How to Meet Your Vitamin and Mineral Needs Through Food (Not Supplements)

People talk a lot about avoiding toxins these days, and rightfully so. Compounds that interfere with the body’s normal processes can absolutely impair health.

But there’s another widespread issue we don’t talk about nearly enough: nutrient deficiencies (which, ironically, can weaken the very detoxification pathways people are trying so hard to support).

Every vitamin and mineral acts as a tool your body uses to produce energy. Micronutrients aren’t optional extras, they are required for optimal mitochondrial function, energy production, digestion, detoxification pathways, nervous system signaling, and cellular repair. When intake is inadequate, vital processes throughout the body slow down.

A nutrient deficiency is, quite literally, a metabolic brake.

So, when micronutrient intake falls short, metabolic rate and overall health can suffer.

Yet many people default to vague advice like, “just eat a nutrient-dense diet.”

Okay, but what does that actually mean? 

What if you’re getting enough B2, B3, B5, B6, and B7, but you’re consistently lagging in B1? What if potassium intake is too low to properly support carbohydrate oxidation? How would you know?

So, how can we determine whether we’re truly meeting our micronutrient needs? 

Wouldn’t it be worth the small investment of time to ensure we’re at least covering our physiological baseline?

A practical starting point is tracking our normal food intake in an app like Cronometer and then using the RDAs.

The RDAs (Recommended Dietary Allowances) are minimum micronutrient intake targets designed to prevent nutrient deficiencies in nearly all healthy individuals. They’re population-level estimates (not individualized metabolic prescriptions) and of course they are not perfect.

But they provide a useful baseline framework for ensuring you’re meeting foundational vitamin and mineral needs through food. 

Some critics point out that the micronutrient data in tools like Cronometer or the USDA database isn’t flawless. Yes, that’s true. Nutrient levels vary depending on soil quality, farming practices, and animal feed. For example, pasture-raised eggs, meat, and dairy often contain higher levels of certain micronutrients compared to products from confined livestock, which are typically represented in the database.

But imperfect data is not a reason to ignore the process.

Tracking doesn’t have to be perfect to be powerful. It simply moves you closer to ensuring your body has the raw materials it needs. And if you’re sourcing higher-quality food, you’re likely doing even better than the numbers suggest! And that’s great!

The truth is, it’s usually not that difficult to hit the RDAs when you’re eating enough calories, having regular meals, and building balanced plates.

The problem? Most people aren’t doing that.

Across hundreds of people we’ve worked with, first in our RIR course, and now in Transform, a pattern shows up again and again:

Small, child-sized meals (not enough calories, not enough micronutrients)… followed by low-nutrient binges since the body is starving for energy and nutrients.

Restrict. Restrict. Binge.

This pattern doesn’t just disrupt metabolism, it commonly leads to widespread micronutrient gaps. And instead of correcting the food foundation and meal patterns, many reach for an all-encompassing supplement stack.

That’s not an optimal path. And it doesn’t fix your metabolism.

Before reaching for a supplement, have you ever tried hitting the RDAs through food?

Most people haven’t.

Let’s start there!

We’ve seen firsthand how consistently eating sufficient calories and getting close to RDA targets through whole foods has dramatically improved the health of hundreds of individuals.

Yes, it requires some tracking and work. But what gets measured gets managed. If you don’t know where you stand today, how can you map a path forward towards better health? You can’t.

When you consistently meet your micronutrient needs through whole foods, you’re not just checking boxes, you’re building a stronger biochemical foundation for better energy, a more robust metabolism, and greater physiological resilience.

If you’re thriving, by all means, don’t change a thing!

But if you are fatigued, struggling with unwanted symptoms, dealing with digestive issues or food intolerances, or carrying excess weight… START HERE!

This is the foundation.

Just like building a home. If the base concrete slab of a house is unstable, it doesn’t matter how beautiful the countertops, cabinets, or fixtures are, the entire structure is compromised from the ground up.

In the same way, if your nutrient base isn’t solid, every other “hack” you try will be less effective because you’re not supporting your physiology at its baseline.

