Different colored vegetables and fruit contain various vitamins and minerals your body needs for proper cell function. Foods with the most important vitamins and minerals, such as iron needed for red blood cell production, should be high on your shopping list when planning a healthy diet. Whole, fresh foods are more nutritious than processed foods and they have no unhealthy added sodium, sugars and preservatives.
Whole Grains
Choose whole-grain foods rather than milled-grain products that have had the iron, dietary fiber and B-complex vitamins stripped from the grain kernels. The My Pyramid website of the U.S. Department of Agriculture states that whole-grain breads, pastas and cereals contain natural iron and B-complex vitamins needed for lasting energy. B-complex vitamins promote nerve health, proper immune response, hormone production, growth and development. The body cannot store these water-soluble vitamins, so they must be part of your daily diet. Try to eat about three slices of whole-grain bread or 1.5 cups whole-grain cereal daily.
Dairy Products
Include low-fat dairy products in your diet for the fat-soluble vitamins K, D, E and A the body can store for later use. Colorado State University Extension says dairy products are good sources of vitamins D for strong bones, vitamin A for eye, skin and membrane health, and E for membrane protection and as an antioxidant. Vitamin E is in egg yolks, butter and green, leafy vegetables. Vitamin K is in limited in dairy products, with more likely sources in green vegetables and liver. Of course, natural sunlight is also an excellent source of Vitamin D, but try to drink about three cups of low-fat milk daily.
Make Produce Primary
Make fresh fruits and vegetables more of the focus in your diet than meat and starch for a healthy amount of vitamins and iron. The Mayo Clinic website states that if you begin your food shopping in the fresh produce aisle, you will put the primary focus on healthy vitamins and minerals in your diet. The more colors of produce you put in your shopping cart, the more variety of vitamins you will get in your diet and the less likely you will need any vitamin or mineral supplements. Citrus fruits contain plenty of Vitamin C and yellow fruits are rich with Vitamin A. Try to eat about three cups of vegetables and two cups of fruit each day.
Make Meat Minor
Don't plan meals around meat as the main attraction. My Pyramid states that you should only eat about 6 oz. of meat-group items daily. Fish, poultry and legumes have much less cholesterol-building fat than beef, but contain plenty of protein, B vitamins and iron as well as phosphorous and zinc.
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