In the world of dieting two of the basic rules which keep on repeating every time you read something or hear someone talking about healthy diet are: eat fruits and vegetables and try to eat various types and different colored fruits and vegs.
While there is growing concern of some kinds of fruits – high in sugar, for the rising peaks of blood sugar the can cause, they are still a natural mixture of health promoting nutrients. And there is nothing to be concerned about, because if you exercise regularly there is a perfect time to consume foods rich in sugars – that is in the hour after your workout. In this time frame carbohydrates will be metabolized fully because of the need of the body for quick glycogen replacement in the muscle tissues.
Apart from proteins, carbohydrates and fats the human body needs the full scale of everyday minerals and vitamins in order to function properly. While some of them are more fundamental than others, it is essential for a healthy eating plan to have them all in our every day living. Each and every vitamin or mineral play an important role for internal body processes, organs maintenance and cell construction. Therefore insufficiency in only one of them for too long will eventually lead to some healthcare problems.
Fruits and vegetables are excellent sources of these life important vitamins and minerals, and different colored fruits and vegs deliver different types of them.
A List of Vitamins and Minerals
Here is a list of the vitamins and minerals and short description of their functions:
| FAT SOLUBLE VITAMINS | |
| Vitamin A | Maintains good vision, resistance to infections, and supports growth and repair of body tissues. |
| Vitamin D | Important for bone health. Regulates absorption of calcium and phosphorus. |
| Vitamin E | Antioxidant – takes part in maintaining cell membranes, red blood cell integrity, also protects vitamin A and fatty acids from oxidation. |
| Vitamin K | Assists in the blood clotting process. |
| WATER SOLUBLE VITAMINS | |
| Vitamin B1 | Regulates energy, growth, hormones, and takes part in the formation of red blood cells. |
| Vitamin B2 | Important for the health of the skin and tongue, helps in managing cholesterol levels. |
| Vitamin B5 | Assists in the process of carbohydrates and fats to be metabolized. |
| Vitamin B6 | Maintains and supports the function of various classes of enzymes. |
| Vitamin B12 | Red blood cell health and development. |
| Vitamin C | Important for wound healing, bone fractures, and resistance to infections. Strengthens blood vessels. |
| Folic acid | Essential for blood cell formation, protein metabolism. |
| MINERALS | |
| Boron | Bone health, prevention of osteoporosis. |
| Calcium | Necessary for strong bone structure, teeth, muscle tissue. |
| Chromium | Maintains glucose metabolism. |
| Copper | Supports healthy bones, muscles, and blood vessels. |
| Iodine | Essential in the process of regulating tissue growth and cell activity. |
| Iron | Supports red blood cell health through formation of hemoglobin in blood. |
| Magnesium | Important for muscle contraction, bone formation, blood pressure control. |
| Manganese | Takes part in the formation of bone and enzymes involved in amino acid, cholesterol, and carbohydrate metabolism. |
| Molybdenum | Mobilization of iron from storage for growth and development. |
| Phosphate | Responsible for bone health. |
| Potassium | Maintains fluid balance and blood pressure. Reduces the chance of strokes. |
| Selenium | Important antioxidant, supports immune system, reduces inflammation and helps in protection against cancer. |
| Zinc | Maintains immune function and wound repair. |
Fruit and Vegetable List
Here is a list of the most common fruits and vegs and the variety of vitamins and minerals they contain:
| Fruits | Vitamins | Minerals |
| Apple | moderate in Vitamin C, A and smaller amounts of E | rich in Potassium, Phosphorus and smaller amounts of Calcium, Magnesium, Iron, Sodium, Zinc |
| Banana | moderate in Vitamin B6, C and smaller amounts of B1, B2, E, A | rich in Potassium, Phosphorus, Magnesium and smaller amounts of Calcium, Sodium, Zinc |
| Avocado | rich in Vitamin C and smaller amounts of A, E | rich in Potassium, Phosphorus, Magnesium, Calcium and smaller amounts of Sodium, Iron, Zinc, Copper |
| Grapefruit | rich in Vitamin C, A and smaller amounts of E | rich in Potassium, Calcium and smaller amounts of Phosphorus, Magnesium, Iron, Zinc, Copper |
| Grapes | moderate in Vitamin C and smaller amounts of A | rich in Potassium, Phosphorus and smaller amounts of Magnesium, Calcium, Sodium, Iron, Copper |
| Lemon | rich in Vitamin C and smaller amounts of E | rich in Potassium and smaller amounts of Calcium, Phosphorus, Sodium |
| Orange | rich in Vitamin C, A and smaller amounts of E | rich in Potassium, Calcium and smaller amounts of Phosphorus, Magnesium |
| Watermelon | rich in Vitamin A, C and smaller amounts of E | rich in Potassium and moderate amounts of Phosphorus, Magnesium, Calcium |
| Kiwi | rich in Vitamin C and smaller amounts of A, E | rich in Potassium and smaller amounts of Phosphorus, Calcium, Magnesium, Sodium |
| Vegs | Vitamins | Minerals |
| Broccoli | rich in Vitamin A, C and smaller amounts of B6, E | rich in Potassium, Phosphorus, Sodium, Calcium and smaller amounts of Magnesium, Iron, Zinc, Manganese, Selenium |
| Cabbage | rich in Vitamin C and smaller amounts of A, E | rich in Potassium, Phosphorus, Calcium and smaller amounts of Magnesium, Iron, Sodium, Zinc, Manganese |
| Carrots | rich in Vitamin A and smaller amounts of C, B6, E | rich in Potassium, Calcium, Phosphorus and smaller amounts of Magnesium, Sodium |
| Cucumber | small amounts of Vitamin C, A | rich in Potassium and smaller amounts Phosphorus, Magnesium, Sodium, Calcium |
| Green Pepper | rich in Vitamin C and smaller amounts of A, E, B6 | rich in Potassium and smaller amounts of Phosphorus, Magnesium, Calcium, Sodium |
| Tomato | rich in Vitamin A moderate in C and smaller amounts of E | rich in Potassium, Phosphorus, Magnesium, Calcium, Sodium and smaller amounts of Iron, Manganese, Copper, Zinc |
| Onion | small amounts of Vitamin C | rich in Potassium and smaller amounts of Phosphorus, Calcium, Magnesium, Sodium |
| Spinach | rich in Vitamin A and smaller amounts of C | rich in Calcium, Sodium, Potassium, Magnesium and smaller amounts of Phosphorus, Iron, Zinc, Manganese, Selenium |
Note that citrus fruits are always good source of vitamin C, as well as green peppers. Spinach and other green colored vegetables are rich in antioxidants, Iron, Calcium, Potassium, Magnesium and other minerals, in other words vegs from this group are with very high nutritional value. If you are serious about healthy eating you will try to have a large Green salad every day, of course be careful not to ruined it with inappropriate oils or dressings.
How to Completely Supply Your Body
As I mentioned before some are more essential than others, but your body needs each and every vitamin and mineral in order to stay healthy and function properly. There is no need to try and consume all vitamins and all minerals once a day. You could plan your meals and spread through the entire scale for a couple of days for example – this meaning different colored fruits and vegs. You can use the above charts to estimate and calculate how you can deliver the full supply for your body. Of course there are exceptions which are the most important vitamins and minerals, meaning that they must present every day in your diet. These are: vitamins C, D, K, B and E; minerals Iron, Calcium, Selenium, Magnesium and Potassium.
Some interesting facts.
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