Let’s dive in!

OUTLINE

• - What is the Purpose of Eating
  
  
• - Understanding the Needs for Vitamins and Minerals
  
  
• - Supplements are SUPPLEMENTAL, Not Foundational
  
  
• - Are you eating ENOUGH?
  
  
• - Animal Products and Plant Products Complement Each Other
  
  
• - Best Sources of all the Vitamins and Minerals
  
  
• - Notes on Organs and Seafood
  
  
• - Concluding Remarks

What is the purpose of eating?

Eating is about pleasure. It’s about community. And it’s about connection to the land!

But it is also about nourishment.

At its most fundamental physiological level, the primary purpose of eating is to obtain energy to run vital functions in our bodies.

The energized electrons stored in our food (calories) must be converted into a usable cellular currency: ATP (adenosine triphosphate). ATP is what powers muscle contraction, brain function, digestion, detoxification, hormone production, repair, every process that keeps you alive.

That conversion process is your metabolism.

Metabolism transforms one form of energy (stored in food) into another form (ATP) that your cells can actually use. An energy currency exchange!

And this is where micronutrients come in.

Without sufficient vitamins and minerals, that energy conversion process cannot function properly.

As described in the literature:

“The transformation of dietary energy sources, such as carbohydrates, fats and proteins into cellular energy in the form of ATP requires several micronutrients as coenzymes and cofactors of enzymatic reactions, as structural components of enzymes and mitochondrial cytochromes, and as active electron and proton carriers in the ATP-generating respiratory chain.” (ref).

To put it more clearly: calories provide the potential energy, while micronutrients allow that energy to be unlocked.

You cannot separate the two. You cannot run metabolism on micronutrients alone, you need energy substrates (carbohydrates and fats) to move through metabolic pathways. But you also cannot efficiently convert energy without adequate micronutrient support.

Macronutrients are the incoming energy currency, and micronutrients are the tools required to convert that energy into usable cellular fuel.

Optimal health requires both!

Total calories matter, and total micronutrient intake matters.

When energy intake and micronutrient sufficiency align, metabolism works the way it was designed to!

Understanding the Needs for Vitamin and Minerals

Micronutrients (vitamins, macro minerals, and trace minerals) are essential cofactors that enable your body to convert the energy in food into ATP: the cellular energy currency that powers metabolism, repair, and every function required to sustain life.

As mentioned above, without them, the calories in your food cannot be efficiently transformed into usable energy.

Which means more fat storage, lower metabolic rate, and various functions throughout your body get downregulated leading to a number of possible symptoms.

Vitamins are organic compounds, meaning they contain carbon and are produced by living organisms (plants, animals, microbes). Because they are organic molecules, they can be broken down by heat, light, and oxidation.

They act primarily as:

• - Metabolic regulators
• - Enzyme cofactors and coenzymes
• - Antioxidants
• - Cell signaling modulators

They help chemical reactions occur at appropriate speeds, support mitochondrial energy production, regulate gene expression, and protect tissues from oxidative stress. However, they generally do not become part of the body’s physical structure.

There are 13 essential vitamins:

> Fat soluble vitamins:

o   Vitamin A

o   Vitamin D

o   Vitamin E

o   Vitamin K (K1 & K2)

> Water soluble vitamins:

o   Vitamin C     

o   Vitamin B1 (Thiamine)

o   Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin)

o   Vitamin B3 (Niacin)

o   Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic Acid)

o   Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine)

o   Vitamin B7 (Biotin)

o   Vitamin B9 (Folate)

o   Vitamin B12 (Cobalamin)

While not technically classified as a vitamin, choline is another essential nutrient, often grouped with the B-vitamin family because it plays critical roles in cell membrane structure (phosphatidylcholine), neurotransmitter production (acetylcholine), liver fat metabolism, and methylation pathways, all of which are foundational to metabolic health.

Many of the B vitamins function directly in mitochondrial energy metabolism, particularly in carbohydrate oxidation and the electron transport chain.

