Vitamins and Minerals

Vitamins and minerals are essential for health and growth.

General Recommendations:


  • Include various foods from Canada's Food Guide to obtain all essential vitamins and minerals.  When choosing fruits and vegetables, be certain you have a rainbow of colours.

  • Three major minerals are important to athletes: 

    • calcium

    • iron

    • zinc

  • Dieticians in Canada recommend the following supplements:
    • Vitamin D for everyone
    • calcium for women
  • High doses of individual vitamin and/or mineral supplements are not recommended.
  • Supplements are not food replacements.  Whole foods are greater than the sum of their parts.


Watch

 The following video by Ted-Ed describes vitamins, and it explains how they get into our bodies and why they are so important to our nutrition.


 

Calcium

  • A major component of the bones and teeth

  • Required for muscle contraction and blood clotting

  • Groups at risk of insufficient calcium intake:

    • athletes in appearance-based sports

    • long distance runners


Food Sources of Calcium

  • Milk products
  • Leafy greens
  • Seafood
  • Legumes


Considerations

  • Our bodies demand that blood must have a certain amount of calcium at all times.  When  dietary calcium is insufficient to maintain a minimum calcium blood level, calcium is removed from bones and transferred to the blood.
  • Through time, over-leeched bones will break easily; such condition is called osteoporosis.
 

Recommended Calcium Intake

 Age (years)  
 Adequate Intake (mg)
 4-8  1000
 9-18  1300
 19-50  1000
 51-70  1200
 70+  1200



Vitamin D

  • Vitamin D is required to absorb calcium.  Therefore, it is important for healthy bones and teeth as well as muscle contraction. 
  • The body can build vitamin D when it is exposed to the sun.
  • Groups at risk of insufficient vitamin D intake include
    • athletes who train indoors year-round
    • athletes in appearance-based and weight-making sports


Food Sources of Vitamin D

  • Milk and fortified soy drinks
  • Fortified yogurts and juices
  • Fatty fish

 

Recommended Daily Intake of
Vitamin D

 Age (years)
 Adequate Intake (mg)
 4-8  600
 9-18  600
 19-50  600
 51-70  600
 70+  800

 
  Be sure to read packaging carefully on milk, juice, and other products to see if Vitamin D is added.  The addition of any vitamin or mineral to a product is called fortifying the product.
 


Zinc

Zinc is required for

  • maintenance of immune response
  • production of energy during exercise
  • development of skeleton and brain
  • growth and reproduction

  • repair of tissue

     

    Food Sources of Zinc

      • Seafood (oysters, king crab)
      • Beef, poultry, pork
      • Legumes (dried peas, beans, lentils)
      • Nuts and seeds
      • Grains
      • Enriched breakfast cereals

      Suspendisse id elementum augue.



      Considerations

      Endurance athletes are at risk of low intake and low zinc stores because . . .
      • Their diets are high in carbohydrates and low in protein.
      • Zinc is lost through increased sweating.
      • Muscle breakdown results in increased zinc loss through the urinary system.

        Iron

        • Iron is an essential component of hemoglobin.
          Iron carries oxygen to all cells of the body.
        • Iron is involved in the metabolism of other nutrients.

        Food Sources of Iron

        • red meat
        • shellfish
        • legumes
        • dark green leafy vegetables

        What about Iron Supplements?

        • You should not supplement unless such is prescribed by a physician.
        • Iron supplementation can induce copper and zinc deficiencies. 


        Dangers of Iron Overload

        • Fatigue and weakness
        • Nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea
        • Rapid heart rate, weak pulse
        • Dizziness and confusion
        • Tissue damage, increased risk of infection, and heart disease


        Considerations

        • Athletes with increased caloric intake usually receive enough iron for their needs.
        • When iron rich foods are eaten with foods rich in vitamin C, iron absorption is increased.  Examples of this are hamburgers with tomatoes and enriched breakfast cereals with orange juice.