APPENDIX C

Nutritional Values of Common Foods

THIS NEW TREND toward low-carb diets has a lot of us eating plenty of fat

and protein. But many of us are missing out on the valuable

micronutrients found in whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and other foods

that are verboten on a lowcarb diet.

It might seem easier to ensure your daily value of nutrients by

popping a multivitamin instead of eating a balanced diet. But there are

two problems with nutrition that comes in a plastic container: First,

multivitamins have no fiber, so this critical nutrient is missing if all you

do is pop a pill for protection. Second, foods are loaded with plenty of

nutrients beyond the standard vitamins C and E—and the importance of

many of these nutrients, called phytochemicals, is only now being

understood. “In a balanced diet, there are thousands of antioxidants. In

pill form, you're just getting a few out of the thousands,” says Edgar

Miller, MD, PhD, of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.

To see how nutritionally complete your diet is, refer to the

following chart for each food's vitamin and mineral values, and tally

your total intake. If you come up short of the Recommended Dietary

Allowances (RDAs) for men and women, don't worry. Just eat more

foods high in whatever vitamins or minerals you're lacking, and take a

multivitamin/mineral supplement each day.

VITAMIN A (MCG)VITAMIN B1 (THIAMIN) (MG)VITAMIN B6 (MG)

RDA (men/women) 900/700 1.2/1.1 1.3/1.3

Almonds (1 ounce) 0 0.05 0.03

Apple (1 medium) 8 0.02 0.06

Apricot (1) 67 0.01 0.02

Artichoke (1 medium) 0 0.10 0.15

Asparagus (1 medium spear) 12 0.02 0.01

Avocado (1) 122 0.20 0.60

Bacon (3 slices) 0 0.08 0.07