On each other's team - calcium

Ciao Nutrinutters!

I'm trying to focus on thinking only about calcium but Romeo and Juliet (the Leonardo DiCaprio version) is playing on TV...and ladies you understand this, as you can imagine calcium is not the priority on my mind ;)

Alas, I must focus and Leo has to go, haha!

Since I'm going in alphabetical order, the next nutrient up is not a vitamin but a mineral -calcium! This one is another popular nutrient, known for promoting bone health. But did you know that although 99% of calcium in our bodies is stored in bones and teeth, it has other key functions such as control muscle and nerve function by cell signaling as well as manage acid/base in our blood. Our bodies need to have a balanced pH to work properly and when those levels start getting too low, calcium is released from our bones into our blood stream.

I read in "World's Healthiest Foods" something pretty neat actually. We should consider the storage of calcium like a bank. Since we have a high storage of calcium in our bones, it is unlikely that the muscle and nerve function along with maintaining body pH will be affected with only not consuming enough calcium rich foods. However, when your body uses up more than your intake constantly, is when you end up in deficit.

How much do I need? Is it only found in Dairy?

Calcium recommendation varies a little with age and gender. Male and female adults up to the age of 50 require 1,000 mg per day. The needs for women over the age of 50 on the other hand, is increased to 1,200 mg. Also, pregnant or lactating women independent of age should aim for 1,300 mg per day.

Even though calcium is extremely important for our health, like everything, too much of it is also not recommended. The upper limit was set to 2,500 mg for adults 50 and under and 2,000 mg for adults over 50.

Foods that are usually known for being calcium sources are the ones coming from dairy (yogurt, cheese, milk) but since the hot topic for a while has been eliminating dairy from diet, I wanted to show a few other foods that are great sources as well! Although dairy sources are usually better absorbed...

4 ounces of Tofu has about 770 mg of calcium
1 cup of spinach has about 240 mg of calcium
1 cup of collard greens has about 260 mg of calcium
1 cup of bok choy has about 160 mg of calcium


Calcium - team player? Un peu...

Calcium is another nutrient that works in a team! Vitamin D, vitamin K and magnesium are fundamental for calcium absorption. Foods that contain calcium, usually contain vitamin D too.

However, it sometimes is not much of a team player since it can interfere with the absorption of other important nutrients such as iron, zinc as well as magnesium. Which is why it is very important for someone with anemia to avoid having foods rich in calcium mixed with foods sources of iron, like meats.

Wrapping up our first mineral, hope everyone has an amazing week! I bet you're wondering which nutrient is next aren't you?? It's my secret...stay tuned to find out ;)

XOXO

-The Nutrinut-

Sailing new seas - Vitamin C - Ascorbic Acid

Ciao Nutrinutters!

I'm extremely proud with the title of this post since this week's vitamin is known to have prevented scurvy among sailors in the early 1900s (hence the "sailing new seas") bringing history and nutrition to you ;)  ladies and gents I present to you Vitamin C, also known as Ascorbic Acid.

The Functions

This vitamin is a little easier to remember its functions because it is quite a famous one!

Most people know vitamin C because of its antioxidant ability and I'm sure we've all heard that we should take a little vitamin C when we are feeling "under the weather".

There's no doubt that this vitamin C plays a role in controlling infections and in fact is an antioxidant.
For those who have missed my previous explanation of what an antioxidant is or still are not very clear what that means, I found a pretty good analogy that might help. We can compare free radicals to a fire that can potentially harm our cells and damage our body structures, then antioxidants will be our "fire extinguishers" that will neutralize the fire or free radicals. Neat, right??

But all that most of us already knew right? "What can the Nutrinut bring to the table that's new" you might be wondering...

This part usually makes the ladies more alert than the fellas - vitamin C is required to produce collagen. Even I am guilty of linking collagen to youthful looking skin, however it is important for the connective tissue of not only skin but also bone, teeth, tendons and ligaments giving our bodies form and support to our organs.

