You might think that you are getting all your nutrients, but without proper digestive function, metabolism, physical activity and circadian rhythm it could be the complete opposite. For the food to be well absorbed, you must have a solid and basic foundation in place. Being sedentary and sleep-deprived damages the gut and consequentially disables the function to fully absorb the nutrition from the food you are eating.

So if this is the case for you, work on the basics first, which include having a routine where you eat on set hours, where you go to bed and wake up at a set time and where you exercise at a particular time of the day. The body thrives on routine and this has to do with the internal clock we all have installed in us. This clock or circadian rhythm determines the pace of our day. This is why it is so important to bring structure and routine to our days. If we constantly live out of routine (balance), our clock has to adjust to a new routine, or better said, we have to re-adjust our routine to match the rhythm of our internal clock.

That being said, let’s move on and have a look at hitting all your nutrients…

The Untold Truth About Saturated Fats

First things first are fats. I see way too often people not eating enough fats because they are scared of this nutrient, especially the fear of saturated fats and cholesterol. However, the opposite is true; we should fear not getting enough fats and fear processed vegetable oils.

Cholesterol is an important building block and you do not want to miss out on its health benefits, here is why:

Steroid hormones: cholesterol is the precursor for the production of steroid hormones, including cortisol (involved in stress response), aldosterone (regulates salt and water balance), and sex hormones like estrogen, testosterone, and progesterone (very important for both men and women).
Vitamin D: is a hormone when made by the body and a vitamin when obtained by food. When skin is exposed to sunlight, cholesterol is converted to vitamin D, which is essential for bone health, immune function, and calcium absorption. As you can see, you could have weak bones because of a cholesterol deficiency (and probably low steroid hormones) instead of just a calcium deficiency.
Myelin production: in the brain, the highest cholesterol content is found in myelin and it is a building block for its synthesis. Cholesterol is a brain food!
Cell membranes: each cell has a cell wall and this cell wall is made of lipids and cholesterol (fats). Cholesterol brings structure and integrity to the cell.
Bile synthesis: cholesterol is used by the liver to make bile and bile is needed to break down and digest fats and to absorb fat-soluble vitamins like A, D, E and K. Bile has also a detoxifying property.

As you can see, cholesterol plays a crucial role for your health regarding hormones, vitamin D, digestion and absorption of fats and vitamins, brain health, structure of the cells and even detoxification!

The best thing is yet to come, instead of taking vitamin supplements like vitamin A, D, E or K2, you can just eat more organ meats and fatty animal products and receive more of the nutrition as you would from supplements. Nutritionally speaking, a nutrient-dense food like let’s say beef liver, will not only be high in these vitamins but also in many other nutrients and minerals you would never get from any supplement.

By eating more cholesterol-rich foods, you will automatically cover other nutrients!

Cholesterol needs may vary on age, physical activity, stress levels, season and reproduction but in general, it is safe to eat large amounts of cholesterol. The richest sources of cholesterol are raw egg yolks, liver, brains, butter, animal fat like tallow and lard, fatty meat, seafood like shrimp and whole-fat dairy products.

Protein Are Nutrient Bombs

Protein are important and most of the protein are found in the above foods that are also high in fats. Protein should be consumed with every meal.

Regarding the amount or quantity, it is a very individual approach and a topic that will be discussed in another blog post.

Easy protein sources:

2 to 4 eggs (11-22 grams of protein)

Steak Tartare 200 to 300 grams (40-60 grams of protein)

Codfish (50 grams of protein)

A large cup of bone broth (8-10 grams of protein)

1 to 2 scoops of Collagen (10-20 grams of protein)

Protein are a source of many nutrients:

Zinc
Heme iron
Copper
Selenium
Magnesium
B vitamins
Amino acids
Creatine
Taurine
Omega 3’s
CLA (conjugated linoleic acid)

How About Carbs?

Carbs are necessary for metabolic function but in general, do not contain that much nutrition. Local and seasonal fruits and berries, raw milk, honey, potatoes, pumpkins, rice, buckwheat, organic oats, quality and pesticide-free pasta and occasional sourdough bread are all great carb sources.

Stay away from processed foods containing white flour and “foods” high in sugar as these drain you from nutrients.

Are Vegetables Okay?

Vegetables are good, but you have to prepare them in a certain way. Veggies like pickles and sauerkraut bring an addition of nutrients like vitamin C which quadruples (4x) after the fermentation process. They are also an addition in vitamin K.

So how does one move on from here?

I could give you a formula to follow, but it might now work for you. Instead, listen to your intuition.

What does your body need?

Here is how you start eating more intuitively…

Start with incorporating more variety in your diet. Leave the comfort zone of always eating the same thing (steak and potatoes for example)

Notice which foods give you positive feedback regarding body temperature & energy levels (metabolism), digestibility, sleep-wake cycle, mood, concentration, etc.

Instead of hitting all your nutrients every day, hit them ALL every week. There is no need for your body to have every nutrient every single day. Your body stores nutrients for a reason. Also, give yourself a reason to absorb & utilize nutrients. High physical activity equals a higher demand for food/nutrition.

Hitting cholesterol and fat-soluble vitamins:
- have as many egg yolks as you want (quality matters here a lot)

- use animal fats like butter, lard, duck fat and tallow as an addition

- stick to fats from your region

On the weekly:

- have some organ meat like liver to hit your vitamin A

- vitamin K is tougher to get, get some goose liver paté

Protein from different sources:

steak tartare
beef mince
steak, chicken, pork
ox tail
broths
fish

On the weekly, include some fresh seafood like oysters to hit additional micros

Raw dairy is important for calcium. Since everything is high in phosphorus but low in calcium, you do not want to skip dairy.

raw milk
raw cheese

Carbs are easy:

quality rice
seasonal fruits
honey
chestnuts
pumpkins
buckwheat
parsnips

Vegetables are good, but you have to prepare them in a certain way. Veggies like pickles and sauerkraut bring an addition of nutrients like vitamin C which quadruples (4x) after the fermentation process. They are also an addition in vitamin K.

We are the salt of the earth:

Two tablespoons of seaweed like Wakame for iodine and 10-15g of salt for sodium, chloride and other minerals

Extras:

horseradish
ginger
parsley
onions
chives & leeks

Hope this helps with nutrient planning!

If you have any questions or ideas you would like to share, please let me know!

Dobrynja from Primal Thrive

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