What are 7 Nutrients You may be Missing?



We try to eat well, we think we are getting all the nutrients we need. But are we?  WebMD recently had an article on the 7 nutrients missing in American diets.  Here are 2 of those 7 nutrients. 
Calcium   – everyone knows we need calcium for strong bones and teeth.  But calcium has many important roles to play in our bodies.   Calcium helps our muscles function, and is needed for your heart rhythm.   It also may help prevent high blood pressure.  Dairy foods like milk and yogurt are great sources of calcium and provide us with much needed vitamin D.   It is vitamin D that helps our bodies absorb the calcium in foods.  Read more about calcium at:  http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Calcium-HealthProfessional/. 

  • Milk and yogurt are not only good sources of calcium but also of another missing nutrient, vitamin D. 
  • Cheese – great source of calcium but not usually fortified with vitamin D.  Some pasteurize Swiss cheese is fortified with Vitamin D – check the label to be sure. 
  •  Kale, broccoli - provide some calcium but not nearly as much as dairy products.
  •  Calcium fortified orange juice – and many are fortified with vitamin D.  corn squash
  •  Cereal with added calcium – read the label to find cereals with calcium added


Vitamin C  –  When one hears Vitamin C, they think of the cold.   Can vitamin C prevent colds?   Probably not, but some studies have shown that vitamin C can reduce the length of a cold.  Besides helping our immune systems and wound healing,  vitamin C helps the growth of bones and tissue in our bodies.  It is also an antioxidant and can help protect our cells from damage.  It is easy to get vitamin C from fruits and vegetables.  If you are getting your vitamin C from juice, make sure it is real juice like real 100% Orange Juice.  Avoid Hi-C, Sunny D, Hawaiian Punch which are mostly sugar water and not 100%   juice.  .Read more about vitamin C at:  http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002404.htm

  •  Juice – 100% Orange Juice, Grapefruit Juice – look for 100% juice, not drinks or punch
  •  Citrus – oranges, grapefruit, clementines 
  •  Green and red peppers
  •  Strawberries
  • Watermelon
  • Cantaloupe
  •  Tomatoes and tomato juice 
 Source:  Missing nutrients

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