Our body needs many nutrients daily to function well and stay healthy. While there are more than one way to get these nutrients, the best way is to get them from real food. This is because other sources of these nutrients like processed foods and supplements come with several long and short-term side effects.
Here are 8 essential nutrients and the foods you get them from:
1. Protein:
The average RDA [Recommended Dietary Allowance] for women is 45 grams and for men 55 grams. They are a crucial part of any diet and you can get them from beans, legumes, lentils, peas, sprouts, free-range eggs, raw milk, cheese and yogurt.
2. Iron:
The average RDA for woman 19-50 years is 18mg, women 51+ years is 8mg and adult male is 8mg. While iron is very important nutrient for different processes in the body, its deficiency is quite common among people. The pre-menopausal and pregnant women are more likely to have this deficiency. Visible symptoms of iron deficiency are feeling tired, low in energy, suffering from headaches or hair loss, a pale complexion and weak nails. For iron you should include these in diet: green leafy vegetables, nuts, and beans, lentils, legumes, peas (cooked/sprouted), fruits, date syrup and molasses.
3. Zinc:
The RDA for adult women is 8mg and for men is 11mg. It’s an essential mineral that keeps the immune system healthy and plays an important role in creating DNA. The body doesn’t store zinc so it’s needed from food daily. Zinc deficiency can lead to weak immune system, stunted growth, and loss of appetite, diarrhea, impotence, hair loss, and eye and skin lesions. Foods rich in zinc are cocoa, oysters and wheat germ.
4. Magnesium:
The RDA is 320 mg per day for women and 420 mg per day for men. Majority of adults do not meet the RDA. It controls the entry of calcium into cells, thereby reducing the risk of cancer. Green leafy vegetables, starches, grains, nuts and raw milk are good sources of magnesium.
5. Calcium:
The RDA for adults is 1000-1200mg and it is needed for strong bones and teeth, and a healthy nervous system. Dark green vegetables (broccoli, kale and Chinese cabbage), sea vegetables (wakame, arame, dulse, hijiki, and kelp) and dairy products are rich in calcium.
Some of the other essential nutrients are Iodine, Vitamin B12 NS which can be found in many types of vegetables, lentils and grains. And Essential Fatty Acids found in natural (unprocessed) cooking oils like coconut oil, sesame seed oil, olive, hemp, walnut and so on…
Now to the question, how can we get the most of these nutrients from food?
The answer is simple, cook your food in pure clay cookware. While conventional metal and ceramic cookware destroy delicate nutrients with harsh near infrared heat, pure clay cooks with food-friendly far-infrared heat. Also, the steam that escapes while cooking in metal/ceramic is essential water-soluble nutrients that are lost. Pure clay’s ergonomic design makes sure steam condenses naturally and settles right back into food. Thus the food cooked in pure clay is nutritionally rich and tastes better.
So as you see, adding these foods to your diet will ensure your body gets the essential nutrients regularly and you live a healthy and disease-free life. And the only sure way to get them from food is giving careful consideration to the cooking or ‘food breaking down’ process. While what is available in the market today cooks food carelessly destroying nutrients and making food toxic, the only pots that preserve are pure clay pots and pans.
Why Choose Healthy Cookware? 