Vitamins, minerals, trace elements, antioxidants, amino acids, fatty acids, flavonoids, polyphenols, coumarins, etc. Knowledge in nutritherapy has made considerable progress in the last 20 years. Certainties regarding nutrition are being challenged, new discoveries are emerging, foods and nutrients are being rediscovered, and recommended daily intakes are being reassessed.
Learn more about vitamins
Nervousness, stress, fatigue, damaged hair, and skin are the first symptoms of a vitamin deficiency. A varied and renewed intake of vitamins protects us from daily aggressions from our environment while allowing the body to function normally. True deficiencies or temporary intake deficits have real consequences on health and well-being: vision problems, bone weakening, growth delay, accelerated aging, liver disorders, concentration difficulties, malformation, and growth retardation in unborn babies, etc...
Characteristics of vitamins
- They provide no calories and act in very small quantities.
- Except in rare cases, they cannot be manufactured by the body.
- They cannot replace each other.
- As catalysts, vitamins are completely indispensable to the body's functioning.
- Vitamin deficiencies can cause disorders that may lead to diseases.
Specificities of vitamins
Water-soluble vitamins (soluble in water): vitamin C, PP, and B vitamins. The body does not store water-soluble vitamins; they are quickly eliminated through urine, hence the importance of providing them in sufficient quantities daily.
Fat-soluble vitamins (soluble in fats): vitamins A, D, E, and K. These vitamins are transported in the body by fats and stored with them. These reserves must be regularly replenished through diet.
Learn more about minerals
Minerals or mineral salts and trace elements are mineral components of the body. Some mineral salts exist in relatively large quantities in the body (about 4% of body weight), such as calcium, chlorine, sodium, magnesium, phosphorus, and potassium. In contrast, trace elements are present in very small quantities in the body, and for some, only as traces, such as iron, zinc, fluorine, copper, iodine, manganese, cobalt, selenium, chromium, etc. The term "trace elements" encompasses about twenty mineral elements present in infinitesimal quantities in the body. Not all of them are essential, as we do not yet have all the evidence of their vital necessity. Nutritherapy is a constantly evolving discipline, and major discoveries for human health are always possible!
The roles played by these minerals are variable and diverse: tissue constitution, production of certain hormones and enzymes, regulation of water movements, neuromuscular excitability and reactivity. They are often decisive for the optimal use of other nutrients (proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, amino acids, and vitamins). For example, calcium and phosphorus are used to make living matter and are part of its composition. Another example, copper and chromium are used as true catalysts for certain enzymatic reactions, and their role is essential in protein synthesis, oxygen transport, and glycemia regulation.
Mineral salts are not an energy source and therefore do not provide any calories. As the kidneys eliminate them daily, our diet must provide sufficient quantities of them every day. Mineral salts are mainly provided by plant-based foods, although for some, animal sources may be much more bioavailable. After ingestion, cooking methods are important for mineral preservation: steaming, stewing, or microwaving practically do not alter minerals. And, unlike vitamins whose amounts are optimal in raw and fresh foods, for some minerals, the available quantities are sometimes higher after cooking than in raw food. Mineral deficiencies may be due to insufficient intake or a change in the digestibility of trace elements (food additives, inadequate cooking, medications, etc...).