Another neat function of Ascorbic Acid is its ability to reduce iron. What? You lost me Nutrinut!
Let me explain...most vitamins have a form in which they are better absorbed in our bodies. It just so happens that this is Vitamin C's. Which is why when you are having foods that are rich in iron, like meat, it is always a good idea to include a citrus fruit to help your body better absorb iron.

I already know where to get Vitamin C...can we skip this next part?

Nope! We still have to know how much we should have per day remember? The daily recommendation for adult males is 90 milligrams and for females is 75 milligrams. For pregnant and lactating women, like usually, is a little higher: 85 mg and 120 mg respectively.
According to the Dietary Reference Intake, smokers should also take 35 mg more than the recommended above.
 
Since most of us are already pretty familiar with good sources of Vitamin C, I will give you some examples of fruits and veggies that are good sources and how much Ascorbic Acid each one has:

1 medium papaya - about 160 mg of vitamin C
1 cup of broccoli - about 100 mg of vitamin C
1 cup of strawberries/pineapples - about 80 mg of vitamin C
1 medium orange - about 70 mg of vitamin C

Like most of the other vitamins, there is a tolerable upper intake level set and for vitamin C is 2000 mg.

And now this is the time where I bid you adieu and wish everyone and amazing week!! :)
See you next week as we continue our journey!

XOXO

-The Nutrinut-

Saving the best for last...B12 - Cobalamin

Ciao Nutrinutters,

As promised, this is the second vitamin for this week! If you haven't done so yet, make sure to look at B9 too :)

Here's the cherry on top of the sundae of B vitamins - Cobalamin or most commonly known as B12.
Although it is still part of the B family, this vitamin is very unique in quite a few ways:

• We store it in our bodies
• It's absorbed in 2 steps: a) stomach acid separates B12 from the protein it is attached to in food; b) it combines with a protein made in the stomach called intrinsic factor to be absorbed.
• Found mostly in animal sources

What's so special about this B?

Vitamin B12 is important for the production of DNA. Remember how I mentioned before that many of these vitamins work together? Well, it just so happens that folate and B6 will work together with B12 in this function.

The trio will also work together in the production of neurotransmitters, such as serotonin, a neurotransmitter strongly linked to mood control. Remember how I called vitamin B6 the moody vitamin? Well, maybe we can call this trio "the moody trio" ;)

This vitamin also acts in the nervous system by playing an important role in maintaining healthy nerve cells.

It protects myelin, the fatty material that covers your nerves and enables us to transmit messages between our nerve cells. Low levels of B12 can cause nerve damage, making it harder for signals to be sent out specially to the body's extremities, such as in our hands and feet. This is why symptoms show up first in these regions.

Another sign of deficiency is anemia. This one is called Pernicious Anemia and it happens usually when the stomach cells are not able to produce intrinsic factor and therefore the body is not able to absorb the vitamin. Deficiency can also happen in vegans since the food sources come from animal.

How much do I need?

The recommendation for B12 for adult males and females is 2.4 micrograms. Pregnant and lactating women require a little more, 2.6 mcg and 2.8 mcg respectively.

As for what kind of foods you can find B12 in, since it is produced by "good" bacteria, good sources will be meat, fish, poultry, milk products and eggs. Like the previous vitamin, some grain products might be fortified with B12 too.

Can this vitamin be toxic?

Although animal food sources have significant amounts of this vitamin (4 ounces of salmon has 2 times what's recommended for the day!) having high amounts of B12, whether by food or supplementation, has not shown to be toxic...but I still rather be on the safe side and not get too carried away with uber crazy high doses...

So this concludes another vitamin and a good chunk of our Journey...But we're not done yet! Next week there's more! ;)

XOXO

-The Nutrinut-

Not Only a Prenatal - Folate (B9)

Ciao Nutrinutters,

We have only two main vitamins left before closing the B-files! I'm calling this next one "the Nervous Vitamin" since one of its main functions is to support the nervous system...you might know it as folate (form found naturally in foods) or folic acid (form found mostly in supplements).

