Did You Know Just That Many Cancers Are Linked To A Vitamin Deficiency?
Vitamins
and Minerals
Vitamins and minerals are used by our bodies and if we do
not get enough of the right ones it can affect us mentally
and physically. As our bodies do not make vitamins and minerals,
we have to get them from food. If we do not have enough
of one vitamin it can also affect our body's ability to
take in other vitamins.
Each vitamin has
a role to play to keep us healthy. For example Vitamin C
helps our body heal if we get a cut. There are two types
of vitamins water-soluble and fat soluble.
Those vitamins which
are fat soluble can be stored in your body for a while,
some for days, others for months, so your body can build
up a supply ready for when they are needed. Vitamins A,
D, E, and K are fat-soluble. Water soluble vitamins travel
through your bloodstream and are flushed out when you go
to the toilet. Your body will use the ones it needs while
they are travelling through your system. These vitamins
need to be replaced a lot as they aren't around for long.
These vitamins include vitamin C and B vitamins.
Plants obtain minerals from the soil. Animals as well as
humans get minerals from eating plants. As a result humans
can get the minerals we need by eating plants or animals.
Minerals can also be present in water. How much and what
minerals we take into our bodies can depend on how much
of a mineral is present in the soil in the regions where
our food, water or meat comes from.
The B Vitamins
The B vitamins help
our bodies make energy and are involved with making red
blood cells which carry oxygen around our body. Every part
of our body needs oxygen. Some foods with B vitamins in
them are beans, peas, and whole grain bread.
Vitamin
C
Vitamin C helps our
body tissue like muscles to keep healthy, and helps our
cuts and wounds to heal. It also helps us ward off illnesses.
Some foods with Vitamin C in them include oranges, red and
green capsicum, lemons, tomatoes and cabbage.
Vitamin
D
Vitamin D helps us build strong bones and teeth, and it
helps us to take in the calcium we need. Some foods with
vitamin D in them are milk, salmon and eggs. Regular sunlight
can help the body take in vitamin D.
Vitamin
E
Vitamin E helps keep
our body tissues such as our eyes and skin healthy. It also
protects our lungs from being harmed by polluted air and
helps in the making of red blood cells. Some foods with
vitamin E in them are sardines, nuts and spinach.
Vitamin
K
Vitamin K helps our
blood to clot when we bleed. It helps stop the bloodflow.
Some foods with vitamin K include pork, liver and yoghurt.
Calcium
Calcium is needed
to help build our bones and teeth. Some foods with calcium
in them are dairy products, tofu and cabbage.
Sodium
Sodium helps regulate
the fluid balance in our bodies and help with the contraction
and expansion of muscles. It is present in all our body
fluids. A vegetable with sodium in it is zucchini, we also
get a lot of our sodium from salt.
Vitamin
A
Vitamin A is essential
for the eyes. It helps us to see better at night and also
helps us to see in colour. In extreme cases the lack of
vitamin A can cause blindness. Some foods with vitamin A
in them are apricots, pumpkin, eggs and carrots.
More commonly no
obvious physical affects of the lack of vitamin A are noted
but inside the body the effectiveness of a person's immune
system (the part of the body that helps fight diseases)
is decreased. This is said to lead to the deaths of approximately
1 million children a year (p.13, Vitamin & Mineral Deficiency).
Zambia, which has
only one producer of sugar, has been adding Vitamin A to
their sugar since 1998. UNICEF often distributes Vitamin
A to children when they immunise them, they did this for
children after the Tsunami hit and also do it during National
Immunisation Days. National Immunisation Days are days set
aside in particular countries to do a mass of child immunisation
all at once. Supplementation using vitamin A capsules should
begin at six months old in areas where children do not get
enough vitamin A in their diets.
Iron
Iron is needed for
the development of our brains. It is especially important
that we get enough iron from the ages of 6 month to 2 years.
After 6 months of age a child only gets 50% of the iron
it needs from breastmilk and the rest has to come from their
diet. In developed countries a lot of infant foods like
cereals have added iron.
Women of childbearing
age are at high risk if their bodies lack the iron to cope
with the stress of childbirth.
A number of countries
fortify flour with iron, 49 in fact. 15% of all flour produced
in flour mills world-wide have added iron.
http://www.unicef.org.nz/
school-room/nutrition/
vitaminsandnutrients.html
