Skittles of the Earth

Did you know that if you eat your vitamins you will no longer need to take a daily multivitamin? God has given us the skittles of the earth that is packed with every vitamin and mineral the body needs. Fruits, vegetables and even some meats are packed with vitamins and minerals and so much more that you’ll never have to take a gummy vitamin again. We all know the hero fruits like oranges for vitamin C, bananas for potassium and apples for fiber but what about other fruits, vegetables and meats. All fruits and vegetables are healthy for us but what about the foods that are tailored made to fit our health needs especially in black health.

Potassium and Fiber

Having high potassium can cause fatigue, chest pains, shortness of breath and so much more, this can all be brought on from diabetes, heart failure, high blood pressure and kidney failure and as we know these are staple health problems in the black community.Your body needs potassium to help with your nerves, heart and muscle contraction.Fiber is what we need to poop (basically) this is great for the digestive system but it also lowers blood pressure and reduce the risk of heart problems, diabetes, and obesity.

Potassium and fiber is tricky to manage; on one hand you don’t want too much or too little potassium rich food especially if you have any of the conditions mentioned above. If you do have any of the conditions listed above you want low potassium rich food, my favorite is green beans, you can also try avocado, strawberries, carrots, grapes, rice, eggplants and asparagus. For people who do not have those conditions mentioned above you may have spinach, cantaloupe, broccoli, mushrooms, and grapefruit. Now Fiber is fun you can have as much fiber as you like as long as you have straight access to the bathroom after every meal. The more fiber the better the digestive system, I say take the trips and enjoy the alone time (for moms sorry). Fiber rich foods are seeds and nuts, oats, popcorn (plain NO BUTTER!), beans, broccoli, beets, apples and a lot more.

Vitamins

After reading Black Doctors article on “10 Vitamins Black Women Need” I realized we need more iron and magnesium rich foods in our diet. It’s easy to get your basic vitamins in like vitamin C, D, and B12 but what most African Americans are lacking is Iron and Magnesium. Magnesium helps with cardiovascular health, regulate muscle control and blood pressure and we all know at least one black women with anemia which is an iron deficiency where your muscles and tissues are not getting enough oxygen.

Surprisingly they’re a lot of tasty healthy magnesium and iron rich foods that can easily be placed into anyone’s diet. This is where your meat choices can be the most beneficial, fish and red meat are packed with both vitamins, try adding fish like mussels, clams, salmon (don’t you dare pronounce that L) and halibut. Some red meats you can try are beef liver and steak sirloin, stick with leaner red meats they have less fat and more protein. They’re a lot of other great foods like dark chocolate, spinach, nuts, pumpkin seeds and the king of vegetables  broccoli (every vitamin you need is in broccoli).

Hair, Skin and Nails

A lot of the foods that we’ve mentioned above have multiple uses, hair, skin and nails is another benefit you can receive from the foods you consume. Of course, a regular beauty routine is still important but eating these vitamin friendly foods can help with clear and natural glow skin and promote strength and growth in both nails and hair. Foods like egg, sweet potato, berries, kiwi, and Greek yogurt are great for your hair, skin and nails.

All of these foods are packed with more than one vitamin and mineral, so the benefit of just eating one of these items will have a great impact on your overall health. Portion control will still play a huge part when consuming these foods as too much vitamin rich foods can lead to complications when numbers become too high. Smoothies are also a great way to get your vitamins in but be careful of the sugar intake as that can heighten food cravings for sugary foods and calories. Colorful food is happy food and God has blessed us with every color of the rainbow in his garden so enjoy the gift and the skittles of the earth.