Minerals are inorganic elements, meaning they do not contain carbon and originate from the earth (soil, water). The body cannot manufacture or structurally alter them, they must be obtained from food and water.

Because they are elemental, they are heat-stable and cannot be destroyed by cooking (though they can be lost through leaching).

Minerals serve:

• - Structural roles (bones, teeth, connective tissue)
• - Electrical roles (nerve impulses, muscle contraction, heart rhythm)
• - Fluid balance regulation
• - Enzymatic activation
• - Hormone production and signaling

Minerals are divided into two categories:

Macro Minerals (required in larger amounts)

• Calcium
• Phosphorus
• Magnesium
• Sodium
• Potassium
• Chloride
• Sulfur

These are critical for skeletal structure, ATP stability (magnesium is required to activate ATP), acid-base balance, and proper electrical signaling across cell membranes.

Trace Minerals (required in smaller amounts, but still essential)

• Iron
• Zinc
• Copper
• Selenium
• Iodine
• Manganese
• Molybdenum
• Chromium
• Fluoride

Despite being needed in smaller quantities, trace minerals are vital for oxygen transport (iron), thyroid hormone production (iodine), antioxidant systems (selenium), insulin signaling (chromium), and countless enzyme systems.

In short:

> Vitamins help drive and regulate biochemical reactions.

> Minerals provide structural integrity, electrical stability, and enzymatic activation.

> Together, they allow macronutrients (carbs, fats, protein) to be converted into usable cellular energy.

Without adequate micronutrients, metabolism slows, not because your body is broken, but because it lacks the tools required to do the job!

Here is a table from the literature that presents the current state of knowledge with regards to the role of individual micronutrients in energy metabolism. (ref)

Supplements are SUPPLEMENTAL, Not Foundational

Many people likely think, “Don’t we just get these nutrients from supplements?”

LOL

Somehow we have lost our way here. We have forgotten that food is medicine, and that supplements are truly SUPPLEMENTAL, not foundational.

And no, you cannot out-supplement a poor diet!

We are designed to obtain micronutrients from real, whole foods. What you eat every single day has a far greater impact on your health than anything you take in capsule form.

Taking a large stack of supplements is not normal. It’s not ancestral. And while supplement companies are excellent at marketing, that doesn’t mean you actually need everything they’re selling.

When someone looks to supplements as their primary “fix,” the better question is:

Why aren’t we getting these nutrients from food in the first place?

The nutrients in whole foods will always be more beneficial because of what’s known as the whole food matrix: the natural combination of vitamins, minerals, enzymes, cofactors, fiber, fatty acids, and bioactive compounds that work together synergistically. (Something science isn’t fully able to understand yet!)

Isolated nutrients in a capsule cannot fully replicate this complexity.

Now I am not anti-supplement. Supplementation can absolutely be helpful in certain situations. In some cases, short-term supplementation can help restore depleted levels or support recovery. There are scenarios where targeted nutrients are useful.

But a large supplement stack should never come before fixing your nutrition, movement, sleep, stress management, and meal structure.

If you’ve been relying heavily on supplements, you may actually do better with fewer (or none) while focusing on foundational habits:

> Stop fasting all day

> Eat balanced meals every 4–6 hours

> Consume enough total calories

> Move your body consistently (8-10k steps per day + 2-3 days of strength training)

> Manage stress

Many people have traded the pharmaceutical world of allopathic medicine for the supplement world of functional and alternative medicine.

Pharmaceuticals were never meant to be taken long term, and they’re rarely studied in complex combinations.

And the same is true for supplements! Yet many people mix dozens of them together daily, for years on end, without understanding interactions or necessity.

Plus, most of what you’re supplementing is already found in food.

Instead of playing chemist and chasing the next capsule that promises to fix you, try this:

For a few months, focus on hitting the RDAs through minimally processed, unfortified whole foods (and mineral water if needed). Track it. Measure it. Monitor it in Cronometer.

With little or no supplementation, see how you actually feel!

