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<strong>BLUSH</strong> | HEALTH & FITNESS<br />
How Much Do We Need? Adults:<br />
3,500mg a day.<br />
Where to Find It: Many fruits,<br />
vegetables, fish, poultry meat and<br />
beef contain potassium, but levels are<br />
reduced by cooking, particularly boiling.<br />
So, eating raw is recommended. Which<br />
makes dried fruits, nuts and seeds even<br />
more attractive options. Of the nuts,<br />
pistachios have the most. A handful will<br />
give you 290mgs or eight percent of your<br />
target. But a handful of most nuts will<br />
hit five percent. A large handful of raisins<br />
(a quarter cup) will hit 250mg (seven<br />
women need 14.8mg a day until the onset<br />
of the menopause.<br />
Where to Find It: The best food source<br />
of selenium is brazil nuts. Just one or<br />
two nuts a day contain all the selenium<br />
you need. While 3oz of beef or turkey<br />
will give you forty percent of your daily<br />
requirement.<br />
Other good vegetarian sources are<br />
seeds: A quarter cup of sunflower seeds<br />
will give you a third of your daily needs<br />
and the same amount of chia and sesame<br />
seeds will provide a quarter of the<br />
requirement.<br />
One in ten of us<br />
are missing out<br />
on magnesium.<br />
fortified with iron. Recommended sources<br />
of plant-based non-haem iron include<br />
chickpeas, beans, lentils, nuts and seeds.<br />
An ounce (28g) of pumpkin seeds has<br />
4.2mgs, almost half of the daily male<br />
target, and a cup of quinoa (185gs) has<br />
well over a quarter. A handful of cashews<br />
(40g) has 2.67mgs, and cup of boiled<br />
lentils (around 200gs) has a hefty 6.6mgs<br />
– almost half the female daily target.<br />
5. Calcium<br />
The human body has more calcium than<br />
any other mineral. It is vital in building<br />
teeth and bones,<br />
regulating muscle<br />
contractions (including<br />
the heartbeat) and<br />
making sure blood clots<br />
normally. A deficiency<br />
can lead to osteoporosis<br />
in later life.<br />
How Much Do We<br />
Need? Adults: 700mg<br />
a day.<br />
percent) and 25gms of pumpkin seed or<br />
linseed will supply over five percent.<br />
3. Selenium<br />
Selenium has key links with the thyroid,<br />
which is vital for the functioning of all<br />
the cells in the body. It helps the immune<br />
system and may improve fertility. Selenium<br />
is an antioxidant that helps protect the<br />
body from free radicals. It is also linked with<br />
mood.<br />
How Much Do We Need? Adult men<br />
and older women: 8.7mg a day. Younger<br />
4. Iron<br />
Critical for making the red blood cells that<br />
carry oxygen around the body, iron also<br />
helps maintain the immune system. Being<br />
low on iron can make you feel tired and faint,<br />
and can lead to iron deficiency anaemia.<br />
How Much Do We Need? Adult Men<br />
and Older Women: 8.7mg a day. Younger<br />
Women: 14.8mg a day until the onset of<br />
the menopause.<br />
Where to Find It: Red meats are rich<br />
sources, in an easily absorbed form called<br />
haem iron. Many breakfast cereals are<br />
Where to Find It:<br />
Dairy foods, green<br />
leafy vegetables (except<br />
spinach), bread and<br />
anything else made with<br />
fortified flour have supplies of calcium.<br />
But nuts are also an NHS recommended<br />
source. Ten almonds or nine brazils have<br />
50mg. Seeds and dried fruit are also an<br />
excellent source. A tablespoon of sesame<br />
seeds has over 90mg and a tablespoon<br />
of chia has almost 80mg. Four figs have<br />
100mg, three dates (50gs) have 20mg,<br />
and fifty raisins have 13mg.<br />
There you have it, tasty<br />
options to reach your daily<br />
dose of vital nutrients.<br />
www.grapetree.co.uk<br />
sevenstarmedia.co.uk<br />
<strong>BLUSH</strong> | WINTER <strong>2019</strong> 95
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