Getting Vitamins and Nutrients from Food

akretephd
akretephd Posts: 3 Member
in Food and Nutrition
According to myfitnesspal, I can't seem to get enough calcium, iron, potassium, or vitamin A. Is it likely that these aren't being recorded in the nutrition information for food? Does anyone have any suggestions on how to get these items from food? I try to eat calcium rich foods and iron rich foods and even when I'm focusing on getting a particular nutrient I can't seem to meet the RDA. I mean, I could eat three yogurts a day, but the sugar would be too high. Should I resort to enriched cereals in the morning? I was trying to eat more whole grain cereals, like oatmeal, but I could switch to something more processed. Should I be eating an entire bag of frozen spinach a day along with my salads and other veggies? I've tried beans, milk, red meats, leafy greens, bony fish, lots of veggies. Have I just been living life entirely nutrient deprived?

Replies

  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,091 Member
    Do you look at the nutrient breakdown for the MFP database entries? Many entries for foods that contain potassium say 0 mg potassium, because the manufacturer's label doesn't include the potassium data. More broadly, many of the user-generated entries don't include information for micronutrients, either through error or because the user didn't care about micronutrients. In short, your food could have plenty of these micronutrients, but the entries don't reflect it. Look for entries without asterisks, which I believe were created by MFP staff and drawn from the USDA database.
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,751 Member
    There is likely plenty of entries without micronutrients recorded. I'd be eating more real food than "enriched" products to try and increase my nutrient density. I'm not a huge fan of isolated synthetic vitamins, so try and use whole food based supplements. There's also the question of whether your body is absorbing nutrients properly!
  • Mr_Starr
    Mr_Starr Posts: 139 Member
    Look for entries without asterisks, which I believe were created by MFP staff and drawn from the USDA database.

    A good tip... i got this tip soon after i started MFP and it really helped.

    So for most foods I eat (fruits,veggies, nuts) I put in "usda" in the search term. For example "banana usda".
  • fruttibiscotti
    fruttibiscotti Posts: 986 Member
    Sorry, I don't understand what the problem is. It's not hard to hit those micronutrients if you are eating whole or healthy foods.

    For example, 4 oz of roasted beef gives 20% iron, 1 teaspoon of dried thyme 10%, 1 cup diced chicken 10%, 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds 25%, 2 eggs 30% and a few pieces of Lindt dark chocolate provides 10%. All this exceeds 100% daily value for iron.

    Vitamin A is very easy to accomplish, 2 cups of romaine lettuce gives 100% vitamin A, or one bell pepper provides 100%, too.

    Dairy products provide tons of calcium, like 2 oz cheddar gives 40% and one cup of plain Greek yogurt gives 50%. Other foods like one egg, or a few pieces of dark chocolate, or a cup of broccoli provide 5% daily value of calcium each.

    You can even take a multivitamin to help meet your goals.

    So, sorry. Not sure what the problem is.
  • born2late86
    born2late86 Posts: 6 Member
    You could also try scanning barcodes! It's what ive been doing the last few days as I compile a list.of recent and most frequent foods. The barcode scanner is right by the search bar on theetry page.
  • akretephd
    akretephd Posts: 3 Member
    Thanks for the tips. I'll try them out. I was hoping it had something to do with the food entries I was choosing, since I feel fine, my past blood tests have been fine, and I'm choosing healthy, nutrient-rich foods. I'll try to pick USDA or MFP entries and see if that boosts the nutrient intake records. Thank you!

    To the person who didn't understand, I am eating what I feel are healthy foods with lots of fresh greens, whole grains, and some lean meats and when I look at the reports that show my consumption of nutrients, there is not one day that I meet the RDA of iron, calcium, or potassium and I'm often below half of the RDA. Since I know that I'm eating foods that should at least get me close to meeting the RDA, I felt there might be something wrong with the food entries I'm choosing to record what food I'm eating. I usually don't enter the nutrition information myself since it seems that many others have already done that and the meals I eat can be somewhat complex to try and record on my own. From what other people have posted, I gather that many of the entries I have chosen are not adequately reporting the nutrients for me to measure my intake, but that there are better entries that I could be choosing.
  • RedEnvy
    RedEnvy Posts: 3
    I agree with your entry I've been trying to find what foods contain the nutrients for those you mentioned.
    Thanks to the person who gave good examples of how to achieve the percentage.
    Also thanks to the person who suggested to put multivitamins down I wasn't including that on my daily intake.
  • HappyStack
    HappyStack Posts: 802 Member
    There is little reason to track micronutrients unless you know you're deficient in something.

    Provided you're eating a good, varied diet, you'll be getting what you need. In terms of RDI, all it does it play into mild or severe orthorexia - in my opinion.

    ETA: I should explain. We can get fat-soluble vitamins & minerals, and water-soluble vitamins & minerals. Fat-soluble includes vits A, E, D & K. Your body can and does store these in body fat and the liver to use later. You get most of these from - not ironically - fatty foods. Meats, fish, oils, butter, dairy, etc.

    Water-soluble are vits C and B (including folates). Your body doesn't store these, so you should be eating these foods every day. You get these from grains, fruits & veggies - and some meats (like B1 [thiamin] from eggs, liver).

    Most of the minerals you should be getting will come in small amounts of all of these foods.
  • RedEnvy
    RedEnvy Posts: 3
    Just found this website if you are interested:
    http://www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/dga2005/document/html/appendixb.htm
  • just_Jennie1
    just_Jennie1 Posts: 1,233
    Sorry, I don't understand what the problem is. It's not hard to hit those micronutrients if you are eating whole or healthy foods.

    For example, 4 oz of roasted beef gives 20% iron, 1 teaspoon of dried thyme 10%, 1 cup diced chicken 10%, 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds 25%, 2 eggs 30% and a few pieces of Lindt dark chocolate provides 10%. All this exceeds 100% daily value for iron.

    Vitamin A is very easy to accomplish, 2 cups of romaine lettuce gives 100% vitamin A, or one bell pepper provides 100%, too.

    Dairy products provide tons of calcium, like 2 oz cheddar gives 40% and one cup of plain Greek yogurt gives 50%. Other foods like one egg, or a few pieces of dark chocolate, or a cup of broccoli provide 5% daily value of calcium each.

    You can even take a multivitamin to help meet your goals.

    So, sorry. Not sure what the problem is.

    100% of your daily value sure but what are the IU's, MG's or MCG's that you're supposed to get?

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