Food plays a huge role in maintaining the vital functions of the body. It is a source of energy and building material for cells. Vitamins and elements contained in food contribute to the preservation of beauty and health for many years.
Vitamin content in staple foods
Vitamins play a huge role in the life of the body. They are involved in the regulation of metabolic processes, in hematopoiesis, in the production of enzymes and hormones. Thanks to vitamins, the body is able to fight the negative influences on its state of the surrounding world. All vitamins, except for vitamin D and some types of group B, the body receives from the outside. Eating foods rich in vitamins helps maintain the beauty and health of skin, hair and mucous membranes. Water-soluble and fat-soluble vitamins are distinguished. The first include vitamins of group B, C and PP, they contribute to the normal functioning of the digestive, central nervous systems and take part in oxidative processes. Also, their presence in the body contributes to active protein, carbohydrate and fat metabolism. Water-soluble vitamins are found in foods such as legumes, meat, liver, potatoes, eggs, nuts, sunflower seeds, mushrooms, and a few others. Fat-soluble vitamins are necessary for the good condition of the skin and hair, for maintaining vision and immunity, participate in the regulation of calcium and phosphorus metabolism, and regulate the blood coagulation process. A large number of them are found in tomatoes, carrots, green onions, lettuce, parsley, sea buckthorn, sorrel, buckwheat, oatmeal, fish and other products.
Content of vitamin-like substances in staple foods
They differ from vitamins in that their deficiency does not cause pathological changes in the body. In terms of their biological functions, they are more like amino acids. The main function of vitamin-like substances is that they help the body absorb vitamins and minerals, play an important role in metabolism, in the normal functioning of the nervous and digestive systems, and participate in tissue respiration. Vitamin-like substances are found in foods such as currants, meat, cabbage, raspberries, citrus fruits, grapes, spinach, green tea, brewer's yeast, etc.
Macronutrient content in staple foods
These are the main participants in water-salt metabolism in the body, so it is very important to consume them in the right quantities. But an excess of them can produce a toxic effect. The human body needs 5 to 30 μg of potassium per day, 400 to 800 mg of calcium, 40 to 170 mg of magnesium, 300 to 800 mg of phosphorus, 5 to 30 μg of chlorine and approximately 0.5 g of sodium. A lot of potassium is found in milk, bananas, plums, raisins. All dairy and fermented milk products are rich in calcium. The body is supplied with magnesium by buckwheat, oat groats, dried apricots, lettuce, potatoes, legumes. The daily sodium requirement is met by consuming salt. Seafood, millet and liver contain a lot of phosphorus, and salt, olives, cheese, bread, meat, pickled and salted preparations are rich in chlorine.
Micronutrient content in staple foods
Macronutrients are also necessary in the life of the body. There are three types of them:
- essential, an excess of which can have a toxic effect, these include iodine, selenium, fluorine, manganese, copper and zinc;
- toxic, their ingestion into the human body entails various poisoning, these are elements such as mercury, arsenic, lead and cadmium;
- neutral, not having a pronounced effect on the body, it is boron, aluminum, lithium and silver.
Macronutrients necessary for the body contain lentils, fruits, rose hips, seafood, meat, vegetables, herbs, by-products, dried fruits, cereals, dairy products, berries, nuts and many other products.
