Healthy Start to the New Year

Happy 2017 everyone!
As we start the new year, many people set resolutions to improve their health. This week I am going to talk about vitamin supplements.

First, how much do you really need?
The reality is most people don’t actually know how much of each nutrient they need. Here are Harvard Health’s recommended levels of daily intake for several important nutrients.

• Calcium: 1,000–1,200 mg, don’t go over 2,000 mg
• Folate: 400 mcg, don’t go over 1,000 mg
• Iron: 8 mg, don’t go over 45 mg
• Vitamin A: 700 mcg, don’t go over 3,000 mcg
• Vitamin B6: 1.5 mg, don’t go over 100 mg
• Vitamin B12: 2.4 mcg, upper limit has not been established
• Vitamin C: 75 mg, don’t go over 2,000 mg
• Vitamin D: 600-800 IU, don’t go over 4,000 IU
• Vitamin E: 15 mg, don’t go over 1,000 mg
  

   

  The best way to get your nutrients is from food.We all need a variety of nutrients daily to stay healthy. That includes calcium and vitamin D to protect bones, folic acid for the production and maintenance of new cells and vitamin A for healthy immune system and vision. However, where we get these nutrients from is important. And the best way is from food — not supplements, says Dr. JoAnn Manson, chief of preventive medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School.

  • Calcium: dairy, tofu and fortified orange juice
  • Folic acid: spinach, lentils and beef liver
  • Iron: Oysters, chicken liver and turkey
  • Omega-3: salmon, sardines and flaxseed
  • Essential fatty acids: walnuts and soybeans
  • Vitamin A: Sweet potatoes, spinach, cantaloupes, tomatoes and carrots
  • Vitamin B: Chickpeas, salmon and chicken breast
  • Vitamin B12: Clams, beef liver and trout
  • Vitamin D: Salmon, tuna and fortified milk, including fortified non-dairy milk
  • Vitamin E: Almonds, wheat germ oil, sunflower seeds and peanut butter
     

  Of course, it's best to choose organic and non GMO foods when possible. Luckily, there are more and more stores stocking up on this food, which is driving prices down. 
  
  Always check with your physician or health practitioner before making changes to your diet or exercise plans. It's always best to ease into change, rather than crash into a new routine. Start slowly, make substitutions with your existing meal plans. It has taken you a long time to create the body and health you have now - it won't change overnight! 
  
  Here's to a great New Year!
  
  Tom