From the Vitamin Diary
Guide to Vitamins
Do I really need vitamin pills?
The answer is YES. Most of us, no matter how hard we try, just can't eat a good, nutritious diet at every meal every day. We need the help vitamin and mineral supplements can give. And sometimes we need a vitamin or mineral boost to help deal with health problems and relieve symptoms.
Supplements are an easy, safe, and inexpensive way to make sure you're getting the vitamins and
minerals your body has to have for optimum health. Taking supplements can improve your health
now and ensure it for the future. Also, there are many herbal remedies that keeps you health as well!
How much vitamins and minerals do you really need?
Your body needs only small amounts of vitamins and minerals. But because what the body manufactures is often not enough, these must be obtained from your diet and from supplements.
Water-soluble vitamins are absorbed by the intestine and carried through the bloodstream. They are not stored in the body and must be taken daily in order to prevent deficiency.
Fat-soluble vitamins are better metabolized by your body if you take it with fat, oil, or protein in the same meal (or take your pill with this type of food). These types of vitamins are stored in the body, therefore, you do not want to take these in excessive amounts, since your body retains them and the effect can be toxic.
Vitamin Facts |
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• The human body uses food to manufacture all its building blocks as well as to provide fuel. To do this, it performs several thousand different chemical reactions. Each reaction is controlled by "enzymes" and "coenzymes". Some of the coenzymes contain vitamins which the body cannot make by itself and which must be obtained from outside the body. • About 25% of US households do not have balanced meals to meet the requirements that the body needs in digesting enough nutrients to sustain the body's health and fuel factors. • Research has shown that almost all varieties of disease can be produced by the deficiency of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and other nutrients. Vitamins are vital for your skin. The most important factor of nutritional deficiencies is the intense processing and refining of foods like cereals and sugar. • A lot of the vitamins in fruits and vegetables are lost between the farm and your plate. The longer the foods are stored before you eat them, the more nutrients are lost. Heat, light, and exposure to air all reduce the amount of vitamins, especially Vitamin C, thiamin, and folic acid. See this --> How to get most the most vitamins from your food? |
There are over 50 vitamins, minerals, and amino acids that can keep you healthy and fit. Use them!
Vitamin Check |
To see how well your vitamin is being absorbed, drop it in a glass of vinegar. If it doesn't break down in 30 minutes, try another brand. A vitamin has to break down within 20 to 30 minutes, or else it will bypass the first part of the small intestine, where most nutrients are absorbed. |
The best sources for vitamins and minerals?
A balanced diet is the most sensible way of getting a sufficient amount of these nutrients. On this site, the rich and natural sources of all nutrients are listed individually to help you choose the right foods.
Related Information on VITAMINS
• Do we need Vitamin Supplements?
• Ways to maximize Vitamin Absorption
• Your Vitamin Requirements - Make vitamins work for you
Please see the following vitamins chart for a general information on vitamins:
Vitamin |
Benefits |
Recommended Daily Allowance |
Food Sources |
Deficiency Symptoms |
Critical to the development of bones and teeth. Helps maintain good eyesight. Enhances the immune system. Prevents red blood cell damage. |
• Adults 600 mcg • Children 600 mcg • Infants 350 mcg • Lactating Women 950 mcg |
Dark green leafy vegetables, Yellow-orange vegetables and fruits, Liver, Milk, Butter |
Rhodopsin deficiency, night blindness, retarded growth, skin disorders, and increased infection risk |
|
Needed by your body to process fats, proteins and carbohydrates. B-1 also helps form the fuel your body needs to function. |
• Men 1.3 mg • Women 1.0 mg • Children 1.1 mg • Infants 50 mcg |
Wheat germ, liver, pork, whole and enriched grains, dried beans |
Beriberi-muscle, weakness (including cardiac muscle), neuritis, and paralysis |
|
Processes amino acids and fats. Also activates vitamin B-6 and folic acid. |
• Men 1.5 mg • Women 1.2 mg • Children 1.3 mg • Infants 60 mcg |
Dairy products, green leafy vegetables (like spinach), whole & enriched grains |
Eye disorders and skin cracking, especially at corners of mouth |
|
Used by your body to release energy from carbohydrates and to process alcohol. |
• Men 17 mg • Women 13 mg • Children 15 mg • Infants 650 mcg |
Meat, poultry, fish, nuts, whole & enriched grains, dried beans |
Pellagra-diarrhea, dermatitis, and mental disturbance |
|
Converts nutrients into energy. Also essential for processing fats. |
• Men 10 mg • Women 10 mg • Children 5.5 mg |
Lean meats, whole grains, legumes |
Tingling hands and feet, loss of appetite, nausea, abdominal pain, fatigue, insomnia, reduced resistance to infection |
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The principle vitamin for processing amino acids. Also helps convert nutrients into energy. |
• Men 2.0 mg • Women 2.0 mg • Children 1.7 mg • Infants 0.1-0.4 mg |
Fish, poultry, lean meats, whole grains |
Dermatitis, retarded growth, and nausea |
|
Maintains healthy nervous system and assists with blood cell formation. |
• Men 2 mcg • Women 2 mcg • Children 1 mcg • Infants 0.5 mcg • Lactating Women 2.6 mcg |
Liver, lean meat, fish and poultry, eggs, dairy products |
Pernicious anemia and nervous system disorders |
|
Assists the normal development of cells, especially during pregnancy. Also protects your body from amino acids linked to heart disease and stroke. |
• Men 100 mcg • Women 100 mcg • Children 80 mcg • Infants 25 mcg • Pregnant Women 400 mcg • Lactating Women 150 mcg |
Green leafy vegetables (like spinach), liver, dried beans |
Macrocytic anemia (enlarged red blood cells) |
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Helps the formation of scar tissue, Fights bacterial infection, Reduces the impact of some allergy producing substances, Helps prevent the common cold (Controversial), As an antioxidant, fights cancer, cataracts, and heart disease. |
• Men 40 mg • Women 40 mg • Children 40 mg • Infants 25 mg • Lactating Women 80 mg |
Citrus fruits, melon, berries, vegetables; like Broccoli, Tomatos, Oranges , Grapefruit, Cantaloupe |
Scurvey-defective bone formation and poor wound healing |
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Critical for bone development and strength, Mantains a stable nervous system, Maintains a normal and strong heartbeat, Helps in blood clotting. |
• Adults 0.01 mg • Children 0.01 mg |
Fish-liver oils, Fortified milk, Egg yolks, Tuna fish |
Rickets-poorly developed, weak bones; osteomalacia; bone resorption |
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Lessens oxidative damage after hard training, Prevents lung damage from many pollutants, Vital to the immune system. |
• Men 15 mg • Women 12 mg • Children 8.3 mg • Infants 4-5 mg |
Vegetable oils, Wheat germ, Whole grains, Rice, Leafy vegetables |
Muscular dystrophy and sterility |
|
Essential to blood clotting. |
• Adults 70-140 mcg • Children 35-75 mcg |
Green leafy vegetables, Vegetable oils, Fish |
Excessive bleeding due to retarded blood clotting |
Your Health and Mine |