Do you find it difficult to include a variety of foods in your diet? In between juggling work, family, study and everything else life throws at you, how do you make sure your body is getting all the nutrients it needs?

A nutritious diet extremely important to your overall health and wellbeing, but you don’t need us to tell you that.

Without vitamins and minerals, essential bodily functions such as growth and cell production cannot take place. There are 13 essential vitamins that your body needs regularly, however more than a third of adult Australians don’t meet their nutritional requirements. A poor diet is a leading cause of chronic disease and ill-health in Australia.

Here are 5 reasons you may not be getting enough nutrients from your food:

It can be difficult to always sustain a balanced and nutritious diet

A staggering 99% of all Australian children and 96% of Australian adults do not reach the RDI of vegetables. Without sufficient fruits, vegetables and dairy in your diet, you’re missing out on essential vitamins and minerals such as vitamin A, C, E, zinc, calcium, magnesium, and folic acid.

It can be expensive to eat a healthy diet

It’s a commonly held belief that eating organically is better for your health. One study found that fruits which were organically farmed contained more vitamins and antioxidants than those that were conventionally farmed.

Due to the process of organic farming, organic foods are more expensive than conventional foods; as much as an 80% mark up on the cost of a basket of organic food. It can be too costly for individuals and families to consistently purchase organic foods, therefore missing out on those nutrients.

Food preservation processes can ruin the quality of your food

Some foods go through processes to help preserve them for longer and extend their shelf life. This process can reduce the amount of nutrients in the food.

An example of this is milk. Milk pasteurisation subjects the milk to high levels of heat to destroy any toxins and microbes, causing a great loss in the nutrients. Another is canned and frozen fruits, which are involved in a heating process that removes the levels of Vitamin C.

Soil depletion can deprive plants of vital nutrients

Our Australia soil is not in the best state which in turn affects our food. About two-thirds of Australian agriculture land suffer from depletion of nutrients, contamination, acidification, and salinisation. The plants that we eat are grown in soil, and the soil supplies the vital nutrients and water that the plants need to grow.

Dietary restrictions can cause nutritional deficiencies

There are so many fad diets that are gaining popularity such as paleo, keto, Atkins, Whole30, gluten free (without an intolerance). Restricting caloric intake or entire food groups can mean depriving yourself of key nutrients. For example, a person eat paleo-based could be lacking omega-3 because they aren’t consuming sources of omega-3 like salmon. Or similarly, they may struggle to meet their calcium, iodine and zinc intake, due to the lack of dairy products in their diet.

The best way to ensure you are getting enough nutrients in your diet is by adding vitamins to your daily routine. Vitamins or supplements are a fantastic way to incorporate these essentials in an everyday diet if you are struggling with food alone. To prevent disease, ill-health and live life to the fullest, your body needs the right vitamins and minerals to function optimally, every day!

Thanks to Vitable for supplying the content for this article. Vitable will be exhibiting their personalised daily vitamin packs at Sydney’s MindBodySpirit Festival this March. Check out their exhibitor listing to get early access to exclusive show specials!