Is supplementing really necessary? What are some of the essential nutrients that you might be missing in your diet? Find out how you can have a strategic supplement regimen and use supplements along with natural food sources to really support the imbalances that you might be experiencing with your diet and nutrition. You can find all the info and links about this episode at https://holisticwellness.ca/episode45. Topics Discussed in this Episode: 7 vitamins and minerals that are often overlooked but are really important for women’s health Calcium Zinc Iron Chromium B Vitamins Vitamin D Magnesium What these vitamins and minerals do for you How much of these vitamins and minerals you need daily How you can tell if you are deficient in these nutrients What happens when you don’t have enough of these nutrients The best food sources of each of these vitamins and minerals   Key Takeaways: Calcium Not only is calcium important for building and maintaining our strong bones, as we know, but it’s also really important for energy metabolism and muscle contraction. Because your body doesn’t produce calcium on its own, getting it from foods or from supplementation is going to be really important. If your diet is lacking calcium, and especially if you’re physically active, your body will end up leeching off calcium from your bones, which, over time, can lead to osteoporosis. And as our estrogen declines, this can also start to have an impact on our bone health. If you are eating a very acidic diet, this will also impact your bone health because, in order for your body to buffer that acidity, it will have to leech off the calcium from your bones. Daily requirement: 1000 mg for women aged 50 and younger, and 1200 mg to 1500 mg for women over 50 Best food sources (other than dairy): Kale, colored greens, bok choy, sardines, and sesame seeds. Zinc Zinc deficiency can directly affect strength and fitness, especially if you are over-exercising. If you’re dealing with cystic acne, hormonal imbalances, issues with your cycle, PCOS, and PMS, then zinc can be really helpful. If you find that you’re having a lot of issues with digestion or heartburn or acid reflux, this might mean that you have low amounts of hydrochloric acid, so using zinc is going to be great to support your HCl production. Daily requirement: 18 mg to 30 mg Iron It’s an essential mineral that’s found in your red blood cells that helps to transport oxygen throughout your body. If you’re feeling tired or you’re feeling exhausted, or you just can’t get the energy to maybe go work out, this can be because of iron deficiency. Iron deficiency anemia is pretty common in women, especially those who are very active. Daily requirement: 18 mg for 18 years and older, 27 mg for pregnant women, and about 10 mg for lactating women. Best food sources: Spinach, pasture-raised organic grass-fed beef, turkey, and beans. Chromium Chromium in an insulin cofactor, and it helps to transport branch chain amino acids into the muscle. Without sufficient amounts of chromium, you could be at risk for uncontrolled blood sugar and insulin resistance. Chromium deficiency will typically leave you feeling sluggish, fatigued, weak, moody, and maybe even anxious. Daily requirement: About 25 μg for women between the ages 19 and 50, about 30 μg for pregnant women, and roughly around 45 μg for lactating women. Best food sources: broccoli, white potatoes, green beans, and turkey. B Vitamins The B vitamins -  B12, B6, thiamine, riboflavin - are all required for energy production. Folate and B12, specifically, are required for red blood cell production and repair. Research suggests that dieting and exercising can really increase your requirements for thiamine, riboflavin, and B6. And if you’re really, really stressed, you’re going to need some B5. Daily requirement: A B-100 complex will pretty much cover the bases. Best food sources: Leafy green vegetables and animal proteins. Vitamin D Vitamin D has its