The Weight Loss Nutrients You're Missing

The Weight Loss Nutrients You're Missing

We are more educated about food and concerned about our diets than the generations that came before us, and these days we certainly have access to a wider variety of fresh and healthy produce, and yet we are still missing many important nutrients and vitamins in our diets. A recent analysis of the 2001-2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) found that, shockingly, up to 98% of American adults are lacking in certain crucial nutrients, and that consistently missing out on certain vitamins and minerals is greatly compromising our health, and also contributing to weight gain and an inability to lose weight. So, this could mean that despite your best efforts to eat healthier, failing to get the vitamins and minerals that your body needs could really slow down your weight loss potential. Here we run through six nutrients most lacking in the typical American diet and how they help you to lose weight, plus which food sources can help to provide these crucial vitamins.

1. Vitamin E

The NHANES study found that a whopping 98% of Americans don’t get enough vitamin E, which has been blamed on a misplaced fear of fat, since this vitamin is primarily found in fatty foods such as nuts, seeds, and oils. Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant which protect cells from free radicals, and also supports healthy blood vessel function and boosts the immune system, as well as improving skin, hair and nails. Vitamin E also helps to regulate blood sugar levels, helping control hunger and balance our energy levels, so lacking in this vitamin can lead to excess hunger and low energy. Crucially, our blood sugar levels effect whether we burn or store fat, so regulating them to the maximum potential with sufficient levels of vitamin E will ultimately allow us to lose the most amount of weight.

2. Vitamin B12

Since vitamin B12 is only found in animal products such as meat, eggs, and dairy products, strict vegans in particular as well as vegetarians are those most likely to suffer from a B12 deficiency, although a significant number of American adults simply do not eat enough B12 as a result of eating a somewhat limited and unvaried diet. Vitamin B12 is essential for the way the body controls energy levels as it helps in the production of healthy red blood cells that carry oxygen around the body. Furthermore, vitamin B12 helps promote weight loss by metabolizing fat and protein, giving you more energy and enabling you to lead a healthier lifestyle. It also boosts levels of the ‘feel good’ chemical serotonin, which is released after eating to signal fullness, therefore suppressing hunger and cravings.

3. Magnesium

The NHANES study discovered that 82% of Americans need more magnesium in their diets. Modern food processing removes many nutrients from food, especially magnesium, however, good food sources of magnesium are green leafy vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds and whole grains. This important nutrient plays a role in more than 300 bodily functions, including bone strengthening and blood pressure regulation. It also plays a crucial role in weight loss potential as it helps control blood sugar levels and plays a key role in the metabolism of carbohydrates, protein and fat, therefore helping to control hunger levels and ensuring that all food is processed efficiently into energy and not converted to fat.

4. Vitamin A

This vitamin was found to be lacking in 78% of American adults in the NHANES study. Vitamin A is important for healthy eyes, and also plays an important role in immune function. The best source of vitamin A is sweet potato, but other good sources include beef liver, spinach, fish, milk, eggs, and yellow or orange fruit and vegetables. As well as being crucial to your overall health, vitamin A is an excellent nutrient for weight loss as it contains retinoid proteins which assist in eliminating cell growth related to insulin and obesity issues.

5. Folate

Rich sources of folate include dark leafy greens, beans, root vegetables, salmon, and avocado, but as a rule these foods are often lacking in the typical American diet. Furthermore, although all grain and cereal products in the US are fortified with this nutrient, since more and more people are avoiding grains, it is now fairly common to have insufficient levels of folate. Like vitamin B12 and other B vitamins, folate, also known as vitamin B9, is involved in protein digestion and fat burning making it essential for healthy weight loss. Folic acid also functions to maintain stable levels of insulin, which is important for efficient fat burning as your body will immediately burn the fats from foods instead of storing them.

6. Vitamin C

More than half of American adults were found to lack this essential vitamin in the NHANES study, despite it being found in abundance in a variety of fruits and vegetables, including kiwis, red peppers, citrus fruits, broccoli, Brussels sprouts and cantaloupe. Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant which protects against cell damage, while also boosting the immune system and helping to form collagen in the body. Low levels of this vitamin are linked to increased weight and higher waist measurements, showing the correlation between dangerous abdominal fat and a lack of vitamin C. This is because vitamin C is required in the process of metabolizing fatty tissue, and without sufficient vitamin C your body is unable to use stored fat and therefore a build-up occurs. Additionally, a lack of vitamin C results in inadequate fat burning during exercise, meaning that despite strenuous exercise regimes, an individual with a vitamin C deficiency will not achieve as much weight loss as they could with sufficient vitamin C levels.

The results of the study clearly show that the vast majority of American adults are seriously lacking in a number of crucial nutrients, and that, as well as being a health risk, this is also a cause for concern with respect to rising obesity levels since these vitamins play such an important role in regulating blood sugars and assisting in bodily functions such as converting food into energy. For those trying to lose weight, it can be difficult to obtain all of these crucial vitamins whilst eating a limited number of calories, not to mention that stocking your kitchen with such a wide variety of foods can be extremely time-consuming and expensive. So, while we would encourage you to eat a healthy and varied diet, we also recommend the new multivitamin supplement, Phen Vites, which provides all of these nutrients lacking in the American diet and more. Taking Phen Vites, which is the only vitamin you’ll need if you’re serious about weight loss, means that not only can you can be sure that you’re getting your daily allowance of all these key nutrients, but that you’ll also be getting an extra weight-loss boost. This is because, Phen Vites also contain important weight-loss boosting nutrients such as 5HTP and chromium, which are difficult to obtain from food sources but which both aid weight loss by leveling blood sugars, suppressing appetite, and helping to metabolize food. Furthermore, Phen Vites also contain ingredients such as L-Tyrosine, which boost the effectiveness of the appetite-suppressing effects of weight loss supplements like Phen Caps. So, if you’re taking Phen Caps in combination with Phen Vites, you can benefit from an added weight-loss boost as well as ensuring that you meet the recommended daily allowance for all of the crucial nutrients that are likely to be lacking in your diet.

Do you think you could be missing out on these crucial nutrients despite aiming to eat a healthier diet? Let us know by commenting below.

0 comments