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
express cleaning service Wilmette ...After nearly 4 years of research and development, Flavonoid Sciences... Read More
Do you spend at least some time in your day... Read More
HMB stands for beta-hydroxy beta-methylbutyrate. It is a metabolite of... Read More
There are a number of pros and cons for vitamin... Read More
Considering that the Health and Wellness industry is currently a... Read More
Xango is a brand new health and dietary supplement. It... Read More
In September 2004 Orange County, California published an article "OC... Read More
Carbohydrate blockers seem to have come and gone with the... Read More
The science of Glycobiology, touted by the Massachusetts Institute of... Read More
Nutrients form the basis for your body, emotional and spiritual... Read More
A healthier diet is very much in the news these... Read More
Calcium is the most abundant mineral in the human body... Read More
HGH is produced naturally, in everyone, by the pituitary gland.... Read More
The initial success of penicillin generated an assumption which has... Read More
Liquid vitaminsHardly does a day pass without the liquid vitamins... Read More
It is important to understand that we are ultimately responsible... Read More
There are numerous herbal supplements on the market today that... Read More
When I began to study nutrition, I too believed that... Read More
With dietary supplements making their way in our daily life,... Read More
Hormones are chemical messengers made up of amino acids and... Read More
Did you know that when you take vitamins and minerals... Read More
There is no doubt that Omega 3's can not only... Read More
Fitness Supplement ? what is it?The term "fitness supplement" is... Read More
When looking for health care supplements Texas residents can enjoy... Read More
Fish oil is oil derived from the tissues of fatty... Read More
last minute cleaning help Deerfield ...L glutamine is an amino acid occurring abundantly within the... Read More
You Need Probiotics For Better Digestion and Overall HealthInside your... Read More
It is clearly evident that hyaluronic acid in its oral... Read More
In September 2004 Orange County, California published an article "OC... Read More
BCAA stands for branched chain amino acids and is increasingly... Read More
In part one of this series, titled "Take Back Your... Read More
Many people take amino acids for height growth these days.... Read More
Hyaluronic acid has received much press lately as a natural... Read More
Sudden Cardiac Death (SCD) is responsible for numerous deaths in... Read More
The skeletal muscle component known as creatine is not only... Read More
How many pills do you have to take every morning?... Read More
Do you ever wonder why the experts keep saying that... Read More
A 2003 study by the Health Sciences Department of the... Read More
Your Immune system Needs BalanceTaking an immune system supplement daily... Read More
Vitamin supplement ratings quite clearly show just how popular nutritional... Read More
What Is Nitric Oxide (NO)?Nitric oxide (NO) is produced by... Read More
Vitamins are an important part of a health diet. Unlike... Read More
Folic acid is actually just one of the many vitamins... Read More
Although creatine offers an array of benefits, most people think... Read More
Food is one of our most basic needs. However, in... Read More
I'm a great believer in natural tonics to strengthen or... Read More
Carboloading of a different variety.Saturday in Tucson before the 1982... Read More
Protein Supplement ? whey protein.Why is protein supplement important? Protein... Read More
Aging, a steady declineThe History of the world is filled... Read More
Did you know that when we breath oxygen, it interacts... Read More
Nutritional Supplements |