Natural Vitamins and Minerals
Vitamins and Minerals: Are they worth it?
Our body requires a lot of things in order to function well. We need air to breathe, water to drink, friends to talk to, shelter to make home, work to do and most importantly food to eat. Foods are vital. It is one of the most basic needs of man. Foods are required to make the body function at its best. It is required for us to live.
Foods contain nutrients like carbohydrates as source of our energy, protein for tissue building and other nutrients to promote normal functioning. Other important nutrients are vitamins and minerals.
Vitamins and minerals are substances that are mainly acquired from our dietary intakes. Each food that we eat contains specific vitamins and minerals.
There are many types of vitamins. Each has specific function. Vitamin A is necessary to promote good vision. It also makes our skin and hair healthy. Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant that fights off free radicals or those destructive cells that could cause cancer and other diseases to the body. Vitamin K prevents bleeding as is responsible for blood clotting. Vitamin D helps in making our bones and teeth strong. Vitamin C, on the other hand is important in having a strong immune system. Vitamin B has many subtypes. Each of them has functions on the metabolism of carbohydrates, proteins and fats, promotes blood cell formation, promotes good vision, reduces cholesterol, promotes good nerve and brain conduction, DNA and RNA synthesis, produces antibodies, promotes good bone marrow functioning, synthesis of amino acids, and many others.
Minerals, on the other hand, have many types as well. Calcium helps in making our bones and teeth strong in conjunction with Vitamin D. our failure to take proper amounts of calcium could lead us towards having bone diseases like osteoporosis. Iron is a mineral that of great importance to our blood. It is responsible for the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood. Lacking of iron in our daily diet could cause us to get easily tired and perhaps have anemia. Zinc is another mineral that is good for the immune system. It makes the body's defenses stronger and more resistant against environmental sources of diseases like bacteria, virus and others. Magnesium on the other had is also important in bones, blood clotting, nerve and muscle relaxation and energy production.
These vitamins and minerals are very much required in the various parts of the body. We should take them in proper amounts as infused in our diet to have a healthier body and a longer life.