Wellbeing Corner

Tag: food

  • Vitamin D, Vitamin K2 and Magnesium

    What is vitamin D?

    Vitamin D (calciferol) is a fat soluble vitamin that can be obtained from sunlight when it directly touches the skin. It doesn’t get absorbed when you’re indoors because of windows acting as barriers. Some people refer to vitamin D as the sunshine vitamin. However, it can also be found in certain foods or supplements. Foods such as salmon, sardines, mackerel, eggs, red meat and some fortified milks have vitamin D. First and foremost we should aim to obtain vitamin D from food and sunshine. In autumn and winter, supplementation should be considered, it’s advisable to speak to your doctor for advice regarding supplements.

    What is the function of vitamin D?

    The role of this important vitamin is to regulate calcium and phosphate in our bodies. Calcium can only be absorbed in the body when vitamin D is present. When the body is deficient in vitamin D, this can cause bone pain in adults and rickets in children. Vitamin D also regulates other cellular functions in the body. If you want to have strong bones, healthy teeth and muscles. Ensuring that you have sufficient vitamin D by incorporating it in your daily diet through food or sunshine should be a priority because it is such an essential nutrient.

    How does Vitamin K2 and Magnesium play a role?

    Vitamin D works well when two other vitamins are present. Your body needs Vitamin K2 and magnesium for bone metabolism; this means that the process of bone formation and bone resorption can be helped by both these vitamins. Thus, producing healthy bones. Vitamin K2 can improve the quality of bones and may aid in the reduction of fractures as well as enhance the effectiveness of vitamin D. Vitamin D advances the production of vitamin K-dependent proteins. The other key nutrient is magnesium. It plays a crucial role in muscle and bone health and has an influence on vitamin D by improving its metabolism. Basically, in some studies, it has been shown that the enzymes that synthesise and metabolise vitamin D are magnesium-dependent. Thus, because all the above-mentioned vitamins are needed for bone and muscle health, it is important to have the right amount of each. Below is the recommended daily dose for different age groups from the National Health Service (NHS).

    The NHS states that in autumn and winter vitamin D should be consumed in food. However, most people are unable to have sufficient levels of vitamin D from their diet alone, probably due to not eating the right foods as well as not having the adequate amounts needed to achieve the daily recommendations. Therefore, it is important to consider supplementation when the sun isn’t strong enough to make vitamin D in your skin. 

    Without further ado, the NHS recommends 10 micrograms of vitamin D a day for children over 4 years old and adults, babies and children under 4 years old 8.5 micrograms. Please see the link in the reference list for your own clarification and consult a doctor before taking any supplements. 

    How much Magnesium is needed?

    Magnesium is an essential mineral which can be obtained from food as well as supplements; the role of magnesium; the parathyroid glands produce hormones which are important for bone health. Magnesium helps these glands function properly, it also converts food into energy. In addition to this, magnesium helps maintain healthy nerves and muscles. The NHS states that too much consumption of magnesium can be harmful, so caution is advised. The recommended daily dose as per NHS guidelines are as follows;

    Ages 19-64

    Women need 270 mg of magnesium per day while men need 300mg per day. 

    Ages 18 and under

    According to the NHS children don’t need magnesium supplementation because they can get it from food, so if you’re worried about low magnesium levels, speak to a doctor as well as find clever ways of incorporating magnesium-rich foods into children’s diets. 

    Aim to get all your magnesium from your food: fruit (bananas, dried apricots, etc.), nuts (almonds, cashews and Brazil nuts), dark green leafy vegetables (spinach, chard, avocados, etc.).

    References

    https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminD-HealthProfessional/

    https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/vitamin-d/#:~:text=Vitamin%20D%20helps%20regulate%20the,condition%20called%20osteomalacia%20in%20adults.

    https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5613455/

    https://link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/10.1007/978-3-030-57401-7_31

    https://www.londonosteoporosisclinic.com/what-happens-to-bones-as-we-age/

    https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/childrens-hospital/nutrition/magnesium-foods

    https://childrenshealthsurrey.nhs.uk/services/sleep/sleep-food-and-drink#:~:text=Children%20do%20not%20need%20any,them%20to%20children%20under%205.

  • Inspiring Healthy Eating Habits

    Not often do we think of eating as something that is learned, when babies are born mothers’ or whoever is the main carer of the baby teach that baby how to eat, what to eat and what not to eat. As babies get older they tend to start being picky, they have learned that they can say no. If we think of eating as something we have learned to do then it might make it easier for us to change our attitudes towards food and how we consume it. It’s never too late to introduce new eating habits; when we eat, what we eat, how much we eat are all things we can adjust. Granted it’s not easy, that’s why we should take baby steps (pun not intended).

    How do we acquire food preferences?

    The decision of what we eat is made for us by our parents or guardians, sometimes the food is chosen wisely and at other times it isn’t. We all know that vegetables are good for us and thankfully there are plenty of vegetables to pick from but one of the mistakes that parents make is letting a toddler decide what he or she wants to eat. If the child has been introduced to sugar, bad fat and too much table salt then their taste buds will eventually adapt to that processed taste and consequently lead them to expecting all food to taste artificial.

    Let me give an example; I know a couple who are obese. The father disclosed to me that their son is a fussy eater and will only eat certain chicken nuggets and chips, nothing else. How did this toddler know of chicken nuggets and chips? This is obviously food that the parents eat on a regular basis, thus, their toddler has now developed a unique food preference.

    Another good example is when some parents decide to blend broccoli as a genius way to disguise vegetables, but unfortunately as clever as that sounds, in the long run, it’s not going to help that child because he or she never learned the true taste and texture of broccoli.

    When my daughter was 5 months old, I was very blessed to have a health visitor explain to me what I should and shouldn’t feed my daughter. She brought along a small bag of sugar about 100 grams (3.5 ounces), she told me that the so-called baby drinks had that much sugar in them. Needless to say that I never bought any of those baby drinks. I was taught about finger foods, healthy eating which included soft broccoli, carrot, bananas, courgettes, etc.

    I implemented that sound advice. I taught my daughter to eat healthy food. She was used to all sorts of vegetables and loved them so much that she would eat kale out of a veggie delivery box before I got the chance to wash it. Though this changed temporarily when she reached the age of 6 or 7, she started being picky with the very vegetables she used to love. As I’m writing this blog post, I realise that coincidentally that’s around the same time I introduced her to eating “treats,” perhaps she started to prefer the processed packaged foods because of the addictive sugar and other synthetic ingredients. I was very firm and told her that I wouldn’t give her any shop-bought “treats” unless she ate her healthy vegetables and proper food. To this day, even though she is nearly thirteen years old I still stand by that principle. Parents need to be parents and children need to be children.

    As adults, healthy eating can be hard regardless of our upbringing, sometimes we just want that easy processed food, who wouldn’t after a long stressful day. Unfortunately stressful days come more often than people can handle. Thus, eating unhealthily is an easier option but it has long term consequences.

    If you’re interested in learning how to make better choices when it comes to healthy eating, then please read my next blog post which will cover tips on how to implement healthy habits without feeling like you’re restricting yourself.

    I hope you enjoyed reading this post, please share with friends or family who might find it useful.