Whether children, teenagers or adults – for us all a varied diet is the basis for our fitness, our health and our well-being. With a balanced diet, we can supply our bodies with all vital nutrients every day.
Supply situation in Germany
Actually one should assume that we are sufficiently supplied with valuable nutrients due to the good supply with food. In fact, studies show that broad sections of the population are insufficiently supplied with some vitamins and minerals. This may be partly due to a non-optimal diet.
Because: Only 15% of the women and 7% of the men reach the recommendations of the German society for nutrition (DGE) daily 5 portions of fruit and vegetable to consume according to current DEGSI study of the Robert-Koch-Institute.
In the course of our lives we go through different phases and situations in which our body has an increased need for minerals, trace elements and vitamins. Special living conditions such as stress, physical strain, growth of adolescents and children, increasing age or pregnancy can change or increase our nutrient requirements. A good nutrient supply is also crucial for concentration, the energy balance, the immune system and the immune system.
What nutrients are part of a balanced diet?
Balanced nutrition means to supply oneself sufficiently with all vital nutrients. Fresh and unprocessed food in particular still contains many nutrients that can often be lost during industrial and private processing. On the other hand, certain forms of preparation can improve the absorption of nutrients (e.g. absorption of beta-carotene with fat). But not everyone has the time or the leisure to deal with all foods in detail.
Here we give you a small overview of important nutrients for the whole family, which you will find as ingredients in the Doppelherz system family products.
Omega-3 fatty acids
A balanced diet includes the polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acids found in cold water fish such as herring and salmon. However, many of us do not eat or like fish very often. There are now also non-animal sources of long-chain polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acids such as the microalgae Schizochytrium sp., which has a particularly high content of unsaturated fatty acids. The consumption of omega-3 fatty acids today is no longer necessarily associated with an unpleasant fish taste.
Omega-3 fatty acids play an important role in many areas of the human body. DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) contribute to a healthy heart and support normal heart function. The fatty acid DHA also contributes from infancy to old age to maintaining normal brain function and during pregnancy and lactation to normal eye and brain development in foetuses and breastfed babies. Our normal visual function is also supported by sufficient absorption of the omega-3 fatty acid DHA, which is a component of the photoreceptor cells and the retina.
magnesium
Our body needs magnesium to maintain our performance, our nervous system and for normal energy metabolism. The nutrient belongs to the group of minerals and, like calcium, to the group of electrolytes. The magnesium content in the body is distributed over various areas such as bone tissue, muscles and body cells. As is the case with many nutrients, the body cannot produce the bone and muscle minerals itself. Every day we excrete certain amounts of magnesium via sweat and urine – therefore the magnesium balance has to be replenished regularly.
Vitamin B Complex: Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B6 and Vitamin B12
B vitamins include vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin B6 and vitamin B12 as well as biotin and pantothenic acid. The B vitamins have various functions and play an important role in energy production in the body. The vitamins B1, B2, B12 and B6 contribute to the normal energy metabolism of our body cells. Vitamin B12, niacin and folic acid contribute to reducing fatigue and exhaustion. Pantothenic acid supports normal mental performance. Vitamins B1, B2, B6, B12 and biotin also contribute to the normal functioning of the nervous system. Vitamin B12 has another role: it also contributes to the formation of red blood cells.
Each of the B vitamins works closely with a different B vitamin. Therefore, it is important to ingest sufficient amounts of the entire B complex through food. B vitamins are present in many foods, but are very sensitive to processing. During industrial preparation, but also during private further processing at home, vitamins can be lost due to heat, long storage times or certain preparation methods.
vitamin A
Vitamin A is one of the fat-soluble vitamins and, like most vitamins, must be ingested through food. Vitamin A is found directly in animal foods such as egg yolk, mackerel and salmon. In plant foods such as carrots, peppers or kale, the vitamin is contained in precursors, such as beta-carotene. The body then converts this precursor into vitamin A as required. Vitamin A supports the normal function of the immune system and contributes to the maintenance of normal mucous membranes. Vitamin A also contributes to normal vision and iron metabolism.
vitamin C
Vitamin C contributes to the normal functioning of the immune system and protects cells from oxidative stress. Like many vitamins, it is water-soluble and cannot be stored in the body for long. The best thing to do is to eat it throughout the day. The skin of fruit in particular contains a lot of vitamin C. If it is possible, you should also eat the skin. Beware of long cooking times: If vegetables are cooked for too long, the vitamin can be washed out of the food.
vitamin D
This vitamin is known to many as “sun vitamin”. It is involved in countless regulatory processes in the body and therefore has a key function. Our body needs vitamin D to maintain normal bones, muscle function and the function of our immune system. In Germany the sun is unfortunately not high enough in the sky between October and April. This means that our skin cannot sufficiently absorb the sun’s rays (UV rays) and that not enough vitamin D is formed in the body afterwards. The vitamin is contained in foods such as fish, eggs and avocado – unfortunately, these foods are not consumed in sufficient quantities in Germany.
vitamin E
Vitamin E makes a significant contribution to keeping our body cells healthy and efficient. For example, it is a component of dried apricots or high-quality vegetable oils. If the body lacks vitamin E, cells can be adversely affected by the attack of aggressive oxygen compounds. The vitamin stores itself in the cell walls and unfolds its positive effects there. This protects the cells from oxidative stress.
Our body cannot produce the trace element zinc on its own and does not have a large storage capacity. Zinc must therefore be regularly ingested with food. Various foods such as dairy products, meat, fish and eggs contain the trace element. Zinc controls the function of more than 200 enzymes, which are involved in almost all important cell reactions. It contributes to strengthening the immune system and protecting cell components from oxidative stress. Normal antibody formation is also linked to sufficient zinc. Zinc also contributes to the normal functioning of the immune system. The trace element also supports normal vitamin A metabolism.
selenium
Selenium also belongs to the trace elements and contributes to the protection of the cell components against oxidative stress. Our body is also unable to produce selenium itself. Therefore we should supply our body with good sources of selenium such as meat, fish, eggs, lentils or asparagus. Selenium contributes to the normal functioning of the immune system.