Why Do We Need Vitamins?
Loads of people always ask me "Tom, do I need to take a multi-vitamin?" So I'm answering it here to save any more questions like this.
A Multivitamin supplies your body with all the vitamins needed daily, this is of course to balance out maybe a poor nutritional diet. I'ts fine to take vitamins as more or less all of us do, even if our diet is 100%!
We all seem to see the fasination with taking a pill a day and living for longer, but does it really work? what do vitamins actually do?
A Multivitamin supplies your body with all the vitamins needed daily, this is of course to balance out maybe a poor nutritional diet. I'ts fine to take vitamins as more or less all of us do, even if our diet is 100%!
We all seem to see the fasination with taking a pill a day and living for longer, but does it really work? what do vitamins actually do?
The A-K of Vits
Vitamin A – is needed for healthy skin and tissue and helps in the excretion of mucus, it also helps to prevent infection and is needed to maintain a healthy immune system. It can be found in liver, cheese, dark green vegetables and carrots.
Vitamin D – is essential for the maintenance of healthy bones and teeth and also helps to regulate calcium in our body, it can be found in eggs, milk, breakfast cereals and margarine.
Vitamin E – helps to protect our cell membranes and the nervous and immune systems it can be found in vegetable oils, whole grains, nuts and green vegetables.
Vitamin K – this helps to maintain our energy and helps with blood clotting and can be found in liver, meat, potato and cereals.
Vitamin B1 – helps regulate our energy metabolism and can be found in bread, potatoes, meat and whole grain cereals.
Vitamin B2 – this utilises energy from fats and protein and can be found in meat, milk and eggs.
Vitamin B6 – this is necessary for protein metabolism and can be found in potatoes, meat, vegetables, milk and fish.
Vitamin B12 – this is essential for our red blood cells and maintaining our nervous system and can be found in liver, milk, fish and eggs.
Folic acid – this helps with production of red blood cells and our nervous system and can be found in raw green vegetables.
Vitamin C – this helps heal wounds and infections and protects the immune system it can be found in fresh fruit and vegetables.
Vitamin D – is essential for the maintenance of healthy bones and teeth and also helps to regulate calcium in our body, it can be found in eggs, milk, breakfast cereals and margarine.
Vitamin E – helps to protect our cell membranes and the nervous and immune systems it can be found in vegetable oils, whole grains, nuts and green vegetables.
Vitamin K – this helps to maintain our energy and helps with blood clotting and can be found in liver, meat, potato and cereals.
Vitamin B1 – helps regulate our energy metabolism and can be found in bread, potatoes, meat and whole grain cereals.
Vitamin B2 – this utilises energy from fats and protein and can be found in meat, milk and eggs.
Vitamin B6 – this is necessary for protein metabolism and can be found in potatoes, meat, vegetables, milk and fish.
Vitamin B12 – this is essential for our red blood cells and maintaining our nervous system and can be found in liver, milk, fish and eggs.
Folic acid – this helps with production of red blood cells and our nervous system and can be found in raw green vegetables.
Vitamin C – this helps heal wounds and infections and protects the immune system it can be found in fresh fruit and vegetables.
So as you can see from above vitamins are pretty good workers when supplied to the body. We NEED these guys to function. Keeping on top of your vitamin intake has been made so easy just by swallowing a pill. However try and eat as much colourful fruit & veg as possible to avoid having to take a multi vitamin each day.
Personally I take multi-vits everyday just for my own well being and knowledge its going in and doing the job. |
How do you know your getting enough Vitamins?
Health experts tell us that as long as you are eating a healthy well balanced diet with plenty of fruit and vegetables and food from the main groups then we will be getting the correct amount of vitamins and minerals that our body needs.
Sometimes though at points in our life or if we are athletes who have particularly strenuous training regimes or pregnant women then it might be beneficial to take extra vitamin and minerals as supplements. If you don’t think you are getting enough of the daily recommended allowance of vitamins and minerals then these can be taken as all in one supplements that contain the recommended daily allowance of most of the vitamins and minerals we need |