Micronutrients & Water

Types of Micronutrients

There are four main kinds of micronutrients that you should have in your diet:

• Water-soluble Vitamins

• Fat-soluble Vitamins

• Trace minerals

• Microminerals

WEBMD- https://www.webmd.com/diet/what-to-know-about-micronutrients#2

WATER SOLUBLE VITAMINS- the main water-soluble vitamins are B vitamins and vitamin C. These vitamins all dissolve in water. This means it can dissolve in water and travel through the bloodstream. Your body can't hang on to them to use later, so you need to get more of them daily. Any water-soluble vitamins that your body doesn't use right away are flushed out of your system as urine. 

B vitamins- WHAT ARE THEY GOOD FOR?

• Thiamine (vitamin B1) - essential for glucose metabolism, and it plays a key role in nerve, muscle, and heart function
• Riboflavin (vitamin B2) - is a key component of coenzymes involved with the growth of cells, energy production, and the breakdown of fats, steroids, and medications.
• Niacin (vitamin B3) - used by your body to turn food into energy. It helps keep your nervous system, digestive system and skin healthy 
• Pantothenic acid (vitamin B5) - main function of this water-soluble B vitamin is in the synthesis of coenzyme A (CoA) and acyl carrier protein
• Pyridoxine (vitamin B6)  - Helps chemical reactions in the immune system, helping it work better
• Biotin (vitamin B7) - vital part of a healthy metabolism and creating important enzymes. Biotin is often used to strengthen hair and nails, and is also called Vitamin H (for hair). 
• Folic acid (folate, vitamin B9) - important in red blood cell formation and for healthy cell growth and function. The nutrient is crucial during early pregnancy to reduce the risk of birth defects of the brain and spine.
• Cobalamin (vitamin B12) - is needed to form red blood cells and DNA, It is crucial for nerve tissue health, brain function, and the production of red blood cells. Also; normal functioning of the brain and nervous system, cognitive functioning (ability to think), formation of red blood cells and anemia prevention, helping create and regulate DNA, possibly preventing congenital abnormalities, helping protect the eyes from macular degeneration, and necessary for energy production. Some people need to take supplements and or receive injections.

Ascorbic Acid (vitamin C) - helping to protect cells and keeping them healthy, maintaining healthy skin, blood vessels, bones and cartilage, helping with wound healing, Lack of vitamin C can lead to scurvy (Although rare today, scurvy is still seen in people who don't eat enough fruit and vegetables, infants and elderly patients.)

FAT SOLUBLE VITAMINS- Unlike water-soluble vitamins, fat-soluble vitamins dissolve in fat, not water. These include vitamins A, D, E, and K. Once you get them, they can stay in your body for later use. 

Your body stories them in fatty tissue and your liver. 

Retinol (vitamin A) - Needed for vision (it produces the pigments in the retina of the eye) and helps form and maintain healthy teeth, skeletal and soft tissue, mucus membranes, and skin.  

Sunshine Vitamin (vitamin D) - Needed for proper absorption of calcium and phosphorus ; stored in bones. In laboratory studies show that vitamin D can reduce cancer cell growth, help control infections and reduce inflammation.

(vitamin E) - Its main role is to act as an antioxidant, scavenging loose electrons-so-called "free radicals"-that can damage cells. It also enhances immune function and prevents clots from forming in heart arteries.

Phytonadione (vitamin K) - to produce prothrombin, a protein that plays crucial roles in blood clotting, bone metabolism, and heart health. Vitamin K also helps facilitate energy production in the mitochondria of cells.

Calcium - Important for healthy bones and teeth; helps muscles relax and contract; important in nerve functioning, blood clotting, blood pressure regulation, immune system health

Phosphorus - Important for healthy bones and teeth; found in every cell; part of the system that maintains acid-base balance

Magnesium - Found in bones; needed for making protein, muscle contraction, nerve transmission, immune system health

Sodium - Needed for proper fluid balance, nerve transmission, and muscle contraction

Potassium - Needed for proper fluid balance, nerve transmission, and muscle contraction

Chloride - Needed for proper fluid balance, stomach acid

Sulfur - Found in protein molecules

Trace minerals - The other minerals you need include iron, manganese, copper, zinc, and selenium. Trace minerals are critical for muscle health, nervous system function, and repairing damage to cells. 