Folic acid is highly associated as a prenatal vitamin because of its importance in  promoting healthy baby development being fundamental for neural tube development and reducing the risk of spina bifida (the failure of  bones of the spine to close properly around the spinal cord). However, this vitamin has other amazing functions as well!

Have you ever heard of macrocytic anemia? One of folate's main functions include allowing the complete development of red blood cells, which are the ones responsible for carrying oxygen around the body. In a folate deficiency, the red blood cells will not form properly and continue to grow without dividing. This is why this kind of anemia is called MACROCYTIC (large cell).

Another key function of folate is maintaining healthy blood circulation by preventing the accumulation of homocysteine. Sound familiar? Homocysteine is an amino acid that when in high levels, is associated with being a risk factor for cardiovascular disease.

Vitamin B9 is also fundamental for proper brain function and plays a role in mental and emotional health. The deficiency of this vitamin has been linked to general mental fatigue, depression, irritability and others. The reason for this is because the synthesis of many neurotransmitters depend on folic acid.

How much do I need?

The daily recommendation of B9 for adult men and women is 400 micrograms. The recommended for pregnant females is 600 micrograms and lactating 500 micrograms.

The good news is that although the needs might seem a little high, foods source of this vitamin contain significant amounts...another example that our parents were spot on when they made us eat our veggies! I still remember not being able to go play until I finished the peas in my plate! ;)

Some good sources of folate include beans, dark green leafy vegetables and all grain products in the United States are fortified with folic acid.

Here are some numbers...

1 cup of lentils has about 350 micrograms (mcg) of folate
1 cup of spinach has about 260 mcg of folate
1 cup of turnip greens or broccoli has about 160 mcg of folate

There are however some situations in which we might need extra help from supplements including future mommies and people that consume alcohol on a regular basis. Alcohol interferes with the absorption of many important nutrients including the B vitamins.

Should I take a little more just to be on the safe side?

Like the other B vitamins, eating high amounts of foods source of B9 have not been observed to cause any negative side effect. However, high intake of folic acid (the form found in supplement) can trigger symptoms including masking the deficiency of vitamin B12, an important vitamin for the nervous system. This is why the tolerable upper limit of this vitamin was set to 1,000 micrograms.

One more B vitamin to go!! Excited? Me too!

P.S -Since I shared my pea story, I would love to hear your veggie trauma story! What did you absolutely hate eating and your parents made you have every single bite? ;)

XOXO

-The Nutrinut- 

Updates...

Ciao my dearest Nutrinutters,

First I would like to apologize for delaying in posting...I am truly sorry!

Second, since I was a little late in posting I thought that I'd update you today on how my new job has been going and post the last two B vitamins next Monday, deal??

Today I started the 4th week in my job...did I already tell you where I am working? I am the first Nutritionist in a supplement company here in Miami. It has been an amazing experience and I've been learning a great deal! I confess it has been challenging at times but I've been loving every minute of it. You know the feeling where although you hate the horrid sound of the alarm clock, after you come to terms with the fact that you have to get out of bed before the sun comes up, you are actually happy to go to work?? Well, that has been me every morning :)  I get to do what I love! Which is nutrition education!

You also don't know this about me yet, but initially when I started studying nutrition I thought that the natural path would be ending up working in a hospital...I confess that idea never made me very happy. Although I truly admire everyone that works in one, I think nutrition education was definitely "meant to be" for me :)

There's no better feeling than when one manages to explain something ridiculously scientific and make it sound simple! That makes me truly happy. Another perk about this field is I get to tell everyone "Hey! We are right over here!"  Many don't know about us nutritionists, who we are, what we do...and that is our fault for keeping to ourselves in a corner...but let's change that shall we?? I'm here to shout out that I am proud of what I do :)  Wanna join me nutrinutters?? Let's continue this Nutrition journey together...

Have a wonderful week!!! I will see you soon with the two last B vitamins ;)

XOXO

-The Nutrinut-