If you've been feeling more tired lately, your hair falls out more, or your nails are brittle, you may be suffering from a vitamin deficiency. It may be that your diet is not balanced enough or that you are following a diet that is too restrictive, but … it may also be that your body is not assimilating all the nutrients correctly.
And it is that when we nutritionists say that the whole matters in food, it is for something. Not everything you eat (no matter how healthy) nourishes you. Some foods have substances that "steal" your vitamins, calcium, or iron.
What are antinutrients?
They are substances present in some foods that prevent the body from using nutrients well, so you end up receiving less vitamins than you think.
How can I avoid it?
Most antinutrients are inactivated by heat, so when you cook food you eliminate its negative effect. But there are others that are not so easy to avoid and whose effect must be taken into account, especially if a balanced diet is not maintained. I will tell you below the ones that are most common and easier to avoid.
Fish, better grilled
It contains thiaminase, an antinutrient that prevents the absorption of vitamin B1. The deficiency of this vitamin can cause muscle weakness, tachycardia and palpitations. Heat benefits us by destroying thiaminase, but dressings or marinades do not. For this reason, grilled fish is more nutritious.
Egg, well done or hard
Although the opposite is believed, and even reconstituents are prepared with raw egg, the cooked one feeds more. And it is that the white of the egg contains antitrypsins, which hinder the assimilation of egg proteins, and avidin, which reduces the use of vitamin B8. Lack of this vitamin causes dermatitis, alopecia, loss of appetite, nausea and fatigue.
Coffee, between hours
It hinders the absorption of some essential minerals such as iron, calcium, phosphorus or magnesium. For this reason, it is better to take it between meals –and not at the end of meals– and avoid consuming it in excess (no more than three cups a day).
The orange, at the moment
The orange is rich in vitamin C, but it also contains an antinutrient, ascorbase, which begins to destroy this vitamin as soon as the orange is subjected to a mechanical action (peeling, crushing or squeezing it). That is why it is important to drink the juice or eat the orange at the moment.
