Many factors affect one’s health, including micronutrients. These essential vitamins and minerals are key to an individual’s healthy development, disease prevention, and overall wellness. Like other factors in maintaining one’s health, men and women have varying needs when it comes to micronutrients.
For men’s health, individuals need micronutrient awareness to address potential deficiencies that can impact their health. Luckily, advancing technology brings simple nutritional tracking tools that help address when restoring nutrient levels is needed.
The Common Nutrient Gaps in Men’s Diets
Though your diet may contain many of the key micronutrients needed to maintain a balanced diet, there is still a chance that you are not getting the necessary nutrients and minerals essential to your health. These micronutrients include magnesium, fiber, vitamin D, and calcium; the health implications of falling below the needed amount can be significant.
As a key mineral in the body, magnesium assists enzymes in carrying out chemical reactions, such as building proteins, maintaining strong bones, and supporting the immune system. Some potential health implications of not meeting your body’s magnesium needs include fatigue, loss of appetite, and weakness. However, more severe deficiencies can lead to muscle cramps, personality changes, and abnormal heart rhythms.
When it comes to vitamin A, men who don’t get enough may experience vision problems, like dry eyes or night blindness, skin problems, and issues with their reproductive health. With health concerns ranging from mild to more severe due to not meeting the necessary levels of micronutrients, technology is playing an increasingly larger role in helping men optimize their diet and meet their health needs.
Technology’s Role in Nutritional Awareness
Today, various apps and wearables (like those in the Apple Watch) are helping to promote nutritional awareness and healthy eating habits by providing real-time, science-backed dietary feedback. With the help of AI-powered apps and platforms, men can take a closer look at their health, monitoring their activity levels, heart rate, sleep quality, and more.
One such app making strides in this space is Cronometer, which gives you personalized feedback on your diet, exercise, and other health data so that you can make more informed decisions about your health.
Cronometer offers detailed, lab-analysed nutrient tracking and tailored Nutrition Scores. The latter feature bundles specific macro and micronutrients together and gives users a percentage value for how they are hitting their goals.
Eliisa Tennant, the community marketing manager for Cronometer, stated, “Even if you think you’re eating well, are you? This score helps shed light on things we’re missing.”
Taking Charge of Your Health
Modern technology has made tracking your nutrition easier than ever before. You can easily take charge of your health through the convenience of apps on your phone.
Regularly reassessing your nutrient intake is key to meeting your body’s needs, especially when nutritional needs evolve with age. Exploring the various apps and wearables at your fingertips and offering visual scoring that simplifies nutritional feedback can help you feel more confident with control placed back in your hands and make more informed decisions about your health without needing a background in nutrition.
