Vitamins and minerals – the low down -
If you’re like me, you can never remember what vitamin does what and how we can get it from the food we eat. I decided to do some basic research and condense it into an easy to read article giving you the info you need.
Your diet is broken down into macro and micronutrients. Your macros are essentially where the calories come from such as carbohydrates, protein & fat.
Micronutrients are needed in small amounts to help your body work correctly and include vitamins and minerals. We should get these micronutrients if we are eating a healthy balanced diet but this is not always possible due to illness, time, and resources and supplementation is sometimes necessary.
Vitamins A,D,E & K are fat-soluble and therefore can be stored in the body. The water soluble vitamins such as C and B complexes cannot be stored as you pee them out, and so you need to get these from your diet everyday.
Vitamin/Mineral Where to get it Function in Body XS or too little
Vitamin A Cheese, eggs, oily Immune defence Avoid in
Retinol fish, milk, yog, night vision, skin pregnancy, xs
liver, yellow veg can cause
osteoporosis
Vitamin B1 Peas, fruit, eggs Release of energy No info
Thiamin liver, whole grains from foods, nerves
Vitamin B2 Milk, eggs, rice Skin, eyes, nervous No info
Riboflavin system
Vitamin B3 Meat, milk, fish Energy release, Flushes, liver
Niacin eggs nerves and skin damage in XS
Vitamin B6 Pork, chicken, fish Energy release,
Pyridoxine eggs, milk, nuts, haemaglobin in red Numbness in
soybean blood cells to carry hands & feet
oxygen
Folate & Broccoli, liver, peas Red blood cells, XS can mask
Folic Acid spinach prevents spina bifida anaemias,
increase need
in pregnancy
Vitamin B12 Meat, salmon, cod Red blood cells, No info
cheese, milk & eggs energy release &
uptake of folic acid
Vitamin C Citrus fruit, peppers Cell health, blood Too little -
Ascorbic acid broccoli & potatoes vessels, skin, bones, scurvy XS -
cartilage, wound digestive
healing issues
Vitamin D Sunlight exposure, Regulates calcium & XS - Kidney &
Calciferol oily fish, liver, eggs phosphate uptake for heart issues,
bones & teeth Too little -
aches, rickets
Vitamin E Plant oils, nuts Skin, eyes, No info
seeds, wheat germ immune system
Vitamin K Leafy green veg, Blood clotting, No info
dairy, cereal, meat bone healing
Calcium Dairy, green leafy Bones, teeth, Too little -
veg, soy, tofu, nuts muscle contractions rickets, XS -
oily fish blood clotting digestive
Iodine Seafood, shell fish Thyroid hormones Weight gain &
metabolism thyroid probs
Iron liver, red meat, Red blood cells xs - nausea,
beans, nuts, brown to carry oxygen abdo pain
rice, dark leafy veg in blood too little -
anaemia
So this has covered the main nutrients you should know about.
Bibliography -
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/
Thanks for reading.
For osteopathy in High Wycombe or Harwell areas, please contact Lucy or Ebony on 07548 912161 or visit www.osteofusion.co.uk