How to Increase Nutrient Intake? (Proteins, Vitamins, Minerals, Zinc)

By nutrients, I mean carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals, and of course water.

Of these, carbs, protein, and fats are called macronutrients because our body needs them in higher amounts, and vitamins and minerals are called micronutrients because they are needed in smaller amounts.

Also, 70% of our body is water, so this is something that our body needs all the time. Now the next question is what should we be eating?

For an answer to this question read these 5 basic rules on how to increase nutrient intake?

How to Increase Nutrient Intake?

Rule No.1:

Eat food that is prepared fresh. And consume it within 3 hours of cooking. That means you shouldn’t be freezing any food for the next day.

Don’t deep freeze cooked food. I know for most of us who work regular hours it’s almost impossible to have fresh food for lunch. But you can stick to this breakfast and dinner.

And let’s face it most of us in India have maids who come home in the morning. We might as well use this luxury.

Rule No.2:

The smaller the number of people the food is prepared for, the better its nutrient level.

More people, the earlier you start to prepare the food, and the greater the quantity of food cooked, the more oil and heat you use. That’s why restaurant food can never be compared to home food.

And that’s why instead of picking up a salad from your favorite salad shop, you should take a tomato and cucumber with you and eat it as your own on-the-go salad.

Rule No.3:

Eat your vegetables and fruits whole instead of cutting them into pieces, because you lose vitamins from their surface. The larger the exposed area, the more the loss of nutrients.

So eat a full apple, pear, plum, etc, and don’t chop it into pieces. If it’s a big fruit like melon or papaya which you simply have to cut, carve it into big pieces instead of pieces that you eat with your fork.

So, hold the big piece in your hand chew on it, and literally, let the juices flow. In the case of vegetables, don’t store them cut. Never ever buy the pre-packed cut vegetables and fruits in the supermarkets.

It’s like buying food that’s gone to rot. What’s more, you’re wasting all the packaging which comes along. And please don’t kill fruits in a juicer or mixer and pulp them into juice.

Rule No.4:

Remain loyal to your genes and eat what you have been eating since childhood. If you are Punjabi eat your paratha, as a Tamilian eats your idli, etc.

Right from the time you’re in your mother’s womb, your body is used to eating, digesting, and assimilating certain foods. all these foods include vitamin a, vitamin c, vitamin e, vitamin B12, and minerals like Zinc.

Most of us now eat the food of all kinds, it’s being part of our global village. But try and eat at least one meal daily that reflects your own genes.

Rule No.5:

As much as possible, eat local produce and seasonal food. Climate, altitude, humidity, wind, soil quality, etc influence our digestive system and foods that grow locally.

Ayurveda recommends tweaking your diet, habits, and lifestyle according to the season. Mangoes are great in the summer.

Eat them just once a day as a mini-meal in themselves, and they will give you a season’s supply of proteins, vitamins, minerals & antioxidants.

Store them in your fridge for rain and you won’t enjoy them as much; they won’t taste half as good would have lost most of their nutrients.