Advisory

Trace elements

Trace elements are minerals required by the body in small amounts but are essential for the proper functioning of many bodily systems. These elements include iron, zinc, copper, manganese, iodine, selenium, chromium, and fluorine. Although needed only in small quantities, their deficiency can lead to serious health problems.

Nutrition plays a key role in providing the body with the necessary trace elements. These elements are typically obtained from food, primarily from fruits, vegetables, whole grains, meat, and seafood. For instance, iron, which is essential for the production of red blood cells and oxygen transport in the body, is found in red meat, poultry, and fish. Zinc, which is important for the immune system and wound healing, is abundantly present in beef, eggs, and whole grain products.

Hello,

I have a question regarding vitamins. In the scripts, you mention that chemical fertilizers destroy vitamins and trace elements in the soil. Is it therefore worthwhile to create meal plans that aim to ensure sufficient intake of, for example, vitamin C or the B complex? I'm not sure if the stated values of vitamin content in the ZOF application actually reflect reality (due to those fertilizers). Wouldn't it be better to not worry about this and just buy a multivitamin and take trace elements according to one's own feelings? I'm not sure if it's realistic to get enough of all vitamins and trace elements from the diet today.

Thank you for your response.

It always makes sense and essentially must make sense because nutrition is always the foundation upon which the appropriateness of using dietary supplements is based. Foods always contain a certain amount of minerals, but their amounts are very variable. They always depend on the method of cultivation, the quality of the soil, and the form of technological processing of the product; for vitamins, it also depends on the storage method (= conditions inducing oxidation).

Nutritional values in applications are based on measurements of nutrient content in foods, but always consider them highly indicative. At ZOF, we created the database by averaging values commonly presented on different continents (the courses are studied by people from virtually all corners of the planet), and in many cases, they differ from databases commonly used in Europe.

Ensuring an adequate amount of minerals is generally not a problem; with vitamins and antioxidants, it is a greater challenge because they are thermolabile and subject to oxidative processes. For these reasons, their supplementation is more crucial than for minerals.

Questions answered by

Mgr. Martin Jelinek
Lecturer and author of the educational system

Nutrition educator, lecturer, and author of the educational system and the ZOF learning application.

Mgr. Martin Jelínek has been systematically involved in nutrition education since 1999. He is the founder of ATAC, the educational company behind NutriCourses, and the author of an educational system focused on nutrition, healthy lifestyle, and the practical application of nutrition knowledge.

He graduated from the Faculty of Science at Masaryk University in Brno. Throughout his professional career, he has combined nutrition, education, and the practical application of acquired knowledge. His educational system also includes the ZOF (Zone of Optimal Functioning) learning application, where students turn theory into practical work with meal plans.

In 2007, he launched the first intake of a six-month course focused on the education of nutrition advisors. Over time, this course became the foundation for the further development of the educational system and a range of specialised courses.

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