Copper (Cu) - production of red blood cells, regulation of heart rate and blood pressure, absorption of iron, prevention of prostatitis, or inflammation of the prostate, development and maintenance of bone, connective tissue, and organs like the brain and heart, activation of the immune system

Fluoride (F) - inhibits or reverses the initiation and progression of tooth decay and stimulates new bone formation

Iodine (I) - The body needs iodine to make thyroid hormones. These hormones control the body's metabolism and many other important functions. The body also needs thyroid hormones for proper bone and brain development during pregnancy and infancy

Iron (Fe) - essential element for blood production. About 70% of your body's iron is found in the red blood cells of your blood called hemoglobin and in muscle cells called myoglobin. Hemoglobin is essential for transferring oxygen in your blood from the lungs to the tissues 

Manganese (Mn) - helps activate many enzymes in metabolism and plays a role in a variety of chemical processes in your body. It helps with protein and amino acid digestion and utilization, as well as the metabolism of cholesterol and carbohydrates

Molybdenum (Mo) - It activates enzymes that help break down harmful sulfites and prevent toxins from building up in the body

Selenium (Se) - play critical roles in reproduction, thyroid hormone metabolism, DNA synthesis, and protection from oxidative damage and infection

Zinc (Zn) - It is needed for the body's defensive (immune) system to properly work. It plays a role in cell division, cell growth, wound healing, and the breakdown of carbohydrates. Zinc is also needed for the senses of smell and taste. During pregnancy, infancy, and childhood the body needs zinc to grow and develop properly

WATER

Here are just a few important ways water works in your body:

• Regulates body temperature
• Moistens tissues in the eyes, nose and mouth
• Protects body organs and tissues
• Carries nutrients and oxygen to cells
• Lubricates joints
• Lessens burden the on kidneys and liver by flushing out waste products
• Helps dissolve minerals and nutrients to make them accessible to your body

Every day, you lose water through your breath, perspiration, urine and bowel movements, which is why it's important to continue to take in water throughout the day. 

For your body to function at its best, you must replenish its water supply with beverages and food that contain water. 

How to tell if you are dehydrated by looking...

What to drink after a workout?

Milk the "Udder" Sport Recover Drink

"Chocolate milk has a beneficial carb-to-protein ratio when it comes to recovery, as well as provides key electrolytes for refueling after a workout, such as calcium, potassium, sodium and magnesium,"

Natalie Rizzo, MS, RD, a sports dietitian

Cow's and soy milk are complete proteins. Almond and coconut milk are not. This means that they have all 9 of the essential amino acids that our body cannot produce on its own.  

Electrolytes: is a substance that conducts electricity when dissolved in water

Other Sport Recovery Drinks:

Tart Cherry Juice is a great anti-inflammatory option that can help to mitigate training response if consumed one to two hours post-workout. 

Beet Juice before a big workout or race has gained popularity in recent years due to the fact that research suggests it might have a boosting effect on V02 max and performance. May improve phosphocreatine re-synthesis during the brief rest periods included in protocols of intermittent high-intensity exercise.

Coconut Water is high in potassium and magnesium, which can help reduce post-workout cramping, making it an ideal natural alternative to traditional sports drinks for replenishing electrolytes.

Coffee doesn't sound like an enticing muscle-recovery drink but it (hot or iced) does offer benefits. Caffeine helps accelerate the absorption of carbohydrates, which the body needs after workouts in order to refuel glycogen stores. Keep in mind that most bodies only contain enough glycogen for one intense workout, so quick replenishment is key, especially on double-workout days.

Green or Black Tea is effective in fat oxidation, reduces muscle soreness, recovers muscle strength.