Knowing you should eat better is one thing. Knowing exactly what to eat, why, how to prepare it, and what is working against you in the meantime — that is something else. This section closes that gap, one essential nutrient at a time.
Most nutrition content stops at the list. Eat more magnesium. Get your omega-3s. Top up your vitamin D. But it never tells you which foods actually deliver, how to prepare them so the nutrient survives, what modern life is doing to strip it out of you, or why so many people who think they eat reasonably well are still running short.
Each page in this section covers one essential nutrient in full — not as a supplement recommendation, but as a food conversation. Where to find it in real food. What is robbing you of it. How much you actually need. And how to build it into your eating without it becoming another thing to feel guilty about.
We have started with the nutrients where the gap between what people need and what they are actually getting is widest — and where changing what you eat makes a measurable difference. The macrominerals most commonly depleted by modern life first, then the vitamins, the essential fats, and the supporting nutrients that quietly underpin the rest.
The mineral most modern bodies run short on — and the one involved in more biological processes than almost any other. Muscle function, sleep quality, blood sugar, nerve health, energy production. Depleted by stress, sugar, alcohol, and some of the most commonly prescribed drugs in the UK.
Not just a bone mineral — calcium is essential for muscle contraction, nerve signalling, and blood clotting. But absorption depends almost entirely on vitamin D status, and the foods that contain it are fewer than most people realise. Dairy is not the only answer, and for some people it is not the best one.
The mineral that directly counters sodium — and the one most systematically crowded out by a high-salt, ultra-processed diet. Blood pressure, fluid balance, cellular hydration, muscle contraction. Most UK adults are well below the recommended intake without knowing it.
Arguably the single most common deficiency in the UK — one in five adults is estimated to be clinically low. Not just a bone vitamin: vitamin D is involved in immune function, mood regulation, and metabolic health. Food helps, but the honest story includes sunlight and supplementation too.
Essential for myelin — the protective sheath around every nerve — and for red blood cell formation, DNA synthesis, and energy metabolism. Found almost exclusively in animal products. Vegans and vegetarians are at significant risk, and so is anyone on metformin or long-term acid-suppressing medication.
The liver nutrient almost nobody has heard of — yet without adequate choline, fat accumulates in the liver directly. Around 90% of adults do not reach the Adequate Intake. Devastated by four decades of advice to avoid egg yolks, the very food richest in it.
Not technically a micronutrient — but perhaps the most systematically stripped ingredient in the modern food supply. UK adults average 18g daily against a recommendation of 30g. The gut microbiome, liver health, cholesterol, blood sugar, and satiety all depend on it. The gap is not accidental.
These tools are built into Nutriofia — they connect what you're reading here directly to your food log, your nutrient gaps, and your recipes.