If you haven’t heard those terms before, macronutrients are protein, carbohydrates, and fat: nutrients your body can digest, absorb, and use as an energy source. Micronutrients are vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients that activate biochemical pathways critical for your cells to function properly, enabling you to think, move, and breathe.
Unfortunately, the majority of Americans do not get the optimal amounts of crucial micronutrients. Blame the hectic American lifestyle, and our habits of grabbing processed fast food, which is usually sorely lacking in proper nutrients. Add to that some of the "expert" advice Americans have been given (such as don’t eat egg yolks!) which may actually contribute to the shortfall of certain nutrients in our diets.
Here are three essential nutrients you probably need more of:
Choline
If your first thought is, What the heck is choline, you’re not alone. Nine out of ten Americans aren’t getting enough of this nutrient.1 Choline is similar to B vitamins. Your body uses it to make phosphatidylcholine, which keeps cell membranes in shape. Your body also uses this micronutrient to make acetylcholine, the most abundant neurotransmitter in the body. In this way, choline plays a critical role in brain development, nerve cell signaling, nerve impulse transmission and lipid transport, and metabolism.
In other words, choline is responsible for just about every thought you have, and every movement you make.
Get more: It’s tough to get enough choline just from diet alone. The nutrient is found in very few foods. And the foods it is found in are not the most popular, like egg yolks, liver and peanuts. But here’s a little tidbit: there’s a secret weapon, which can boost your intake of this important nutrient. Stay tuned for details later.
Calcium
You’ve no doubt heard about the importance of calcium, particularly in keeping bones and teeth healthy and strong. Here’s why: Bones may seem static, but in reality they are always being broken down and renewed. During the breakdown phase, bone cells called osteoclasts dissolve old bone. In the renewal phase, cells called osteoblasts pull calcium and other minerals from the blood, which join with collagen to re-form bone tissue.
As we age, the breaking down process becomes more dominant and we lose more bone tissue than we build. It becomes even more crucial to have enough calcium to help the rebuilding process.
Calcium is also essential to heart, muscle, and nerve function. Because the body tries to maintain a constant level of calcium in the blood, if you need calcium, your body’s going to take it from the biggest storage house for this mineral — the skeleton.
Get more: Since 42 percent of people don’t get enough calcium, make sure you’re eating enough calcium-rich foods. Good sources include dairy products, leafy greens, and fortified juices.
Potassium
Our bodies depend on a tight balance between potassium (a positively charged ion in the fluid inside cells) and sodium (a positively charged ion in the fluid outside cells) in order to maintain proper fluid movement in and out of the cells. Experts talk a lot about sodium, and they seldom mention potassium.
But they should.
When there is enough potassium in the bloodstream it goes to work supporting your blood vessel function to help maintain your blood pressure in the normal range. In fact, one study found that people whose diets had the lowest ratio of sodium to potassium (in other words — those who had about the same amount of the two nutrients) had significantly better heart health and lived longer.2
Unfortunately, according to the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, most of us are only getting about 2,400 mg of potassium per day: about half of the daily value for potassium (4,700 mg per day) set by the Institute of Medicine.
Get more: When you think potassium, you probably think of bananas. Make sure you don’t overlook other good food sources like potatoes, prune and carrot juices, tomato paste, white beans, and plain yogurt.
With just a few simple diet tweaks, you can boost your intake of these critical micronutrients. And, to help fill any nutrient gaps (especially for tough-to-get choline) here’s your secret weapon: Add Choline SR 300mg to your daily routine. Each capsule not only contains highly bioavailable choline, but also features advanced delivery technology (our proprietary vegetable-derived wax matrix) for slow and steady nutrient release and optimal nutrient absorption. Just two capsules daily provides 600 mg of choline (109% of your daily value). Think of it as dietary insurance to fuel your body with this important micronutrient.
About Endurance Products Company
Endurance Products Company has been a trusted source of quality dietary supplements since 1978. Our sustained-release and extended-release tablets feature a unique vegetable wax matrix that releases nutrients in a slow, steady manner over a period of hours for optimal nutrient absorption and retention.
References
1. Wallace TC, Fulgoni VL 3rd. Assessment of total choline intakes in the United States. J Am Coll Nutr. 2016;35(2):108-12. PMID: 26886842.
2. Yang Q, Liu T, Kuklina EV, et al. Sodium and potassium intake and mortality among US adults: prospective data from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Arch Intern Med. 2011;171(13):1183-91. PMID: 21747015.
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
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