans, and peas. It is important to note that for proper absorption the proper compliment of magnesium must be taken, if it isn't taken naturally.
Recommended reading:
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0NAH/is_1_32/ai_81391090/
Zinc - Zinc's best known benefit is that it strengthens the immune system (healing, rebuilding cells, and skin), it also aids in the absorption of minerals and vitamins, also aids in healthy vision, helps balance blood sugar, aids in proper weight management, and is anti-inflammatory. Foods rich in zinc are oysters, wheat germ, veal liver, sesame flour / tahini, beef, pumpkin / squash / watermelon seeds, chocolate, lamb, and peanuts.
Recommended reading:
http://www.vitamins-nutrition.org/vitamins/zinc.html
Recommended reading - Mineral Chart:
http://www.healthalternatives2000.com/minerals-nutrition-chart.html
Vitamin B Complex - The entire group of B vitamins is very necessary for good mental health, strong immune system, healthy skin and muscles, promotes cell growth, and a wide variety of other benefits, much too long of a list to provide here. Foods rich in vitamin B include liver, beef, turkey, brazil nuts, tuna, oats, avocados, legumes, and bananas.
Recommended reading:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B_vitamins
Vitamin C - we all know that vitamin C helps fight colds and boosts our immune system, it also helps promote healthy skin and collagen, helps lower cholesterol, helps fight Arteriosclerosis (hardening of the
arteries), and it helps keep us young! All of your fruits are a good source of vitamin C the best however, are
broccoli, bell peppers, kale, cauliflower, strawberries, lemons, mustard and turnip greens, brussels sprouts, papaya, chard, cabbage, spinach, kiwifruit, snow peas, cantaloupe, oranges, grapefruit, limes, tomatoes, zucchini, raspberries, asparagus, celery, pineapples, lettuce, watermelon, fennel, peppermint and parsley.
