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| VITAMINS AND MINERALS ARE VITAL TO GOOD HEALTH |
| There are six important nutrients that our body needs in order to get the benefits from we eat, have energy, properly function organs and cell growth. They are carbohydrates, proteins (made up of amino acids), fats, minerals, vitamins and water. |
| When we do not get the necessary vitamins and minerals that our bodies need we endanger our whole system. |
| Vitamins are the natural foods that we eat. However oftentimes because of food processing, preparation, etc., the food is depleted of its nutrients. The result? Our bodies do not get what they need, causing deficiencies. When we do not get what our bodies need from food, it becomes necessary to take a supplement to correct the imbalance that occurs because of the deficiency. A deficiency in even one vitamin can upset the body. |
| It is important to know that vitamins and minerals work hand in hand. Vitamins cannot be absorbed without the help of minerals; and vitamins cannot metabolize without ingesting food. |
| You should never take a vitamin that your body does not need, because too much of a vitamin can also cause an imbalance. If you are unsure about what supplements to take it is best to consult a Naturopathic or holistic healthcare practitioner, because some vitamins can be toxic if doses become too high. |
| Here are some important vitamins and minerals our body needs to function at its optimum: |
| VITAMINS |
- Vitamin A (retinal, carotene): helps eyesight and eye disorders, fights against respiratory infections, builds immune system, helps in healthier skin, shorten duration of disease, aids in treatment of emphysema and hyperthyroidism
- Vitamin B1 (thiamin): promotes growth, helps with digestion, refine mental attitude, helps with nervous system, muscles, and heart, helps with motion sickness aid in treatment of herpes zoster.
- Vitamin B 2 or Vitamin G (riboflavin): and in growth and reproduction, improves skin, nails and hair, eliminates sore mouth, aids against eye fatigue, and promotes better vision, helps to metabolize carbohydrates fats and proteins
- B 3 (niacin, Pp.-niacin amide): essential for creation of sex hormones (estrogen, progesterone, testosterone) necessary for nervous system and brain function helps with digestive system, helps with gastrointestinal imbalances, helps promote healthy looking skin, helps ease and prevent migraine headaches, reduces blood pressure, increases circulation, relieves symptoms of vertigo in Meniere's syndrome, helps with diarrhea, reduces cholesterol and triglycerides, helps fight against bad breath, increases energy.
- Vitamin C (ascorbic acid): helps with bleeding gums, heals wounds and burns, speeds up recovery after surgery, lowers cholesterol, builds the immune system, protects against viral and bacteria infections, extends life, natural laxative, fights against cancer-causing agents, fights against blood clots, helps with absorption of iron, helps with allergies
- Vitamin D (califerol, viosterol, ergo sterol): works with calcium and phosphorus to promote strong teeth and bones, with Vitamin A and C, helps to prevent colds, helps in treating conjunctivitis.
- Vitamin E (tocopherol) promotes youthful look, gives body oxygen, increases endurance, works with Vitamin A to help protect lungs against pollution, prevent and dissolves blood clots, helps with fatigue, heals burns, lowers blood pressure, helps to prevent miscarriages, helps with leg cramps, helps fight against heart disease, prevents thick scaring.
- Vitamin F (unsaturated fatty acids): aids in preventing cholesterol deposits in the arteries, encourages healthy skin and hair, helps against the effects of X-rays, helps in growth and well being, fights against heart disease, helps to lose weight by burning saturated fats.
- Vitamin H (biotin) helps prevent graying, helps with baldness and alopecia ease muscle pain, and helps with skin problems.
- Vitamin K (menadione): helps prevent internal bleeding and hemorrhaging, reduces excess menstrual flow, and helps with proper blood clotting.
- Vitamin M or B (folic acid): improves lactation, protects against food poisoning and intestinal parasites, helps eliminate pain, helps prevent birth defects, increases appetite, important for production of nucleic acids. (RNA and DNA), prevents canker sores, helps with anemia, essential for division of body cells.
- Vitamin P (bioflavoniods): increases capillary strength, regulates absorption, prevents bruising, helps to maintain Vitamin C in the body, works with Vitamin C, helps to build resistance to infection, helps with hot flashes when combined with Vitamin D.
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| MINERALS |
- Calcium: helps maintain healthy teeth and strong bones regulate heartbeat, help with insomnia, metabolize iron, and help the nervous system.
- Chorine: regulates the body's acid-alkaline balance, helps liver function, helps to eliminate waste, helps with digestion, helps keep you limber.
- Fluorine: reduce tooth decay, strengthen bones.
- Iodine: burns excess fat, promotes proper growth, boosts energy, improves mental alertness and clarity, and promotes healthy, skin, hair, teeth and nails.
- Iron: aids in growth, promotes resistance to disease, prevents fatigue, cures and prevents iron deficiency anemia, promotes good skin tone.
- Magnesium: helps fight depression, necessary for calcium and Vitamin C metabolism, helps prevent heart attacks, promotes healthy teeth, help prevents calcium deposits, kidney and gallstones, relieves indigestion, combine with calcium works as a tranquilizer.
- Manganese: helps eliminate fatigue, assist in muscle reflexes, helps to prevent osteoporosis, improves memory, reduces irritability, necessary for proper digestion, important in producing thyroxin (the principle hormone in the thyroid gland), needed for normal bone structure.
- Phosphorus: necessary for normal bone and teeth structure, regulates the heart, helps in growth and body repair, gives energy by helping to metabolize fats and starches, lessens arthritis pain, promotes healthy gums.
- Potassium: promotes clarity, sends oxygen to the brain, helps to reduce blood pressure, aids in treatment for allergies, works with sodium to regulate water balance.
- Zinc: helps maintains cells, essential for protein synthesis, helps in treatment of schizophrenia, helps to normalize the prostrate, important in the development of reproductive organs, speeds up healing of internal and external wounds, helps to treat infertility, promotes mental alertness and growth, decreases cholesterol deposits, helps to treat mental disorders, eliminates white spots on fingernails.
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| Food For Thought: Vitamins and Minerals are CONCENTRATED FOOD |
| Next Month's Topic: How To Buy Nutritional Supplements |
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