Getting all your nutrients from food—even if you’re dieting, from Harvard Women’s Health Watch
A balanced diet—one containing plenty of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains—offers a mix of vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients that collectively meet the body’s needs. It’s not an issue of food quantity but rather food quality. Even a low-calorie diet can deliver all the vitamins and minerals you need with one exception—vitamin D. So plan to take a vitamin D supplement. Getting the rest of your nutrients through diet requires some planning and some knowledge about food. The focus should be on nutrient-dense foods such as legumes, Brussels sprouts, kale, eggs, seeds, almonds, and fish, which are packed with vitamins and minerals and have relatively few calories.
To continue reading this article, you must log in.
Subscribe to Harvard Health Online Plus (HHO+) to unlock expert-backed health insights, personalized tools, and exclusive resources to feel your best every day.
Here’s what you get with your HHO+ membership:
- Unlimited access to all Harvard Health Online content
- 4 expertly curated newsletters delivered monthly
- Customized website experience aligned to your health goals
- In-depth health guides on topics like sleep, exercise, and more
- Interactive features like videos and quizzes
- Members-only access to exclusive articles and resources
I’d like to subscribe to HHO+ for $4.99/month to access expert-backed content to help make smart, informed decisions about my well-being.
Sign Me UpAlready a member? Login ».
Disclaimer:
As a service to our readers, Harvard Health Publishing provides access to our library of archived content. Please note the date of last review or update on all articles.
No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician.