Important Nutrients for Nutritional Health and Weight Loss

When you’re trying to lose weight, it can sometimes be difficult to take in all the nutrients your body needs for health. Let’s face it – nutritional health and weight loss can seem to be at odds. If you cut the number of calories that your body takes in, you’re also reducing the nutrients your body has available to provide for your health. The secret is to practice better nutrition, and, if necessary, to turn to natural remedies to make up for nutrients missing in your daily diet.

That’s why many weight loss doctors recommend a daily multivitamin for those on very low calorie diets. You don’t have to turn to synthetic chemicals and vitamins to maintain proper nutrition, though. There are many natural remedies and supplements that contain specific nutrients that can ensure you maintain your nutritional health and weight loss still happens. Not sure which nutrients your body needs? Here are some tips to help you make sure you’re taking in all the vitamins, minerals and micro-nutrients your body needs to keep you healthy while you lose weight.

Work with a Nutritionist

If you’re on a weight loss regimen, many health insurance plans will pay for a consultation with a nutritionist to help you create a meal plan that works for you. In preparing for your consultation, keep a food diary for 3-4 days or put together a sample menu for the same length of time. If you’re using meal replacement bars or drinks, bring the label with you so the nutrition counselor can see the ingredients. That will allow the counselor to get a full picture of the overall nutrition provided by your diet and make specific recommendations for ways to fill in any holes.

Add B Vitamins to Your Diet

Often, the first things to be cut from your diet when you embark on a weight loss regimen are carbohydrates, such as breads and pasta, and starchy legumes, such as beans and lentils. While those pack a lot of calories, they also tend to be the major sources of complex B vitamins in the modern diet – and those vitamins play a major role in your emotional and physical health. B vitamins help tame stress and seem to play a role in holding depression at bay, and also seem to have a stimulant effect on the body, helping to boost metabolism. If your diet has to eliminate whole grains and legumes, look for a natural dietary supplement with B vitamins, especially B12 and B6. These are especially important after weight loss surgery.

Increase Your Intake of EFA

When you reduce your intake of fats, you run the risk of depriving your body of essential fatty acids, which protect your brain, skin and other body tissues. Generally, our bodies derive these fatty acids from nuts and vegetable oils, but low calorie diets often restrict those high fat foods. One way to get make sure that you get those vital nutrients is to look for natural remedies that include linoleic acid and alpha linoleic acid, such as primrose seed oil, grapeseed oil and flaxseed oil, and to add cold water fish to your regular diet two or more times a week.

Nutritional health and weight loss are not mutually exclusive, but it can be harder to get all of the nutrients you need when you’re on a low calorie diet. Look to your diet and to natural remedies and dietary supplements to help you bolster your nutrition.