If you are like most people, I am sure you have
heard..."Don't forget to take your vitamins" or "eat your
vegetables or salad...they are loaded with vitamins and
minerals. But what exactly are vitamins and minerals? How
do they benefit us? Are they something to be concerned
with?
Vitamins and minerals are substances that are found in
all the foods we eat. The fruits, the vegetables, the meats
and the fish we eat are great sources for the essential
vitamins and minerals we require. Our bodies need these
vitamins and minerals, regardless of our age, so our bodies
grow and function properly. Each and every vitamin or
mineral plays a specific role in maintaining a healthy
body.
Some of the most important or well known vitamins are:
Vitamin D, found in milk and is essential for our bones,
Vitamin A, found in carrots and is good for our vision,
Vitamin C, found in oranges helps our bodies heal from
minor cuts and Vitamin B, found in leafy green vegetables
helps your body produce protein and energy.
Vitamins and minerals come in two forms: fat soluble and
water soluble. When we eat foods containing fat soluble
vitamins, they are stored in the fat tissues of our body
and our liver. When our body is reaching out for them, they
are there for our bodies to use. Some of these fat soluble
vitamins can stick around for a few days, or few months.
Fat soluble vitamins are essential and include: Vitamin A,
Vitamin D and Vitamins E and K.
Vitamins that are water soluble are completely
different. They are not stored in your body, they are used
or come out when you urinate. Since these vitamins are not
stored in our bodies, they need to be replenished more
frequently. These include Vitamin C and all your B
vitamins.
So lets face it, our body can do lots of wonderful
things, but the one thing it can not do is produce
vitamins...we need to rely on outside sources for that.
That is where our diets come in and the food we eat. Your
body has the capability to capture these vitamins from the
foods we eat, and determine where best to use or store
them. In most, if not all cases, if we are eating properly,
eating the right foods eliminates the need for a daily
vitamin, as the proper foods will provide all our essential
vitamins.