Once you understand these factors, it’s much easier to make changes to support your optimal wellbeing.

Factor 1: Intake

When it comes to nutrition, this is the factor that many people think of. What you actually consume in your diet is your intake. If you eat a wholefood-based diet, you will likely have a good intake of most nutrients. But if your diet contains a lot of processed foods, you could be missing out on the nutrients you need to feel healthy and happy.

Optimising Intake

✔️ Eat plenty of nutrient-dense foods! Fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes and proteins are some of the most nutrient-dense foods available, and should make up a hefty portion of your diet.

Factor 2: Absorption

It’s one thing to put the food into your belly. But from there, your body has to extract the nutrients from the food. Absorption is where many of us have issues with getting enough nutrition, even if we’re eating reasonably well. 

Optimising Absorption

✔️ Chew your food! The more you break down food before it reaches your gut, the easier it is for the enzymes to break it down further.

✔️ Take your time. The body doesn’t instantly produce enough enzymes for a meal. Taking your time to savour food will allow your body the time to start the digestive process properly.

✔️ Avoid overeating. There are only so many enzymes to go around, and if food isn’t digested, it can have negative impacts on your digestive tract and gut flora.

✔️ Watch your beverage intake. Drinks like coffee and tea contain compounds that can inhibit the absorption of minerals such as magnesium and iron. Consuming a lot of water with a meal can also dilute the stomach acid, making it difficult to digest protein properly.

✔️ Have some good fats with your fruit and veggies. There are many vitamins and antioxidants found in produce that are absorbed most effectively if they have fat to carry them across into the body.

Factor 3: Use

Nutrients are there for the body to use. But everyone has different levels of use for nutrients, depending on their age, stage of life, lifestyle and general health. For example, a pregnant woman has higher needs for many nutrients to support her growing baby. The greater the demand for a nutrient, the easier it is to become deficient. So some people may need to adjust their intake to account for the increased use.

Optimising Use

✔️ Be aware of any factors that may impact the use of nutrients in your body. For example, people who exercise a lot require more antioxidants to protect the body from inflammation and oxidative stress.

✔️ Minimise higher uses whenever you can. For example, drinking alcohol can increase the demand for B vitamins and zinc. By having a few alcohol-free nights per week, you will reduce the use of these nutrients.

Factor 4: Excretion

Finally, we come to the point of excretion. Nutrients and related compounds can be excreted through the bowels, the urine or the skin. This may be because they have served their purpose, or because there is too much of a nutrient in the body. For example, cholesterol is an essential compound in the body, but excess is excreted via the gall bladder.

Optimising Excretion

✔️ Drink plenty of water. This will help to excrete any nutrients that are too high via the bowels and/or the urine.

✔️ Maintain regular bowel movements by consuming enough fibre. Fibre binds to bile, which is the main method of excreting excess nutrients via the bowels.

✔️ Be aware of excretion that can lead to deficiency. Women who have a heavy menstrual flow and/or have reproductive issues such as endometriosis are at a much higher risk of iron deficiency due to the higher excretion of iron.

Want To Learn More About Nutrition?

Check It Out:

“WHY NUTRITION NEEDS TO BE PERSONALISED”