Role of Vitamin A in Good Nutrition

Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin which is stored primarily in the liver. Vitamin A is available in two forms:

Retinol, which is found in animal products. Beta carotene, which your body converts into vitamin A.

Key Functions
Vitamin A is essential for healthy skin, eyesight, growth and reproduction. It performs a variety of important functions:

Beta carotene is a powerful antioxidant that neutralizes free radicals molecules that damage healthy cells and increases the risk of accelerating the aging process and/or health conditions. Vitamin A promotes the growth of strong teeth and bones. Fat is used to build new cells and is critical for normal brain development and nerve function. Vitamin A is essential for the formation of visual purple, a pigment that allows you to see in dim light.

Food Sources

Vitamin A is present in liver, cod liver oil, carrots, and sweet potatoes. Retinol is found in meat, fish, eggs and dairy products. Beta carotene is present in orange and yellow fruits and vegetables and dark, leafy greens.

Usage
Check with your local market for the recommended daily intake of vitamin A.

Role of Vitamin B in Good Nutrition

Each B vitamin has its own individual properties and its own unique biological role to play. As a group, these nutrients have so much in common that they are often thought of as a single entity.

Key Functions

B vitamins help the body use energy and are necessary for the metabolism of carbohydrates, proteins and fats. B vitamins are utilized as coenzymes components of enzymes which speed up biological and chemical reactions in the body. The B vitamins thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, and biotin help mediate the release of energy from carbohydrates, fats and proteins. Vitamin B-6 assists enzymes that metabolize amino acids. Folate and vitamin B-12 help cells to multiply, a function that is particularly important to cells with a short life span and that are replaced rapidly, such as red blood cells and the cells lining the gastrointestinal tract.

Food Sources
Whole grains* (wheat, oats, and rye), liver, green leafy vegetables, meats, poultry, fish, eggs, nuts and beans.

*Most of the B vitamins are removed when the grains are highly refined and processed.

Usage
Check with your local market for the recommended daily intake of vitamin B.

Role of Vitamin C in Good Nutrition

Vitamin C is also known as ascorbic acid. It is known to be a powerful antioxidant in the body. Vitamin C is a water-soluble essential vitamin that is quickly lost from your body, so daily intake is vital.

Key Functions

Vitamin C is involved in a large number of biological processes, making it essential for health. It is used to create collagen in the body, a protein that makes the skin, joints and bones strong. Vitamin C plays a role in healing wounds within the body. The body utilizes vitamin C in the immune system by maintaining activity of the white blood cells.

Usage
Check with your local market for the recommended daily intake of vitamin C.

Food Sources
Black currants, green pepper, mangoes, oranges, cabbage, tomatoes, and potatoes

Water, cooking, heat and light all reduce the levels of the vitamin C available in food sources. Vegetables begin to lose vitamin C as soon as they are cut. Beta carotene is present in orange and yellow fruits and vegetables and dark, leafy greens.

Role of Vitamin D in Good Nutrition

Vitamin D is produced by the body when the skin is exposed to sunlight. It is also found in foods of animal origin.

Vitamin D differs from other vitamins in that our bodies can make it upon exposure to sunlight.

In its active form, it is considered to be a hormone. It has hormone-like effects on mineral absorption, bone mineralization and some secretions.

Key Functions

Vitamin D is crucial for the development of healthy bones and teeth. Without it, the body cannot build or maintain strong bones. Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that plays a role in controlling calcium absorption, which affects bone development and is also essential for blood clotting. When vitamin D is in short supply in the body, less calcium is absorbed from food, and blood levels have to be maintained by taking calcium from the bones.

Food Sources
Cod liver oil, herring, mackerel, sardines, salmon, margarine, tuna, and cheddar cheese

Usage
Check with your local market for the recommended daily intake of vitamin D.

Role of Vitamin E in Good Nutrition

Vitamin E is a key antioxidant, so it is particularly important for a healthy heart and blood supply. It is also very good for your skin. Fat-soluble vitamin E is only stored in your body for a short period of time, making regular intake is essential.

Key Functions

Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant that helps decrease the effects of free radicals, which may damage cells and accelerate signs of the aging process. Vitamin E is beneficial for a healthy immune system. Vitamin E is important for the production of energy from food and for maintaining health at every level.

