Vitamins, Minerals, and Nutrients
What is a nutrient? There are six nutrients essential for life: vitamins, minerals, water, carbohydrates, protein, and fat. Each of the six nutrients plays a specific and crucial role in the body and must be obtained from food. While it is tempting to just grab a bottle of vitamins and minerals, our Health Nut and Registered Dietitian recommends that you get these nutrients through food first and supplements second.
Some of the key roles nutrients play in the body include building muscles and bones, improving the immune system, and balancing hormone levels. Specifically, calcium helps to build strong bones, vitamin C boosts the immune system, and vitamin B6 (pyroxidine) balances out homocysteine levels to reduce the risk of heart disease. Superfoods like chia seeds and hemp seeds can be added to simple recipes for a major health boost. Others, like goji berries, can be snacked on straight out of the bag!
Although specific healthy foods often grab our attention, all foods actually provide us with at least one or more nutrients (calories, protein, fat, vitamins, minerals, and/or water). The options on this list are more nutrient-dense than average snacks, with just as much delicious flavor. For example, our raisin coconut kale granola gets its sweetness from raisins and its health benefits from the greens, coconut, and nuts.
Check out our list of nutritious snacks and don’t forget to switch up your snacking routine from time to time. The health benefits will be enormous. Happy snacking!
Learn more about these vitamins and minerals:
Try some Nutrient-Rich Foods!
Healthy Eating
- Healthy Snacks
- Healthy Highlights
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- 5 Ways to Eat Farro
- 6 Best Gluten-Free Foods
- Alcohol and the Body
- Almond Flour Recipes
- Anti-Aging Superfoods
- Beat the Afternoon Slump
- Benefits of a Plant-Based Diet
- Benefits of Baobab
- Benefits of Cashews
- Benefits of Coconut Oil for Hair
- Benefits of Coconuts
- Benefits of Dates
- Benefits of Fenugreek
- Benefits of Garcinia Cambogia
- Benefits of Goji Berries
- Benefits of Kale Chips
- Benefits of Monk Fruit Sweetener
- Benefits of Peanuts
- Benefits of Pecans
- Benefits of Pistachios
- Benefits of Pumpkin Seeds
- Benefits of Spelt Flour
- Benefits of Steel Cut Oats
- Benefits of Sunflower Seeds
- Benefits of Tiger Nuts
- Benefits of Turmeric
- Benefits of Walnuts
- Benefits of Wheatgrass
- Best Food Fads
- Cacao vs Cocoa
- Caffeine-Free Energy Foods
- Chocolate That's Good for You
- Diet vs. Exercise
- Fat Burning Foods
- Food Myths Debunked
- Foods for Bone Density
- Foods for Colon Health
- Foods for Healthy Hair
- Foods for Healthy Skin
- Foods to Help Sleep
- Foods to Reduce Stress
- Green Tea Benefits
- Healthy Baking Flours
- Heart Healthy Habits
- High Protein Health Risks
- How to Boost Your Metabolism
- How to Lose Weight While Aging
- How to Throw a Vegan BBQ
- Kaniwa vs Quinoa
- Little Health Foods
- Low-Carb: Fad or Friend?
- Making Healthier Desserts
- Mediterranean Diet Meal Plan
- Natural Beauty Products
- Nuts for Weight Loss
- Preparing Vegan Meals
- Preventing Muscle Degeneration
- Rare Superfoods
- Reduce Sugar Intake
- Save Time By Going Vegan
- Smarter Snack Swaps
- Smoothie Ingredients
- Soy Protein vs Whey Protein
- Starting a Plant-Based Diet
- Steel Cut vs Rolled Oats
- Sugar Substitutes
- Vegan Proteins
- Vegan Substitutions for Fall Recipes
- Why Go Vegan
- Healthy Meals
- Healthy Recipes
- Sports Nutrition
- Nutrition and Special Diets
- 21 Day Fix
- 5 Popular Diet Similarities
- Alkaline Diet
- Anti-Inflammatory Diet
- Calorie Counting
- Carb Cycling Diet
- Celiac Disease
- Cholesterol
- Clean Eating
- Crohn's Disease
- DASH Diet
- Detox Diet
- Diabetes
- Diabetes Diet
- Diet Pill Dangers
- Fat Burning Foods
- Gluten-free Diet
- Glycemic Index
- Heart Health
- High Blood Pressure Diet
- High Fiber Foods
- How to Eat Healthy
- How to Lower Blood Pressure
- Hypertension
- IBS Diet
- Ketogenic Diet
- Liquid Diet
- Low GI Foods
- Low-Carb Diet and Foods
- Low-Fat High-Carb Diet
- Mediterranean Diet
- Mediterranean Diet Foods
- Military Diet
- Nutrition Labels Explained
- Paleo Diet
- Raw Food Diet
- Superfoods
- Sustainable Weight Loss
- Thrive Diet
- Vegan Diet
- Vegetarian Diet
- Weight Loss Shakes
- Whole30