Vitamins are naturally occurring substances that your body needs to function adequately and to maintain normal health. The word "vitamin" comes from the Latin "vita" plus "amine," because at one time, it was though that all vitamins contain an amine group. Now it is know that they mostly act as enzyme co-factors to your body's enzymatic reactions. In other words, without them, those reactions cannot happen, which in turn can result in serious complications.
Types of Vitamins
There are two types of vitamins: fat-soluble vitamins and water-soluble vitamins. Fat-soluble vitamins need the fat in your food in order to be absorbed and transported into the body. They are usually enclosed inside the little fat bubbles, or micelles, that the body passes through the small intestines. Because they are fat-soluble, though, they can also be stored in fat tissue. This is why most of them can be detrimental to your health if taken in excess amounts. Water-soluble vitamins, on the other hand, can be absorbed without having to have food. Because they are water-soluble, any amount in excess of what your body needs will be excreted through the kidneys.
Fat-Soluble Vitamins
The fat-soluble vitamins are vitamins A, E, D and K. Vitamin A is needed for your body to have healthy skin and vision function. You can find it in dark leafy vegetables, carrots, and vegetables that are orange, red or yellow. Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant and helps keep your red blood cells healthy. You can find it in vegetable oils, whole grains and green vegetables. Vitamin D is essential for adequate calcium and potassium metabolism --- one a very important mineral and the other a very important electrolyte. You can get it from sunlight, egg yolks and fortified milk. Finally, vitamin K is essential for proper blood clotting. This vitamin can be found in vegetables such as spinach, kale and other green leafy vegetables.
Water-Soluble Vitamins
The essential water-soluble vitamins are vitamins C, B-1, B-2, B-3, B-6 and B-12 and folate. Vitamin C plays a very important role in the creation of collagen, wound healing and also helps in iron absorption in the intestines. It is also a very powerful antioxidant. It can be found in citrus fruits, potatoes, and dark green or yellow vegetables. Vitamin B-1, or thiamine, helps with the oxidation of carbs in the body and can be found in most grains, pork and liver. Vitamin B-2 or riboflavin is essential for your body to be able to release energy from protein. It is found in organ meats, milk and animal proteins. Vitamin B-3, or niacin, is essential in the metabolism of carbs, protein and fat and you can get it from protein and peanuts. Vitamin B-6, or pyridoxine, is an essential coenzyme in the metabolism of amino acids. You can get this vitamin from meat sources, wheat and corn. Vitamin B-12, or cyanocobalamin, is both a coenzyme for making new tissue and for making new red blood cells. It can be found in animal proteins and organ meats. Finally, folate, or folic acid, is essential for DNA synthesis and creating new red blood cells in the bone marrow. It can be found in organ meats, green leafy vegetables and citrus fruits.
Essential Minerals
Some minerals can be equally important and essential to the body as vitamins. Without calcium, phosphorus, iron, magnesium, zinc, sodium potassium and iodine, your body would not be able to function properly. Most of these minerals can be generally found in dairy products -- especially fortified dairy products -- green vegetables, legumes, fruits and animal proteins. Others, like iodine, are found in seafood and iodized salt --- which is standard in the United States -- and sodium is found in table salt, seafood and most cheeses.
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