With an abundance of high-calorie, low-nutrition convenience foods, many people struggle to get enough vitamins and minerals each day. Supplements may seem like an easy way to fill nutrition gaps in your diet, but supplements are expensive and can sometimes cause side effects or interact with other medications. Here are four ways to sneak extra nutrients into your diet without taking supplements.

How to Sneak Some Extra Vitamins Into Your Diet Without Supplements 

With an abundance of high-calorie, low-nutrition convenience foods, many people struggle to get enough vitamins and minerals each day. Supplements may seem like an easy way to fill nutrition gaps in your diet, but supplements are expensive and can sometimes cause side effects or interact with other medications. Here are four ways to sneak extra nutrients into your diet without taking supplements.

Go Nuts for Nuts and Seeds

Nuts and seeds are some of the most nutrient-dense foods you can eat. Some nuts and seeds are rich enough to serve as a supplement all on their own. For example, just one or two Brazil nuts can meet your daily requirement for selenium. Pumpkin seeds aren’t just a Halloween treat but also a magnesium boost you can enjoy every day, and a handful of hazelnuts packs a punch of skin-soothing vitamin E.

Make Fruit Fun

Fruit is another nutrition powerhouse. All fruits contain a rich supply of essential vitamin C, and many contain high doses of other nutrients like beta carotene and folate. Have fun with your fruit by incorporating it into treats like drinks, smoothies and desserts. Entice kids to eat fruit by using cookie cutters to cut it into fun shapes like stars, hearts and dinosaurs.

Get Your Nutrients Delivered

You might be surprised to learn that your favorite pizza delivery can help sneak extra vitamins into your diet and get your picky kids to eat their veggies. Order a gourmet pizza packed with nutritious ingredients like peppers, broccoli and mushrooms. Tomatoes are great sources of vitamin C, lycopene and folic acid, so double the sauce for even more nutrition. Consider cutting the cheese in half to reduce fat and sodium.

Boost Heart Health With Omega 3

Omega 3 fatty acids are an important nutrient for hearth health, but you don’t need to choke down smelly fish oil capsules to get your daily requirement. Flax seeds and walnuts are both terrific sources of omega 3. Try them for breakfast over a bowl of yogurt or oatmeal, or blend them into a smoothie with fruit and greens. You can also use flax seed oil instead if you don’t like the texture of flax seeds.

If you’re concerned that your diet is lacking in vitamins, consider using a nutrition app to log everything you eat and view the nutritional breakdown of your diet. Then you can adjust your diet to make up for deficiencies and reduce foods that you’re over-consuming.