Antioxidants, Vitamins & Minerals

The body needs sufficient fuel to function properly. That doesn't mean only consuming calories for energy or tissue repair, or taking in necessary amounts of daily macronutrients like protein, fats and carbohydrates. Micronutrients in the form of vitamins and minerals contribute to proper nutrition and overall health. They are consumed through the right combination of food and ensure that all the body's systems are in prime working order.

Purpose

Think of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants as nutritional reinforcement. These micronutrients are consumed through food, making it almost impossible to avoid taking in some vitamins and minerals when you eat. However, most dietitians agree that the average Western diet is sorely lacking in the correct daily amounts. Antioxidants aren't lumped into the same category as vitamins and minerals; they have a proven positive effect on the body's processes and are available only through certain foods.

Vitamins

The 13 known vitamins fall into two classifications: water soluble and fat soluble. Water soluble vitamins include thiamine, biotin, riboflavin, pyridoxine, pantothenic acid, folic acid, niacin and ascorbic acid, better known as vitamin C. These vitamins need water to activate and need to be taken in through daily nutrition. They're abundant in a diverse range of foods, including leafy green vegetables, meat and fruit. So are fat soluble vitamins like A, D, K and E, which are absorbed directly into the intestinal tract. Unlike water soluble vitamins, these four vitamins can be stored in body tissue, so there's no need to replace them every day.

Minerals

Major and trace are the two classifications of minerals. The major minerals are calcium, magnesium, iron and phosphorus. Calcium is the most abundant mineral found in the body because it's the primary building material of bone. The other three majors aid in metabolizing energy for immediate use by the body. The nine trace minerals are copper, iodine, zinc, cobalt, manganese, chromium, cadmium, selenium and molybdenum, all found solely in veggies. Unlike the major minerals, consuming an overabundance of trace minerals has a toxic effect on the human body.

Antioxidants

A few choice vitamins and minerals serve double duty and possess antioxidatant qualities. Antioxidants have one primary purpose: to search out and destroy free radicals, potentially harmful enzymes that have been linked to premature aging and some forms of cancer. Vitamins A, E and C along with the mineral selenium have these qualities. Other antioxidants are flavonoids, chemicals found in such foods as cocoa products, red wines, soy and dark green vegetables.