Supplements are also expensive. In 2022, Americans spent roughly $165 billion on them. That’s an enormous industry built on the promise of optimization, often without foundational nutrition in place.

And on top of that, supplements can act as potential digestive irritants. Capsules, fillers, dyes, contaminants in the manufacturing process, binders, and excipients all travel through your stomach and intestines before absorption. For individuals with gut sensitivities, this matters.

So before reaching for expensive bottles, ask yourself…

Have I consistently tried to meet the RDAs through real food first?

For most people, the answer is no.

And that’s where we should begin!

Embrace the mindset: what you eat and how much you eat comes FIRST before fixing any gaps through strategic and short term supplements.

Are you eating ENOUGH?

Most people are winging it.

With all the food noise, diet dogma, and influencer advice circulating online, that approach doesn’t work well for many. We’ve largely lost touch with true nutritional literacy. After years of restrictive dieting, “intuitive eating” often isn’t intuitive anymore: it’s shaped by fear, trends, and misinformation.

For many people, a temporary period of tracking is not obsessive, it’s educational.

Tracking provides data. And data removes guesswork.

When you log your normal eating patterns in Cronometer (or another tracking app), you can clearly see:

• > Total calorie intake
• > Macronutrient breakdown (carbohydrates, fats, protein)
• > Micronutrient intake

Patterns become obvious very quickly.

One consistent trend we see again and again:

When someone is eating enough total calories from whole, minimally processed foods, it is surprisingly easy to hit micronutrient targets.

But in many modern restrictive diet circles where entire food groups are avoided and portions are chronically small, under-eating is extremely common. And under-eating almost always leads to both calorie and micronutrient deficiencies.

We see this constantly.

It is far easier to meet RDAs when you eat an appropriate amount of real food than when you are chronically undereating (or restricting for a few days, followed by cyclical binges).

For example, when someone is eating 2,100+ calories of balanced, whole foods, hitting micronutrient targets often becomes nearly effortless.

Now compare that to someone eating 1,200–1,300 calories per day.

Even if those calories come from “healthy” foods, total nutrient intake will be lower simply due to volume. It becomes extremely difficult to hit RDAs. And on top of that, chronic under-eating suppresses digestive function and metabolic rate, which can impair nutrient absorption and assimilation.

You’re not just consuming fewer nutrients, you’re reducing your ability to use them.

This doesn’t mean you need to eat excessive calories and pack on the pounds. (Meet your body where it’s at!)

But you do need to eat enough to meet your metabolic demands.

When energy intake matches your physiology, hitting micronutrient needs becomes dramatically easier. And when you do this consistently over a period of months, your metabolism begins to function the way it was designed to.

Animal Products and Plant Products Complement Each Other

As you begin tracking your food intake in Cronometer, patterns will start to emerge. You’ll likely notice consistent micronutrient gaps: certain vitamins or minerals that fall short day after day.

That’s where food knowledge becomes powerful.

When you understand which whole foods are richest in specific nutrients, you can intentionally round out your diet instead of guessing.

One important observation: some vitamins and minerals are more concentrated in animal foods, while others are abundant in plant foods.

That’s not random.

It’s a strong indication that humans are designed to be omnivores. Animal foods and plant foods complement each other!

Animal protein is incredibly nutrient-dense, particularly in:

• - B vitamins (especially B12, riboflavin, niacin, B6)
• - Highly bioavailable iron (heme iron)
• - Zinc
• - Selenium
• - Choline

These nutrients are either absent in plants (like B12), present in less bioavailable forms (like non-heme iron), or require conversion processes that are inefficient in some individuals (like beta-carotene to retinol).

Animal fats also provide metabolically supportive saturated fats and serve as carriers for fat-soluble vitamins. When sourced from well-raised animals, they can contain meaningful amounts of vitamins A, D, E, and K2.

Plants and produce contribute differently.

They are rich in:

• - Vitamin C
• - Potassium
• - Magnesium
• - Folate
• - Certain B vitamins
• - Polyphenols and other protective phytochemicals

Fruits, root vegetables, leafy greens, and tubers often provide important minerals and carbohydrates that support energy production, thyroid function, and overall metabolic health.

