Vitamins

VITAMIN FACTS

The human body uses food to manufacture all its building blocks as well as to provide fuel. It performs several thousand different chemical reactions. Each reaction is controlled by "enzymes" and "coenzymes". Some of the coenzymes contain vitamins which the body cannot make by itself and which must be obtained from outside the body.
Many individuals do not have balanced meals to meet the requirements that the body needs in digesting enough nutrients to sustain the body's health and fuel factors.
Research has shown that almost all varieties of disease can be produced by the deficiency of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and other nutrients. The most important factor of nutritional deficiencies is the intense processing and refining of foods like cereals and sugar.
A lot of the vitamins in fruits and vegetables are lost between the farm and your plate. The longer the foods are stored before you eat them, the more nutrients are lost. Heat, light, and exposure to air all reduce the amount of vitamins, especially Vitamin C, thiamin, and folic acid.
There are over 50 vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids and amino acids that keep you healthy.

VITAMIN ABSORPTION TEST

Drop your supplement into a glass of vinegar. If it doesn't break down in 30 minutes, try another brand. A vitamin has to break down within 20 to 30 minutes, or else it will bypass the first part of the small intestine, where most nutrients are absorbed.

A balanced diet is the most sensible way of getting a sufficient amount of these nutrients. On this site, the rich and natural sources of all nutrients are listed individually to help you choose the right foods.

A quick reference Vitamin Chart

Vitamin	Benefits	Recommended Daily Allowance	Food Sources	Deficiency Symptoms
Vitamin A	Critical to the development of bones and teeth. Helps maintain good eyesight. Enhances the immune system. Prevents red blood cell damage.	Adults 600 mcg Children 600 mcg Infants 350 mcg Lactating Women 950 mcg	Dark green leafy vegetables, Yellow-orange vegetables and fruits, Liver, Milk, Butter	night blindness, retarded growth, skin disorders, and increased infection risk
Vitamin B 1	Needed by your body to process fats, proteins and carbohydrates. B-1 also helps form the fuel your body needs to function.	Men 1.3 mg Women 1.0 mg Children 1.1 mg Infants 50 mcg	Wheat germ, liver, pork, whole & enriched grains, dried beans	Beriberi-muscle, weakness (including cardiac muscle), neuritis, and paralysis
Vitamin B 2	Processes amino acids and fats. Also activates vitamin B-6 and folic acid.	Men 1.5 mg Women 1.2 mg Children 1.3 mg Infants 60 mcg	Dairy products, green leafy vegetables (like spinach), whole & enriched grains	Eye disorders and skin cracking, especially at corners of mouth
Vitamin B 3	Used by your body to release energy from carbohydrates and to process alcohol.	Men 17 mg Women 13 mg Children 15 mg Infants 650 mcg	Meat, poultry, fish, nuts, whole & enriched grains, dried beans	Pellagra-diarrhea, dermatitis, and mental disturbance
Vitamin B5	Converts nutrients into energy. Also essential for processing fats.	Men 10 mg Women 10 mg Children 5.5 mg	Lean meats, whole grains, legumes	Tingling hands and feet, loss of appetite, nausea, abdominal pain, fatigue, insomnia, reduced resistance to infection
Vitamin B 6	The principle vitamin for processing amino acids. Also helps convert nutrients into energy.	Men 2.0 mg Women 2.0 mg Children 1.7 mg Infants 0.1-0.4 mg	Fish, poultry, lean meats, whole grains	Dermatitis, retarded growth, and nausea
Vitamin B 12	Maintains healthy nervous system and assists with blood cell formation.	Men 2 mcg Women 2 mcg Children 1 mcg Infants 0.5 mcg Lactating Women 2.6 mcg	Liver, lean meat, fish and poultry, eggs, dairy products	Pernicious anemia and nervous system disorders
Vitamin B 9 - Folic Acid	Assists the normal development of cells, especially during pregnancy. Also protects your body from amino acids linked to heart disease and stroke.	Men 100 mcg Women 100 mcg Children 80 mcg Infants 25 mcg Pregnant Women 400 mcg Lactating Women 150 mcg	Green leafy vegetables (like spinach), liver, dried beans	Macrocytic anemia (enlarged red blood cells)
Vitamin C	Helps the formation of scar tissue, Fights bacterial infection, Reduces the impact of some allergy producing substances, Helps prevent the common cold (Controversial), As an antioxidant, fights cancer, cataracts, and heart disease.	Men 40 mg Women 40 mg Children 40 mg Infants 25 mg Lactating Women 80 mg	Citrus fruits, melon, berries, vegetables; like Broccoli, Tomatoes, Oranges, Grapefruit, Cantaloupe	Scurvey-defective bone formation and poor wound healing
Vitamin D	Critical for bone development and strength, Maintains a stable nervous system, Maintains a normal and strong heartbeat, Helps in blood clotting.	Adults 0.01 mg Children 0.01 mg	Fish-liver oils, Fortified milk, Egg yolks, Tuna fish	Rickets-poorly developed, weak bones; osteomalacia; bone resorption
Vitamin E	Lessens oxidative damage after hard training, Prevents lung damage from many pollutants, Vital to the immune system.	Men 15 mg Women 12 mg Children 8.3 mg Infants 4-5 mg	Vegetable oils, Wheat germ, Whole grains, Rice, Leafy vegetables	Muscular dystrophy and sterility
Vitamin K	Essential to blood clotting.	Adults 70-140 mcg Children 35-75 mcg	Green leafy vegetables, Vegetable oils, Fish	Excessive bleeding due to retarded blood clotting

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Vitamins