Most Important Vitamins, Minerals, and Nutrients

So guys what’s up? Today I’m going to introducing you some of vitamins, minerals, and nutrients that are mostimportant.

Whole grains

Whole grains contain vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients that are important for a teen’s health and growth.

Today, many foods such as white bread and white rice are made with refined grains, which are low in fiber and other nutrients found naturally in grains. Instead, it’s best to eat a variety of whole grain foods. Ideas include:

Food	Serving Size
Whole grain bread	1 slice
Whole grain pasta	1/2 cup
Brown rice	1/2 cup
Foods made with bulgur (cracked wheat) such as tubule salad	1 cup
Some ready-made whole grain breakfast cereals	1/2 cup

Check the Nutrition Facts labels to choose whole grain foods that contain at least 10 percent Daily Value of fiber and are low in saturated fat, trans fat, sugars, and sodium (salt). In addition, one of the following whole grains should be listed first on the ingredient list:

• ·         Brown rice
• ·         Oatmeal
• ·         Rolled or whole oats
• ·         Bulgur (cracked wheat)
• ·         Popcorn
• ·         Whole rye
• ·         Graham flour
• ·         Whole barley
• ·         Whole wheat
• ·         Whole grain corn

Wheat flour, enriched flour, and determinates corn meal are not whole grains.

Fiber

One of the best known benefits of fiber is that it reduces constipation. But did you know that fiber may also reduce the risk of coronary heart disease?

The total number of fiber grams to be consumed by children can be computed by adding their age plus five. For example, a 14-year-old girl should take in about 19 grams of fiber every day. Ideas for increasing fiber intake include:

ØEating whole fruits instead of drinking fruit juices.

ØEating brown rice and whole-grain products instead of white rice, bread, and pasta.

Ø Choosing whole-grain cereals for breakfast.

Ø Snacking on raw vegetables.

ØReplacing legumes for meat two to three times per week in chili and soups.

Protein

Protein helps build and repair body tissue and is important for growth and daily energy levels. Teens need two servings of protein each day, which equals six ounces. Good sources of protein include:

Food	Serving Size
Lean meat, poultry (no skin), or fish	2-3 ounces
Beans	1/2 cup (cooked)
Tofu	1/2 cup
Eggs	1
Peanut butter	2 tablespoons
Soy burger	2 1/2 ounce
Nuts	1/3 cup

Calcium

Calcium is one of the most important nutrients for adolescents. If teens get enough calcium while they are young, they can strengthen their bones and reduce the risk of osteoporosis later in life.

Foods with calcium include:

Food	One Serving
Plain yogurt, low-fat or fat-free	1 cup
American cheese, low-fat	2 ounces
Ricotta cheese, part skim	1/2 cup
Fruit yogurt, low-fat or fat-free	1 cup
Milk, low-fat or fat-free	1 cup
Orange juice with added calcium	1 cup
Cheddar cheese, low-fat or fat-free	1 ounce
White beans (boiled)	1 cup
Broccoli (cooked or fresh)	1 cup

Fats

Fat is an important nutrient that keeps your body functioning properly.

However, not all fats are the same.  It is important to understand which fats you should limit and which fats you can eat in moderation.

Unsaturated Fat

Unsaturated fats found in many vegetable oils do not raise blood cholesterol. They can be part of a healthy diet—as long as you don’t eat too much since fats are still high in calories. Unsaturated fats are found in olive, canola, safflower, and sunflower, corn and soybean oils as well as in fish and nuts.

Saturated Fat

Saturated fats raise “bad” cholesterol levels in your blood. They are a major risk for heart disease, so it is best to avoid foods with too much saturated fat. These fats are found in animal products such as butter, cheese, whole milk, and fatty meats and also in coconut, palm, and palm kernel oils. Cakes, cookies, quick breads, doughnuts, and chips may also contain saturated fats.

Tran’s Fat

Tran’s fats also raise “bad” cholesterol levels in your blood and increase the risk of heart disease. There is no safe amount of Tran’sfat. The best approach is to eat foods with as little Tran’s fat as possible. Tran’s fat is often found in baked goods, snack foods, vegetable shortening, hard margarine, fried foods, and many processed foods.

Tips on choosing fats

ØLook for words such as “shortening,” “partially hydrogenated vegetable oil” or “hydrogenated vegetable oil” in the ingredients. These words are clues that the food contains Tran’s fat.

ØLook at the amounts of saturated fat and dietary cholesterol on nutrition labels. Remember, 5 percent of the daily value (%DV) or less is low, and 20 percent or more is high.

ØUse olive, canola, soybean, corn, and sunflower oils.

Ø Choose soft margarines (liquid, tub, or spray) over solid shortenings, hard margarines, and animal fats, including butter.

Below are some low-calorie alternatives for higher-fat meat, fish and poultry items. You can incorporate these healthy choices into your recipes: high-calorie items: Choose these instead:

Cold cuts or lunch meats (bologna, salami, liverwurst, etc.) INSTEAD THESE Low-fat cold cuts (95 to 97% fat-free lunch meats, low-fat pressed meats)

Hot dogs (regular) INSTEAD THESE Lower-fat hot dogs made from chicken, turkey or soy

Bacon or sausage INSTEAD THESE Canadian bacon or lean ham

Regular ground beef INSTEAD THESE Extra lean ground beef such as ground round or ground turkey (read labels)

Chicken or turkey with skin, duck or goose INSTEAD THESE Chicken or turkey without skin (white meat)

Oil-packed tuna INSTEAD THESE Water-packed tuna* (rinse to reduce sodium content)

Beef (chuck, rib brisket) INSTEAD THESE Beef (round, loin, trimmed of external fat)

Pork (spareribs, untrimmed loin) INSTEAD THESE Port tenderloin or trimmed, lean smoked ham

Frozen breaded fish or fried fish (homemade or commercial) INSTEAD THESE Fish or shellfish,  (fresh, frozen, canned in water)

u Whole eggs INSTEAD THESE Egg whites or egg substitutes

Frozen TV dinners (containing more than 13 grams of fat per serving) INSTEAD THESE Frozen TV dinners (containing less than 13 grams of fat per serving and lower in sodium)

Chorizo sausage INSTEAD THESE Turkey sausage, drained well or vegetarian sausage (made with tofu)