Vitamins are the stars of the nutrition scene. Nutrition, the science of food, is the study of the nutrients and substances in foods. Scientists examine how the balances of food compounds relate to health and disease, and explore how they interact during the process of ingestion, absorption, utilization, and excretion.
There are six essential nutrients for health and body maintenance: vitamins, minerals, water, fats, proteins, and carbohydrates. They are the building blocks of life, and we obtain them through our diet. Our bodies don't make them.
At this time, it is known that there are fourteen vitamins required by humans. Vitamins, first discovered in the late 1800s, are organic compounds found in foods. Since they are organic - containing carbon - they can be destroyed by heat, unlike their companion essential nutrient group, the incombustible minerals.
In the early 1900s, when scientists were continuing to discover new vitamins, they named newly found compounds by alphabet: A, B, C, D, E~. K. Note: The compounds that had been named F, G, H, I, J were later disqualified as vitamins, not fitting the definition: organic compounds needed in small quantities for life growth and maintenance. Compounds that have been given letters with numbers, B-1, B- 2~ were originally thought to be one compound, but later determined to be several different compounds with specific functions for each.
Vitamins are in one of two classes: fat soluble or water soluble. Vitamin C and the B vitamins (such as niacin and riboflavin) are water soluble. Vitamins A, D, E, and K are fat soluble. Which type of solubility each vitamin has will indicate which foods contain them. Basically, non-fat food has no fat soluble vitamins. However, highly colored vegetables like carrots do contain beta-carotene - a proto- vitamin which can be converted to active vitamin A.
Water soluble vitamins are easily shed by the body and lost from foods during preparation. Since they aren't stored by the body, we need to ingest them every day. Nevertheless it is best to avoid taking them excessively. On the other hand, fat soluble vitamins are readily stored by the body. Thus caution is necessary to avoid excessive quantities; it is possible to build up toxic levels of the fat soluble vitamins.
People commonly wonder if they need to take vitamin supplements, and which vitamins should be taken for good health. The situation today is that our foods are coming to us from conditions that previously were never the case for humans. Modern food is highly processed, and is frequently grown in depleted soils. Our foods are picked unripe and therefore incomplete from the standpoint of nutrition. Then they are shipped and handled more than the ideal. Therefore, it seems unlikely that the average person's diet provides sufficient amounts of necessary nutrients - vitamins and minerals in particular. Instead, we are consuming excessive amounts of harmful compounds like preservatives and refined sugars.
A suggestion. Do your own research project. Keep track of what you eat for a week or two. Eat normally, and just write down what you ate and how much of it. Then either buy or check out from your library a book on vitamins that will tell you approximately what you got from each food source. Add it up and compare to the recommended daily allowances. See how you're doing, and if you think it's a good idea to make some improvements, consult with a professional nutritionist, naturopathic physician, or other healthcare professional to come up with a good plan of diet and nutritional supplements. You'll see what a profound difference good nutrition can make in your health.
Carina Snowden writes on topics related to vitamins. Her articles are published in the news at alta vitamin the single on-line resource for a world of news about vitamins. Be sure to refer to all Carina's articles at the news at alta vitamin
elite cleaning services Mundelein ..During the past few years, I've become more interested in... Read More
Ideally, humans would eat wholly nutritious diets rich in protein,... Read More
There is a paradox of sorts when dealing with injections... Read More
Iron is a mineral that is essential to the health... Read More
The benefits of whey protein are so numerous and apply... Read More
Fat Loss Supplement ? what is it?What is a fat... Read More
Since its discovery in the late 1950???s Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10)... Read More
Imagine this scenario by the end of next August...You contact... Read More
In a 2002 study, a group of researchers used oral... Read More
How many pills do you have to take every morning?... Read More
Use of herbs and herbal therapies has been an integral... Read More
Part 1:A "better nutritional program" means the introduction of foods... Read More
At some time or another, most people have taken some... Read More
There are so many different whey protein powder products on... Read More
Sudden Cardiac Death (SCD) is responsible for numerous deaths in... Read More
What if there was a solution to protecting and restoring... Read More
Anti aging has become the latest craze.Wherever we look at,... Read More
The Connection Between Brain Inflammation, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's DiseaseThe evidence... Read More
Those who start eating lemons at first symptoms of the... Read More
Liquid vitamins are the same vitamins that you find in... Read More
The Challenge of Free Radicals to Your BodyYour body is... Read More
Taking good care of your body means that you are... Read More
Since ancient time bee pollen has been considered as an... Read More
If you read my last article about bitter orange, it... Read More
Simply stated, the Greek word glyco refers to "sweet." Hence,... Read More
Airbnb cleaning service Mundelein ..Every day, it seems like we are living in an... Read More
The Superbug MRSA which is becoming more common in Hospitals,... Read More
Three Important Nutrients - Vitamin E, Selenium, and Sodium and... Read More
As consumers, we are faced daily with choices about what... Read More
Because whey protein products have a wide variety of uses... Read More
Should I Take Vitamins With My Low Carb Diet?Most low... Read More
We live in a health conscious generation where vitamins and... Read More
Benefits of using Vitamin A products:Retinol is pure and active... Read More
In parts one, two and three of this series, titled... Read More
1. Do not refrigerate vegetables and fruits (raw and uncut)... Read More
The Greek word "Glyco" means, "Sugar". Most people think of... Read More
Nutritional Supplement ? what is it?So what is a nutritional... Read More
Most people understand the concept of vitamin and mineral supplementation,... Read More
Riboflavin is a common name for vitamin B-2 and was... Read More
The Connection Between Brain Inflammation, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's DiseaseThe evidence... Read More
Vitamins are the stars of the nutrition scene. Nutrition, the... Read More
Folic acid is actually just one of the many vitamins... Read More
Tribulus terrestris is a herb that comes from a plant... Read More
ZMA is a scientifically designed anabolic mineral formula containing zinc... Read More
Herbal nutrition supplements are everywhere these days. So should you... Read More
Do you ever find yourself asking any or all of... Read More
Actually, my headache is not the result of just thinking... Read More
Arginine is a semi-essential amino acid that the body cannot... Read More
Numerous studies and surveys have consistently shown that a majority... Read More
In July of 1995, the United States Department of Agriculture... Read More
Nutritional Supplements |