Can you Get Enough Nutrients from a Healthy Diet These Days?

Assume I am an average American women, 5'6" tall and weigh 150 pounds. I am moderately active (moderate exercise three to five days per week) and 40 years old.

Using the Harris-Benedict equation to predict energy:

655 + (4.35 x kg body weight) + (4.7 x height in inches) - (4.7 x age) = BMR * 1.55

My daily calories needs would be 1664

 

Based on these calorie needs, I developed a picture-perfect diet:

Breakfast
1 egg
1 slice whole wheat toast
1 teaspoon butter
½ cup melon

Lunch
2 cups baby spinach with ½ cup assorted tomatoes, peppers, broccoli
½ avocado, 1 ounce cheddar cheese
4 ounces chicken breast
1 Tablespoon each olive oil and vinegar

Snacks
6 oz. Greek yogurt
2 rice cakes with 1½ Tbsp almond butter

Dinner
4 ounces salmon
1 cup cooked broccoli
½ cup brown rice
½ cup blueberries

Using the USDA Tracker, even this diet failed to meet the RDA levels for calcium, potassium and thiamin.

Most of us do not eat this kind of diet every day.

Many of us are shorter, older and less active.

The importance of nutrients can not be underscored enough. Nutrients allow your body to function as it is intended. They act as building blocks and cofactors for energy production, cellular function and tissue growth and repair. Recent research suggests that some nutrients may even provide mild stress so that the body is ready for the next challenge. While nutrient deficiency diseases are relatively unknown in developed countries, some suggest that small subclinical nutrient deficiencies may be behind many of the chronic diseases that plague our country.With the food supply declining in nutrient value, how can you be sure your body is getting what it needs?