Archive for the ‘Nutrition’ Category
Posted on Tuesday, March 17, 2009 at 2:57 pm
There are many different types of Vitamins that can help your body. These vitamins, along with the essential minerals, which can also be called micronutrients, are things that your body needs, in small amounts, which promote good biochemical reactions within your body and within your cells. They make you grow right, help you digest your food, make you more mentally alert and more mentally sound, help you to be resistant to infectious diseases, and help your body to use carbohydrates, proteins and fats. Also, vitamins and minerals are catalysts in your body, which speed up or initiate chemical reactions. The difference between the vitamins and the proteins you get from food is that you don’t burn up the vitamins, so you can’t use them for energy.
Because your body does not make most vitamins and minerals directly, you have to get them from food sources or from vitamin supplements. If you aren’t getting enough of a certain vitamin or mineral for a long period of time you can get a specific disease or condition. This will usually be fixed when the vitamin or mineral is re supplied to your body.
Basically, there are 13 Vitamins. Four of them are fat-soluble and nine of them are going to be water soluble. The ones that are fat-soluble can be stored in your body fat and also stored in certain organs such as your liver. The water-soluble vitamins do not get stored in your body in large amounts.
The vitamins that are fat soluble, which means that you can store them in your body for a long time, include A, D, E and K. These dissolve in lipids and require bile in order to be absorbed. They are also stored in tissues, and if you have too many of them they can be toxic to you.
The water-soluble vitamins are going to be C and eight of the B vitamins. These are thiamine, which is B1, Riboflavin, which is B2, niacin, pyridoxine, which is B6, pantothenic acid, which is B5, vitamin B12, biotin and folic acid. These dissolve in water, so if you are cooking or washing, the vitamins might actually be washed out of the food. They are easily absorbed and excreted, and are not stored very much or often in your tissues. These vitamins are seldom going to reach toxic levels.
All of these vitamins are found in food, but if you aren’t able to get the food that you need in order to get the vitamins, you are going to have to turn to nutritional supplements to make sure that you are getting all of the vitamins and minerals that your body is going to need.
Posted on Tuesday, January 27, 2009 at 3:48 pm
A multivitamin is a supplement that you can take that has many different types of vitamins and minerals in it. It is important because if you don’t have time to be taking all of the separate vitamins, you might not be getting all that you need. If you are able to take a good multivitamin, you will find that you are getting the recommended daily allowance and that you are healthier.
Multivitamins are also important because they might help you avoid getting too much of certain vitamins or minerals. They are made with certain doses in mind, and they are made to create a situation in which you are getting just enough of a certain vitamin or mineral. If you simply take the one a day multivitamin as it is instructed, you are going to find that it is impossible for you to get too much and therefore that fear is avoided.
There are several different types of multivitamins that are made for different groups of people. The reason that we need to take vitamins and minerals is that our bodies are not capable of producing all of the vitamins and minerals that we need, and these usually are supplemented from food. However, there are many situations today where people don’t’ get the right kind of balanced diets that they need, and they are going to end up with vitamin deficiencies. Therefore, taking a multivitamin is going to allow you to get all of the vitamins that you need.
You might be a part of several different groups that need multivitamins. These usually include groups that are at a high risk for not getting the kind of nutritional support that is needed, such as the elderly, those prone to sickness, or those with allergies that prevent them from eating certain foods. If you are pregnant or nursing, you are also going to find that you might need some multivitamins to make sure that you are getting all of the healthy aspects that you can for your child.
Remember that like with anything, certain multivitamins are made to handle certain things and they have different kinds of vitamins included in them. It is very important that you follow the directions on the multivitamins and that you are taking them exactly as instructed, because even though vitamins are good for you, too much of a good thing can actually be a bad thing.
Posted on Saturday, December 27, 2008 at 1:51 pm
Your body relies on you to eat the right foods, making it possible to stay healthy. If you do not think you are getting enough of a certain kind of nutrient, you should consider supplements to help you achieve those normal levels. Vitamins are one part of your diet that you should be careful not to overlook. Among the thirteen vitamins needs in your body, vitamin E is one of them, and you should be aware of what it does in your body. Simply put, understand our own health is important because if you do not understand it we cannot make sure we are staying healthy.
Vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin, along with a few other vitamins, including vitamin K. Because it is fat-soluble, it does not exit the body completely and in high levels, but instead can be stored for later use and made in the body as well. This is very important, because it means that we do not have to eat foods rich in vitamin E every single day. However, it is still important to get enough vitamin E, whether it be through foods or vitamin supplements.
The main function of vitamin E is to be an antioxidant. Antioxidants are simple guardians of the body. They help your tissue sustain damage cause by free radicals, which are unstable substances in the body. Tissues make up our organs, so antioxidants are very important to keep all parts of out body health. They are also thought to help slow the degenerative aging process. Another important function of vitamin E specifically is its role helping the body use vitamin K, which helps your blood clot.
Most people get enough vitamin E when eating a healthy diet. Foods especially rich in vitamin E include wheat germ, corn, asparagus, vegetable oils, olives, margarine, nuts, and leafy green vegetables, like spinach. Look on the label. Foods rich in vitamin E will have its presence listed under ingredients or on the nutritional value part of the label. Vitamin E may also be called tocopherol.
Vitamin E deficiency is usually not a problem, nor is overdose. However, it is important to be careful is you are taking multivitamin supplements that include vitamin E. Reports of taking large amounts are mild, but can give you headaches. It is best to talk to your doctor is your believe that you are not getting enough vitamin E.
Posted on Thursday, November 27, 2008 at 8:12 am
Vitamin K is an extremely important vitamin in the body. It mainly plays a role in blood clotting, so without enough vitamin K, you could have problems if you are injured. If you are suffering for vitamin K deficiency, your blood simple will not clot. Some scientists and researchers also think that vitamin K is important for maintaining your bone health, especially as you age. Therefore, if you are not getting enough vitamin K in your body from food sources, which is the best way to achieve normal vitamin K levels, you should talk to your doctor about the vitamin K supplements that are available for your use.
There are thirteen different vitamins that your body needs to survive. Of these thirteen, four are fat-soluble and the rest are water-soluble. If the vitamin is water-soluble, it dissolves quickly and exits the body. Therefore, water-soluble vitamins must be consumed daily in order to keep your levels normal. However, if a vitamin is fat-soluble, it does not exit the body but is instead stored in your fat to be used at a later time. Vitamin K is a fat-soluble vitamin, so it is not crucial for you to eat it every day. However, it is important for you to keep a careful eye on your levels of vitamin K in the body in order to make sure that you are not becoming vitamin K deficient. If this occurs, vitamin supplement may be necessary.
Vitamin K is found in a variety of foods. It is also produced in the body by the bacteria found in the lining of your gastrointestinal tract. Therefore, your body helps regulate its own vitamin K levels. As for foods that contain vitamin K, you will more than likely eat enough if your simple eat a healthy, balanced diet. Some foods that are especially high in vitamin K include vegetables like cabbage, spinach and other leafy greens, soybeans, and cauliflower.
If you do not get enough vitamin K in your diet, it is important to talk to your doctor about taking supplements. If you o not, you will start to see that you are prone to bruising and bleeding. Extreme vitamin K deficiency is very rare, but when it does occur it is usually due to a body’s problem in the intestinal tract. Instead of absorbing vitamin K like normal, the body simply does not. In this case, vitamin supplement are necessary. However, because this is a fat-soluble vitamin, you should take vitamin supplements for vitamin K under medical supervision.
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