There are five crucial steps to gain a complete understanding of our diet. Dissecting essential nutrients creates a massive learning curve, and our bodies require a comprehensive diet specific vitamins, minerals, and amino acids to function optimally. By following these steps, we can address the limitations of traditional dieting and uncover the unavoidable blind spots in our nutrition.
Painting A Full Picture
- Establish a baseline by calculating your daily recommended intakes (DRI) of nutrients based on age, sex, weight, height, and activity level.
- Research and document the vitamins and minerals in the foods you eat, creating a reference guide for later use.
- Determine portion sizes of each food in your meals to calculate the total vitamins and minerals consumed.
- Compare your nutritional intake from step 3 against your DRI from step 1 to assess how well you are meeting your nutrient targets.
- Identify the vitamins and minerals that are being missed or overcompensated and make necessary adjustments to achieve a more balanced diet.
(Optional Step) Research the specific benefits of each nutrient to gain a deeper understanding of their impact on the body.
A 21st Century Approach
Traditional guidelines for balanced dieting, such as Harvard's healthy eating plate, offer generalized information that falls short in providing comprehensive meal planning insights. The breakdown of nutrients requires meticulous effort, and without this understanding, we remain blind to meeting our daily nutrient requirements and the potential ailments that may arise. 21st-century nutritional science demands a more advanced approach.
Modern Dieting
Our mission is to simplify the process of unraveling nutritional data within our food, providing the public with accessible and user-friendly tools. By gaining knowledge about the role each food plays in our overall health, we can embark on a sustainable path towards a fulfilling life by leveraging a healthy comprehensive diet.
Understanding the nutritional blind spots in our diets requires diligent effort and a deeper exploration of the vitamins, minerals, and essential nutrients our bodies require. Traditional dieting methods fall short in providing comprehensive insights, while modern approaches aim to bridge the gap between available nutritional science and our dietary choices. Let us strive to know our food better and embrace the journey towards a healthier, more informed lifestyle.