How do you reach micro nutrient target while dieting?

shyhall

Hi I just wondered how people manage to get all the target nutrients into their diet each day.
Do others take supplements?

I'm managing to lose weight and keep within 1500 calories, but the only micro nutrient I'm managing to meet is Vit C.
I have hypoparathyroidism (which is not the same as thyroid problems - it means my body can no longer regulate the blood calcium serum levels due to under active para thyroid) I get large doses of Calcium and Vit D on prescription from doctor - so these aren't a problem for me. But I'm struggling to meet the other nutrient requirement targets.

Duchy82

It would be hard to tell using the app as not all food labels will list micronutrients therefore whoever has put the food in the database won't have listed the micronutrients as that info won't have been available. I wouldn't even know how you could possibly track it accurately, fortunately if you eat a balanced diet you should meet your daily micronutrient needs on average.

RodaRose

Eat a variety of foods, especially veggies.

lauracups

If I'm fixing meals or eating out I try to get dark greens in and protein. If I'm on the go I'll mix a egg whites protein powder with powdered "super greens" and almond or cashew milk. In addition I take a supplement. I normally go over my a and c needs and hit my calcium.

clicketykeys

I eat ridiculous amounts of spinach. I consider myself very fortunate that I enjoy it. I'm also really tall, so I have a larger calorie allowance than a lot of folks would.

lemurcat12

RodaRose wrote: »

Eat a variety of foods, especially veggies.

This.

Also be aware of the fact that plenty of MFP entries don't have all the nutrient information filled out, so you may be getting more than you think. If you really want to track micros, Chronometer is better, either way make sure that for whole foods like vegetables you use the USDA entries and check to make sure all the information is filled out (if you find the USDA entries MFP did not rely on users to input it is, but it's currently harder to find than it used to be).

If you eat a variety of vegetables (including things like leafy greens) and a decent amount, it's nearly impossible to be low on a low on a number of things, especially A (I'm always way over on A). So you may find it's easier just to focus on having a good diet overall.

zyxst

I eat a variety of foods and take a multi vitamin to cover bases.

kshama2001

RDAs are meant to prevent deficiency diseases like scurvy, not create optimal health. The RDA of Vitamin C is ridiculously low. It was recently bumped to 75 milligrams daily for women. I supplement to bowel tolerance, which for me is 3,600 mg under normal circumstances. On days like today, when it feels like I'm reacting to pollen or mold, it will take more to get me there.

The only micronutrient I look at on MFP is iron, and this is more from curiosity rather than to meet targets, as I'm anemic and need to supplement aggressively to get my iron levels up to Low Normal. As my personal targets are much higher than those set in MFP, I don't include my supplements in my food diary.

shyhall

Thanks for replying everyone. I did wonder if all nutrients were recorded or not.
As an example I had a yogurt but the calcium levels didn't appear to change, I thought it might have just been me.
As far as I'm aware, I'm not anaemic, yet the iron levels barely seem to record much at all.

I agree the Vit C seems low, I had two small satsumas and suddenly I had exceeded the recommended level.

I am trying to vary my diet and try new things, it can be hard though when you live with an elderly person, who is set in their ways,
with no teeth. Lol. Maybe that's another discussion!

Christine_72

shyhall wrote: »

Thanks for replying everyone. I did wonder if all nutrients were recorded or not.
As an example I had a yogurt but the calcium levels didn't appear to change, I thought it might have just been me.
As far as I'm aware, I'm not anaemic, yet the iron levels barely seem to record much at all.

I agree the Vit C seems low, I had two small satsumas and suddenly I had exceeded the recommended level.

I am trying to vary my diet and try new things, it can be hard though when you live with an elderly person, who is set in their ways,
with no teeth. Lol. Maybe that's another discussion!

I barely get over 30% iron (on a good day) most days according to mfp. I had a blood test done last week, and i was fully expecting my iron levels to be super low, but they were fine! Unless iron is listed on every single food item, it's hard to track it properly. Here in Australia barely any packaged items have the iron amounts listed, i use the USDA database entries for all fresh foods when i log on here.