Replace Your Multivitamin With These 5 Foods By JORDAN DAVIDSON



    

Replace Your Multivitamin With These 5 Foods


ByJORDAN DAVIDSONJANUARY 19, 2016


A multivitamin may feel like a smart move: You get a load of micronutrients in a daily pill. But recent research published in the Annals of Internal Medicine found that multivitamins did nothing to stave off heart disease, cancer, or age-related cognitive decline. Even worse: Some findings suggest that high doses of beta-carotene, vitamin A, and vitamin E may harm your health. Any way you look at it, the case against multivitamins is pretty strong. 
So, how do you get all the vitamins, minerals, and essential nutrients you need? "Your body knows how to break down food and use it efficiently," says Nikki Ostrower, a nutritionist at NAO Nutrition in New York City. "We can't say the same for a synthetic pill. Really, we should all eat nutrient-rich foods while keeping supplements to a minimum." Here are 5 nutrient-dense foods that will provide all you need from A to zinc. 
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1. Almonds
This tasty nut is a great place to start when replacing your multivitamin. A new study found that adding 1.5 ounces of almonds to adults' and children's daily diets raised levels of essential fatty acids, vitamin E, and magnesium to the daily recommended levels. Plus, eating the nut daily tended to crowd out empty calories from unhealthy snacks like chips.
2. Shellfish

Oysters, mussels, clams, and scallops offer the strongest concentrations of vitamins and minerals of any animal. They pack a wallop of nutrients while being low calorie, low fat, and high in protein. Unlike your multivitamin pill, they're also delicious. A handful of raw oysters offer 10 times the recommended daily allowance of vitamin B12, 15 times the recommended zinc intake, 5 times the daily copper requirement, and 3 times our daily selenium needs. Iron? It's got a full day's requirement. A serving of mussels offers 3 days' worth of manganese. Shellfish are high in omega-3 fatty acids and low in omega-6s—an outstanding ratio for heart health and brain function. (Here's how to get omega-3s if you're a vegetarian.) They're filled with the minerals copper, magnesium, and phosphorus. They also make an excellent source of vitamin D. Find a way to squeeze shellfish into your diet at least once a week and you'll cover a good chunk of your nutrient needs.
3. Quinoa
This shelf-stable, inexpensive food is completely capable of replacing your multivitamin on its own. "It's got a ton of fiber, and it's a complete protein with a healthy amount of all the essential amino acids," says Ostrower. "No wonder the Incas called it the grain of the gods." Technically, quinoa isn't a grain, but a seed from a plant in the same family as beets, spinach, and chard. The tiny seed provides heart-healthy fats and nutrients like folate, manganese, magnesium, iron, copper, phosphorus, and zinc. It actually has a stronger concentration of antioxidant phytonutrients than cranberries—publicized as a superfood—and it offers a wide array of anti-inflammatory nutrients. "Some people do really well having it just once a day as a side, or as a porridge," says Ostrower. "If you want to enhance its value and its flavor, cook it in mineral-rich bone broth instead of water. Your body will thank you for it." (Try these 6 easy quinoa recipes.)
4. Lacto-Fermented Veggies
That weird-sounding label just refers to sauerkraut, kimchi, or some types of pickles that have been fermented with bacteria known as lactobacillus. The vegetables are kept in clean water and salt, an environment in which only lactobacillus can survive. The process increases the levels of vitamins and enzymes: A serving of these foods provides a full dose of vitamin C, all of the B vitamins, and essential amino acids, especially lysine and methionine. Lacto-fermentation also provides a ton of beneficial bacteria to the gut. "Look at all the vitamins and amino acids you get and then add in a ton of probiotics. That's gorgeous," says Ostrower. "Have these foods as an appetizer, on your salads, or use them as a condiment. Fermented food is a great accompaniment to any meal. Just get it in you." (Learn how to hack your gut bacteria for easier-than-ever weight loss.)
5. Seaweed

Turns out that the slimy underwater plant that wraps around your ankle at the beach is a nutrient powerhouse. Seaweed absorbs the ocean's minerals, which means it's chock full of iron, calcium, potassium, niacin, phosphorus, and magnesium; the aquatic green contains 56 minerals the human body requires.
But wait, there's more! (Seaweed is so good for you that it should have its own infomercial.) It also delivers several B vitamins (it's the only known nonmeat source of B12), along with vitamins A, K, C, and E. The fibers in seaweed carry anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and antiviral properties that flush heavy metals from the digestive tract and support cardiovascular health. "If you really want the king of greens, go for sea vegetables," says Ostrower. "A multi-seaweed salad or miso soup will pack the nutritional profile of different seaweeds into one punch." The varieties include wakame, arame, nori, dulse, and kombu: The combination will more than make up for a multivitamin, says Ostrower. 

                

3 Foods That Could Be Making Your Joints Hurt

ByKASANDRA BRABAWNOVEMBER 3, 2015
When joints stiffen and swell, the pain can make everything—from picking up a pen to taking a walk to cooking dinner—completely and utterly miserable. If you don't know the feeling, chances are you know someone who does—about 1 in 5 adults in the United States have doctor-diagnosed arthritis, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

While there's no way to make sure your painful joints disappear forever, research shows that certain foods—those dubbed "anti-inflammatory" like olive oil, nuts, and fatty fish—can help. And others can hurt. (The Power Nutrient Solution is the first-ever plan that tackles the root cause of virtually every major ailment and health condition today. Get your copy now.)

If you're eating these culprits day in and day out, you could be increasing the odds of a flare-up.
Tomatoes
Although tomatoes are typically thought to be anti-inflammatory, those who suffer from a specific type of arthritis called gout have long thought the red fruit actually triggers joint pain—and new research proves them right. Researchers surveyed 2,051 people who have gout, 20% of whom reported tomatoes as a trigger. They then analyzed data from 12,720 people who did not have gout and found that eating tomatoes increased the levels of uric acid found in their blood. High uric acid is the major underlying cause of gout. Not ready to give up your tomatoes? Researchers say you don't have to—just cut back and make sure to regularly take a uric acid–reducing drug.
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MORE: The 10 Worst Things That Can Happen When You Don't Get Enough Vitamin D

Corn, Sunflower, Safflower, Soybean, and Cottonseed Oils
You've probably heard of the mighty omega-3 fatty acids—the molecules that make salmon and walnuts so good for you. But have you heard of omega-6 fatty acids? You're probably eating way too much of them. Since omega-6 fatty acids are found in soybean oil, and soybean oil is used in just about every packaged food you pluck from grocery store shelves, the typical American diet can contain up to 25 times more omega-6 fatty acids than omega-3 fatty acids. That out-of-whack ratio could be messing with your joints—research shows any ratio bigger than 10 to 1 can cause problems like asthma, cardiovascular disease, and inflammation. Researchers suggest anyone with rheumatoid arthritis get their ratio down to 2 or 3 to 1. This actually suppressed inflammation in study participants with the condition. Omega-6 fatty acids are also found in fried foods, margarine, egg yolks, and meats. 
MORE: 12 Fish To Stay Away From

Sugary Soda
Even diet soda has its downsides. But the supersweet stuff is no boon for your health, either. In addition to putting you at risk for diabetes and heart disease, sugar consumption can trigger the release of inflammatory "messengers" called cytokines, according to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. When researchers analyzed data from two large studies spanning 30 years, they found a link between soda consumption and arthritis risk. Women who drank one soda or more daily had a 63% greater risk of arthritis than those who didn't drink it at all.
     

       












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