Can I get all the required vitamins and minerals from plant-based food?
You can get the most vitamins and minerals from plant-based foods. You just need to take care of Vitamin D and Vitamin B12.
For Vitamin D, you must sunbathe without clothes or with white undergarments for 30 minutes each day. You should at least expose 50% of your skin to the sunlight.
Vitamin B12 is made by bacteria that are present on the earth’s surface. Our ancestors were getting it from water and unwashed fruits and leaves. Some animals are getting it eating their feces. Nowadays, water is clean and chlorinated, which also kills bacteria. However, clean water is also important to prevent water-borne diseases.
Your gut bacteria also produce Vitamin B12 in your body. However, it is believed that it is only for sufficient to meet our daily requirement and they are making it for themselves.
They can produce a good amount of vitamin B12 if they are healthy and you don’t eat any unhealthy foods like fried food, burnt food, excessively oily foods, and restaurant foods. If your vitamin B12 is low, you may require a cyanocobalamin supplement.
Also Read: How To Restore Gut Health Naturally
For the rest of the vitamins and minerals, you must eat colorful fruits and vegetables daily. You should eat at least 3 to 5 fruits a day, each with a different color and type. For example:
Fruits’ Type | Example |
Pome Fruits | Apples, Pears, Nashi (Asian pears), quince (Cydonia oblonga). |
Citrus Fruits | Orange, Grapefruit, Mandarins, Mosmi (sweet lime), Lemon, key lime, Pomelo, Bitter orange, Yuzu, Kaffir lime, Bergamot Orange, Citron, Kumquat, etc. |
Stone Fruits | Apricots, peaches, plums, nectarines, cherries, pluots, Apriums |
Tropical Fruits | Bananas, Mangoes, Melons, Pineapple, Fresh olive, Papaya, etc. |
Berries | Blueberries, strawberries, Bilberries, Cranberries, Grapes, Raspberries, etc. |
Choose one fruit from each category for your daily intake. Each fruit should have a different taste, color, and type. Don’t overload your abdomen with a single kind of fruit.
Similarly, you should eat at least 2 – 3 vegetables of different colors daily. In addition to these, you also require eating healthy unrefined grains or whole grains. Also include quinoa, amaranth, and brown rice in your diet in addition to other whole grains.
Do I need a food supplement?
We don’t advise anyone to take any vitamin or mineral supplements (except Vitamin B12). They are not properly utilized in your body due to their unnatural form. Your body requires nutrients in their natural organic form as they are present in the food.
What should I do to fulfill the nutrient requirement of my body?
The best way to fulfill they require to increase the intake of uncooked food. Include more fruits, uncooked vegetables, and salad in your diet. Choose different colors of fruits, vegetables, and salad stuff. Natural enzymes in these foods improve the absorption and utilization of various nutrients in your body. So, eat organic foods. Eat foods in their natural and unaltered form.