Tatyana

There are supplements that have been studied to death and they work, for example, whey protien and creatine.

A lot of people are deficient in one or more of the micronutrients, which are the vitamins and minerals.

Especially if you are not eating a lot of fruit and veggies, or other whole natural grains, beans, seeds and nuts, and then there still is the debate as to the quantity of micronutrients in modern agriculture.

These are not necessarily things you will 'feel' BTW.

Do you feel your body breaking down or making glucose in your body? Making enzymes, haemoglobin?

I would also highly recommend you get a rough idea of how many calories and especially protein, that you are eating.

Otherwise you are really guessing, and study after study when people 'self report' on what they eat have found that they have absolutely no bloody grasp of the reality of what they are putting down their necks.

As far as the calories you need for the day, the easiest and most accurate way is to multiply your weight in pounds by 16.

That is only maintainance. To put on muscle (get stronger) you need to eat in excess of that, 10-20% extra calories is a good place to start.


Here you go, micronutrient deficiency

You need these minerals as cofactors for enzymes in your body, for example magnesium and copper are co-factors in collagen synthesis, not enough, the enzymes don't work as well, as fast, or as efficiently.


http://www.bjcardio.co.uk/pdf/2047/V..._2005_p5-7.pdf

Micronutrient deficiency

For most micronutrients, Lower Reference Nutrient Intake
(LRNI) thresholds have been set. Intakes below this level are
unlikely to be meeting the needs of most of the population.

From the NDNS dataset, low intakes (i.e. intakes below the
LRNI), particularly for the youngest age groups, were reported
for vitamin A, riboflavin (vitamin B2), iron, calcium, magnesium
and zinc. Some micronutrients were of particular concern:
for example, approximately 40% of women aged
19–34 years had iron intakes below the LRNI and unlikely to
meet their needs.1 In addition, although most women had
folate intakes above the LRNI, the diet (food plus supplements)
of most women of child-bearing age failed to reach
even 400 μg/day (the additional amount on top of normal
dietary intakes recommended to reduce the risk of neural
tube defects). But inadequate intakes were also observed in
men: nearly 20% of those aged 19–24 years had intakes of
vitamin A (16%), magnesium (17%) and potassium (18%)
below the LRNI. These three micronutrients are necessary for
normal body function. Potassium, in particular, has been
shown to have a beneficial effect against high blood pressure.
Finally, status of vitamin D (which is vital for healthy teeth and
bones and which aids calcium absorption) was low, particularly
among those aged 19–24 years (24% of men and 28%
of women). Therefore, as health professionals we need not
only to focus on the quantity of foods eaten but also the
quality.

Strategies are needed to boost micronutrient status (particularly
among younger age groups). Increasing fruit and
vegetable intake will improve intakes of folate, carotenoids,
potassium and fibre, but other dietary changes are needed
too, as a number of the problem nutrients are not found in
large amounts in these foods (e.g. iron, calcium and zinc). An
increased intake of cereals and cereal products (e.g. fortified
breakfast cereals consumed with low-fat milk) would further
extra calcium, riboflavin, vitamin B12 and vitamin D. Women
in particular, would also benefit from increased intakes of lean
meat to boost iron and zinc status.
help low micronutrient intakes, while the milk would pro