When you combine both plant and animal foods, micronutrient coverage becomes dramatically easier.

Instead of arguing “plant-based” versus “animal-based,” the more productive question is:

How do we use both strategically to meet physiological needs?

A well-rounded omnivorous diet built from minimally processed whole foods makes hitting RDAs far more achievable, without relying on fortification or heavy supplementation.

Best Sources of Vitamins and Minerals

The foods listed below represent some of the highest whole-food sources of these nutrients. Many other foods contain smaller amounts as well, and all of them contribute to your total daily intake when eating a balanced, whole-foods diet.

You don’t have to eat all of these foods.

This list is simply a resource to reference if you notice you’re consistently low in a specific micronutrient while tracking in Cronometer. 

What foods do you do well with? Do you enjoy? Do you have access to? Stick with those!

Vitamin B1: Pasture-raised pork, properly prepared grains, soaked and well-cooked low fat beans, grass-fed beef organs, oranges, pineapple

Vitamin B2: Grass-fed beef liver, mushrooms, pasture-raised eggs, raw dairy, pasture-raised pork, pasture-raised chicken, grass-fed beef, well-cooked veggies like spinach and collard greens

Vitamin B3: Grass-fed liver, wild-caught seafood, pasture-raised chicken/pork, grass-fed beef, mushrooms, potatoes, sweet potatoes

Vitamin B5: Grass-fed beef liver, pasture-raised eggs, mushrooms, pasture-raised chicken and pork, grass-fed beef, potatoes, sweet potatoes, wild-caught salmon,

Vitamin B6: Wild-caught seafood, grass-fed beef liver, pasture-raised chicken and pork, grass-fed beef, potatoes, sweet potatoes, bananas

Vitamin B7: Grass-fed beef liver, wild-caught salmon, pasture-raised eggs, sardines, pasture-raised pork, grass-fed beef, mushrooms, sweet potatoes

*note: many foods in cronometer don’t include the biotin level (I am not sure why!) But if you are noticing you are low in biotin, make a copy of certain foods and add the documented biotin level in.

Vitamin B9: Grass-fed beef liver, well cooked low fat lentils and beans, beans, veggies, fruit like oranges

Vitamin B12: Grass-fed/pasture-raised organs, wild-caught seafood, pasture-raised eggs, grass-fed beef, pasture-raised pork and chicken, dairy

Vitamin C: Red peppers, fruit, potatoes

Choline: Grass-fed/pasture-raised liver, pasture-raised eggs, pasture-raised meat, wild-caught seafood

Vitamin A (retinol): Grass-fed/pasture-raised liver, pasture-raised eggs, raw dairy

Vitamin D: The sun

Vitamin E: Best low PUFA sources include Pasture-raised eggs, cranberry juice, mango, kiwi, blackberries, peaches, tomatoes, pumpkin, cooked veggies, sweet potatoes, winter squashes, avocado, olive oil, grass-fed butter/tallow

*note: Hitting the 15 mg RDA for vitamin E can be surprisingly difficult without increasing nuts, seeds, and seed oils, foods high in PUFAs.

But vitamin E’s primary role is to protect PUFAs from oxidation. The higher the PUFA intake, the greater the need for vitamin E. The current RDA was set in the context of modern diets relatively high in PUFA.

If you’re intentionally keeping PUFA intake lower, you likely don’t need to stress about hitting 15 mg every single day. Do the best you can, but don’t force high-PUFA foods just to chase a number, you can still obtain meaningful vitamin E from lower-PUFA whole foods.

(For a deeper dive into true vitamin E requirements, see the full blog post here.)