Food Sources
Wheat germ oil, sunflower oil, sunflower seeds, almonds, pine nuts, peanut butter, sweet potato, asparagus, spinach, and avocado

Vitamin E food sources are readily destroyed by heat processing (deep-fat frying) and through oxidation.

Usage
Check with your local market for the recommended daily intake of vitamin E.

Role of Vitamin K in Good Nutrition

Vitamin K is found in food, but it is also created by the bacteria in our intestines. K stands for the Danish word "koagulation," meaning coagulation or clotting.

Key Functions

Vitamin K is a group of chemicals used by the body to make specialized proteins found in blood plasma (the clear fluid in blood) such as prothrombin. This is the protein chiefly responsible for blood clotting. Vitamin K is also needed to make bone and kidney tissue.

Food Sources
Broccoli, cabbage, kale, lettuce, spinach and turnip greens, cheese, liver, and cereals

Usage
Check with your local market for the recommended daily intake of vitamin K.

Role of Calcium in Good Nutrition

Calcium is best known for helping to build strong bones and teeth.

Key Functions

Most of the calcium from food goes straight to the teeth and bones, where it is used for building and maintaining strength. Calcium is also used throughout the body to help muscles contract, enable blood to clot, transmit messages along nerves, produce energy, keep the heart beating, and maintain the immune system. If calcium intake is low, the body takes what it needs from the bones. This can cause the bones to become thin and brittle.

Food Sources
Milk and milk products, cheese, small fish (with bones), tofu, dark green vegetables, legumes and eggs

Calcium found in plant-based food sources is typically bound into compounds and less easily absorbed by the body. It is estimated that the body actually absorbs as little as 20 to 40 percent of the calcium in food sources.

Usage
Check with your local market for the recommended daily intake of calcium.

Role of Iron in Good Nutrition

Iron is essential for life. It is a component of hemoglobin, the red pigment in blood that transports oxygen to the cells and removes carbon dioxide from the cells.

Key Functions

Iron is a vital component of red blood cells. Iron plays a role in the production and release of energy in the body.

Food Sources
Fortified cereals, liver, dried fruit, sardines, parsley, and watercress

Boiling vegetables can reduce the iron content by 20%. Caffeine interferes with the iron absorption in the body. Avoid drinking caffeine along with iron-rich foods or supplements.

Absorbability of iron from foods varies widely:

The "organic" iron found in red meats is considered the most absorbable (10 - 30%). Plants contain "inorganic" iron, of which only 2 - 10% is absorbed in the digestive tract.

Usage
Check with your local market for the recommended daily intake of iron.

One of the most important and overlooked minerals today is iodine. It is not read on the hair mineral analysis, so we are apt to overlook it. The reason it is not read by most laboratories is that it is hard to read accurately. Therefore, most labs prefer not to read it. However, it is a very important one. Iodine, of course, is needed in the thyroid gland to produce T4 or triiodothyronine. However, iodine is also required for every tissue of the body. IODINE AND OVERALL HEALTH Every cell of the body utilizes iodine in some form. There are two major forms, iodide and iodine, required by various tissues, according to researchers. They claim the body cannot convert the forms one to another. I am not sure about this, but that is the research. For instance, primarily iodide is needed by the skin and thyroid gland. The breasts, however, require iodine. Without it they can become

fibrocystic or develop precancerous and cancerous lesions, it is believed. Other body tissues, including the kidneys, spleen, liver, blood, salivary glands and intestines, can use either form, apparently.
Iodine
What does it do? Iodine is needed to make thyroid hormones, which are necessary for maintaining normal metabolism in all cells of the body. Reports suggest that iodine may have a number of important functions in the body unrelated to thyroid function that might help people with a wide variety of conditions; 1 these other uses for iodine are only supported by minimal research. Where is it found? Seafood, iodized salt, and sea vegetablesfor example, kelpare high in iodine. Processed food may contain added iodized salt. Iodine is frequently found in dairy products. Vegetables grown in iodine-rich soil also contain this mineral. Who is likely to be deficient? People who avoid dairy, seafood, processed food, and iodized salt can become deficient. Iodine deficiency can cause low thyroid function, goiter, and cretinism; however, iodine deficiencies are now uncommon in Western societies. How much is usually taken? Since the introduction of iodized salt, iodine supplements are unnecessary and not recommended for most people. For strict vegetarians who avoid salt and sea vegetables, 150 mcg per day is more than adequate.