Vitamins

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Choosing the Right Vitamins

Vitamin A

Identified in 1932, vitamin A holds the distinction of being the first of all vitamins discovered. This remarkable discovery paved the way for other such discoveries, which have become the basis for much of todays health and nutrition industry. These discoveries are one of the significant reasons that the average life expectancy and quality of life increased so dramatically during the mid 1900's.

Beta carotene, a substance found in plants, is converted in the body to form vitamin A. Other forms include retinol and retinal, which are found in animal meats and become readily available to the body once digested.

A good dietary source of vitamin A is fish, kidney, liver, egg yolks, whole milk, green leafy vegetables, sweet potatoes and watermelon.

The Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for adults is approximately 1,000 micrograms (mcg). Vitamin A is best known for helping to keep your eyes healthy.

Vitamin A helps with vision

Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid)

You may be surprised to learn that vitamin C has many more benefits than alleviating the symptoms of a cold. One of the vitamin’s greatest “claims to fame” is the elimination of scurvy, a disease that plagued seagoing crew members on prolonged ocean journeys.

The suggestion to introduce citrus fruits into the diet of seamen all but eliminated the malady. Interestingly, the introduction of limes and lemons to the British Navy was the basis for their longstanding nickname – limeys.

Citrus is a great source of Vitamin C

Vitamin C is also a strong antioxidant. In fact, vitamin C is the primary water-soluble antioxidant in the human body and is known to enhance capillary strength, which improves blood flow. It also helps eliminate free radical damage, which reduces the onset of several age-related diseases.

Vitamin C helps in the formation and maintenance of collagen, a protein that forms the basis for the most abundant tissue in the body – connective tissue. One of collagen’s primary functions is to act as a cementing substance between cells. It is found in bones, the cornea of the eye, teeth, tendons, skin and other tissues. Collagen – and therefore vitamin C – promote the healing of wounds, bones, fractures, bruises, hemorrhages and bleeding gums.

The best dietary sources of vitamin C are fresh fruits and vegetables, including leafy greens, broccoli, peppers and citrus fruits (oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruits). The RDA for vitamin C is 60 mgs. Surprisingly, freezing has little or no effect on vitamin C, so frozen fruits and vegetables should still be considered a healthy source of the vitamin. However, some of the vitamin is lost during the heating process.

Additionally, significant amounts of the vitamin can be lost with improper handling, especially overheating, over washing, overcooking, reheating, storing at elevated temperatures, chopping and slicing. The best way to get the highest concentrations of vitamin C is to eat recently picked, raw fruits and vegetables.

Vitamin E

Mention vitamin E and many people automatically associate it with an increase in sex drive. But vitamin E’s primary function in the human body is that of an antioxidant. Unlike vitamin C, vitamin E is fat soluble, meaning that it helps fight free radicals in the body’s fatty structures. Therefore, vitamin E – in conjunction with vitamin C – makes for a great 1—2 combination in the body’s fight against free radicals.

As an antioxidant, vitamin E helps stabilize cell membranes and protects the body’s cells and tissues from free radical damage. This type of damage is introduced into our lives by daily stresses along with environmental pollutants.

Since the introduction of free radicals is unavoidable, it’s important that we get our daily dose of vitamin E to help protect our skin, tissue, nerves, muscles and vital organs.

Studies have shown that vitamin E helps improve the body’s ability to use insulin, which means that it helps reduce your blood sugar level. As such, it is very important in not only preventing the onset of diabetes, but in helping the body reduce the need for medication once you have been diagnosed with the disease.

Vitamin E helps regulate the use and storage of vitamin A and also helps protect nerve membranes in its role as an antioxidant.

Nuts are a great source of Vitamin E

The primary dietary sources for vitamin E are vegetable oils, seeds, wheat germ and nuts. Other sources include avocados, peaches, whole grain breads, spinach, broccoli, asparagus and prunes. A small amount of vitamin E can be obtained from meats, but the amounts are very small, less than 0.5 IU (International Units).

Like vitamin C, preparing and cooking foods will reduce the amount of vitamin E in the food. To obtain the maximum amount of available vitamin E, it is best to eat the foods raw. Unfortunately, even doing this will not provide you with the amount of vitamin E that you need in your diet. As such, a supplement must be taken to get the required daily dosage.

The RDA for vitamin E varies, depending on your size and the amount of polyunsaturated fats in your diet. Vitamin E helps protect these fats from free radicals. The larger you are and the more polyunsaturated fats in your diet, the higher the RDA of vitamin E.

As a general rule, a person with a normal diet should consume a minimum of 10 mgs of vitamin E every day. Other anti-aging organizations recommend a number much higher (25x) than this amount.

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