Vitamin K1: Cooked veggies and fresh herbs like parsley

Vitamin K2: Grass-fed/pasture-raised liver, hard aged cheeses, pasture-raised eggs, grass-fed butter, pasture-raised chicken and pork

——

Calcium: Raw dairy, cooked dark leafy greens, Gerolsteiner, egg shells

Phosphorous: Meat, raw dairy, properly prepared grains

Magnesium: Quality chocolate, cooked veggies, potatoes, meats, sprouted oats, sourdough, well-cooked low fat beans, fruit

Sodium: Quality salt, smoked or cured meats, shellfish, dairy

Potassium: Potatoes, fruit, fruit juice, cooked veggies, cooked low fat beans, pasture-raised meats

Iron: Pasture-raised meat and organs, mollusks

Zinc: Pasture-raised meat and organs, shellfish, quality chocolate, raw dairy

Copper: Grass-fed beef liver, quality chocolate, mollusks, mushrooms

Manganese: Shellfish, properly prepared grains, quality chocolate, fruits, roots, spices

Iodine: Seafood, dairy, eggs

*note: many foods in cronometer don’t include the iodine level (I am not sure why!) But if you are noticing you are low in biotin, make a copy of certain foods and add the documented biotin level in.

Selenium: Wild-caught seafood, meat, eggs, Brazil nuts

Molybdenum: Properly prepared grains like sourdough and heritage wheat, potatoes, grass-fed/pasture-raised organs, pasture-raised meat 

Notes on Organs and Seafood

Liver is truly nature’s multivitamin, one of the richest sources of vitamin A (retinol), copper, B12, riboflavin (B2), and folate (B9). Whether enjoyed as liver and onions, pâté, lightly sautéed, or blended into ground meat, a small serving goes a long way. However, because it’s so concentrated in retinol, it’s best consumed in modest amounts rather than large portions.

Around 1 oz 2–3 times per week, is a sustainable strategy for most people to deliver a micronutrient boost. Another option is using a “primal blend,” where a small amount of liver is mixed into ground meat, delivering dense nutrition without chronically overshooting retinol needs.

Heart is much lower in vitamin A and can be eaten more regularly and in larger portions if desired. It is especially rich in CoQ10, iron, zinc, selenium, and B vitamins, making it a powerful but more flexible organ meat option.

All pork, chicken, and beef organs provide valuable nutrients, though some stand out:

• - Beef liver is particularly high in vitamin A, B12, and copper.
• - Chicken liver tends to be especially rich in folate and provides slightly lower vitamin A than beef liver.
• - Pork liver is often higher in B1 compared to beef liver.

For heart:

• - Beef heart is typically highest in CoQ10 and iron.
• - Pork heart is often slightly higher in B1.
• - Chicken heart provides meaningful amounts of B vitamins and is milder in flavor, making it approachable for beginners.

Organ meats are ultimately optional, but when used strategically, they can dramatically improve micronutrient density without requiring large portions.

As for seafood:

For most people, including seafood 1–3 times per week is sufficient. This allows you to benefit from the micronutrients seafood provides while limiting exposure to heavy metals that accumulate in the ocean food chain (like mercury, cadmium and lead), and help keep overall PUFA intake lower, which aligns well with metabolic health goals.

Seafood highest in mercury are typically large, long-lived predatory fish, since mercury bioaccumulates up the food chain. The highest-mercury species (best avoided for frequent consumption) include shark, swordfish, king mackerel, tilefish, marlin, orange roughy, bigeye tuna, large ahi tuna, and certain types of grouper. Moderate-mercury fish, which are best limited, include albacore (white) tuna, yellowfin tuna, mahi-mahi, halibut, Chilean sea bass, and snapper. Generally low-mercury options, which are safer for more frequent consumption, include sardines, anchovies, wild salmon, herring, Atlantic mackerel, cod, shrimp, scallops, and oysters.

Daily seafood intake isn’t necessary (or recommended), and if you don’t enjoy seafood, can’t access it, or simply don’t have a source you trust) you can absolutely meet your micronutrient needs without it. That said, seafood is an excellent source of minerals and can be a valuable addition when included intentionally. 

Concluding Remarks: 

And if you’d like a practical example, check out this follow-up post where I walk through exactly how to hit the RDAs through whole foods!

Cheers to optimizing your health and restoring your metabolic foundation!