It's an age old theme when we find ourselves wondering if we should be taking vitamins to safeguard our health. Does it help to be told that our body can't even manufacture these nutrients on its own?
The discovery of vitamins happened a bit more than one-hundred years ago. They were referred to as micro nutrients, meaning we don't need big quantities of them. Nevertheless, the minute amounts that we do need are essential for maintaining healthy bodies. So, how do we get them and how much do we need?
We should be receiving our daily input of vitamins from the food we eat. That supposes that we're all eating well-balanced healthy meals that are rich in fruit and vegetables. So, the next time you stop at a fast food restaurant to pick up the family dinner think about the truth of that thought.
It's no secret that many of us are not eating healthy food or sticking to well balanced diets for one reason or another. No big surprise there. And, suppose we do attempt to eat healthy meals; there's the problem of not really knowing if we're getting the vitamins we require in the quantities we need when our choices comes from highly processed, chemically treated foods that may not even have enough vitamins left in them to make a difference.
Then there are special cases of people who do take vitamins faithfully but because of certain conditions that are unique to their lifestyles, may not be getting full benefit of the vitamins they are taking. These include smokers, people taking certain medications, the elderly and post menopausal women to name just a few.
Vitamins play an important role in the body's biological processes like growth and fighting infection as well as act as a force in the body's chemistry to help support the processing of proteins, carbohydrates and fats. Additionally, they are involved in helping us ward off infections, colds, certain skin conditions as well as helping us maintain strong vision. What they cannot do is to provide us with a surge of energy. Vitamins have no calories and calories are the ingredients we use for the energy we need.
What are the results of not getting the vitamins you require? Well that might just lead to a vitamin deficiency and that has many forms depending on what vitamin is lacking. Some of the more recognizable are skin conditions, mental acuity problems and bone disorders. That leaves out the more serious ailments that can show up due to vitamin deficiency.
Lastly, it needs to be mentioned that vitamin supplements come in two forms: water soluble and fat soluble. Water soluble conveys that they are not stored in the body over long period of times. Any extra amounts that are not used by the body are released through the urine. Although unnecessary, it's safe to take these in larger doses because they can never reach toxic levels as a result of being stored and built up within the body. Fat soluble vitamins are held within the fat cells of the body for long periods of time. Every time fat soluble vitamins are taken, the extra amount that the body can't use is stored and that amount can build to higher and higher levels until possibly reaching a degree of toxicity that could actually be damaging. So the caution here is to remember that vitamins are to be taken in small doses. In this case too much of a good thing may not be in your best interest and you should only do so under the advice of your health care professional.
The discovery of vitamins happened a bit more than one-hundred years ago. They were referred to as micro nutrients, meaning we don't need big quantities of them. Nevertheless, the minute amounts that we do need are essential for maintaining healthy bodies. So, how do we get them and how much do we need?
We should be receiving our daily input of vitamins from the food we eat. That supposes that we're all eating well-balanced healthy meals that are rich in fruit and vegetables. So, the next time you stop at a fast food restaurant to pick up the family dinner think about the truth of that thought.
It's no secret that many of us are not eating healthy food or sticking to well balanced diets for one reason or another. No big surprise there. And, suppose we do attempt to eat healthy meals; there's the problem of not really knowing if we're getting the vitamins we require in the quantities we need when our choices comes from highly processed, chemically treated foods that may not even have enough vitamins left in them to make a difference.
Then there are special cases of people who do take vitamins faithfully but because of certain conditions that are unique to their lifestyles, may not be getting full benefit of the vitamins they are taking. These include smokers, people taking certain medications, the elderly and post menopausal women to name just a few.
Vitamins play an important role in the body's biological processes like growth and fighting infection as well as act as a force in the body's chemistry to help support the processing of proteins, carbohydrates and fats. Additionally, they are involved in helping us ward off infections, colds, certain skin conditions as well as helping us maintain strong vision. What they cannot do is to provide us with a surge of energy. Vitamins have no calories and calories are the ingredients we use for the energy we need.
What are the results of not getting the vitamins you require? Well that might just lead to a vitamin deficiency and that has many forms depending on what vitamin is lacking. Some of the more recognizable are skin conditions, mental acuity problems and bone disorders. That leaves out the more serious ailments that can show up due to vitamin deficiency.
Lastly, it needs to be mentioned that vitamin supplements come in two forms: water soluble and fat soluble. Water soluble conveys that they are not stored in the body over long period of times. Any extra amounts that are not used by the body are released through the urine. Although unnecessary, it's safe to take these in larger doses because they can never reach toxic levels as a result of being stored and built up within the body. Fat soluble vitamins are held within the fat cells of the body for long periods of time. Every time fat soluble vitamins are taken, the extra amount that the body can't use is stored and that amount can build to higher and higher levels until possibly reaching a degree of toxicity that could actually be damaging. So the caution here is to remember that vitamins are to be taken in small doses. In this case too much of a good thing may not be in your best interest and you should only do so under the advice of your health care professional.
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