Vitamins And Minerals: Essential To Your Health

Vitamins And Minerals: Essential To Your Health

Keeping your body in prime condition is very simple when you understand the proper nutrition it needs. Some people focus on good health, but do not pay enough attention to which vitamins their body needs. They also don't understand them. This article will give you a place to start and understand more.

The best source of vitamins and minerals are fresh fruit and vegetables. Making sure that you eat at least five servings of vegetables and fruit every day can help ensure you get all of the vitamins and minerals you need to be healthy. For the best results, eat them raw or very lightly cooked by steaming or poaching.

Fat containing supplements should be consumed with food, so it is important you take them during the time you eat. Vitamin A, E, and K need to be taken with food to be properly absorbed. They work especially well when ingested with fatty foods like fish.

Vitamin A deficiencies can cause hyperkaratosis, keratomalacia and night-blindness. Forms of vitamin A, include retinol, beta carotene and retinal. This fat soluble vitamin can be found in orange and yellow fruits and vegetables, spinach, fish, liver, soy and milk. Vitamin A supplements can also provide you with the nutrients your body needs.

Vitamin B2, or riboflavin, can be found in dairy products, bananas, green beans, asparagus and popcorn. Deficiencies can cause cracked lips and low hemoglobin counts. Riboflavin has been shown to help prevent cancer, carpal tunnel syndrome, cataracts and anemia.

Many people try to eat well; however, this is difficult on a tight budget. You can maintain a healthy body by taking supplements, which will allow your body to operate at peak performance to burn fat, digest food, and expunge toxins.

Vitamin A is important; this antioxidant will boost your immune system, improve vision, lower your heart disease risk, and reduce the effects of aging. However it is toxic in high amounts, so make sure you only take the daily recommended dose of 2,300 IU (International Units). You can get Vitamin A from squash, dark leafy greens, and carrots.

If you are trying to grow out your hair or nails, consider adding a Biotin supplement. While it won't make your hair or nails grow faster, it will make them stronger and more resistant to breakage. In fact, Biotin is often recommended to chemotherapy patients to help them regrow the hair that they lost during treatment.

Make sure you get enough of certain vitamins and minerals in your diet. For multivitamins, you should try to get 100% of the listed recommended daily allowance. By taking the maximum amount, you can make sure you get enough of the required vitamins and minerals in your diet to sustain good health.

Make sure you choose your beverages wisely. Try to avoid drinking a lot of coffee, tea, or soda. These drinks all have caffeine, which can keep your body from absorbing certain vitamins and minerals like iron. They can also cause you to increase secretion of water-soluble vitamins in your urine.

When buying vitamins, always check the expiration date on the package before you buy them. Vitamins have a shelf life and do not last forever. Storage time, exposure to light and temperature can all effect the quality of vitamins and further reduce the expiration date. So make sure that you are buying quality vitamins that have not expired.

If you are planning a surgery, let your doctor know any and all dietary supplements that you are taking. Vitamins, minerals, and herbal supplements can all have adverse effects on your upcoming surgery. It is best to stop taking all supplements at least 2 weeks prior to surgery to avoid any dangerous complications.

Potassium can be found in dried fruits, cereals, milk and beans. This important mineral is used to treat Menière's disease, menopause symptoms, arthritis, muscle aches, Alzheimer's, intestinal disorders and allergies. Studies have shown that potassium may be beneficial to those suffering from high blood pressure and may help prevent stroke.

Vitamins And Minerals

Vitamins and minerals are a great way to prevent aging and retain that youthful appearance and resilience we had in our younger days. As you get older, you tend to start requiring more nutrients in the form of vitamins and minerals to keep your skin soft, fight off colds and promote energy that we would consume far more quickly by relying only on the foods we eat.

Vitamin Supplements

Iron is great for maintenance of red blood cells. These cells are most important; they carry oxygen to each cell in your body. Women need larger doses of iron than men, and many vitamin supplements are formulated specifically for women with higher concentrations of iron. Your iron levels may be too low if you get easily winded or have trouble breathing.

It's important to focus on what your body needs. In order to do this, you must have a complete understanding of the benefits of vitamins and supplements and the ideal way to handle them. Utilize the information presented here, and continue learning. By doing so, you will be closer to achieving optimal health.