Where do vitamins/minerals come from?
VITAMINS are natural substances found
in living things such as plants. Vitamins must be obtained in the
body from foods or supplements, as the body cannot usually produce
them.
MINERALS are found in plants. Plants
get their minerals from the soil — soil gets minerals from
water washing over rocks. For vitamins to do their job, they require
minerals. Minerals must also be obtained from food or supplements.
ANTIOXIDANTS are specific vitamins
or minerals that protect body cells from the damaging effects of
Free Radicals. Free radicals come from or are caused by smoking,
sunlight, stress, exercise, etc., and are one of the primary causes
of premature aging, sickness and disease. For more information,
see the brochure "Why do I Age, Get Sick, Get Diseases?"
How do vitamins/minerals get in the body?
Vitamins and minerals get into your body when you eat plants such
as fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts and spices or when you take
a vitamin mineral supplement. You can also get some vitamins and
minerals into your body by eating meat as most animals eat plant
food.
Supplements are vitamins and minerals that have been extracted
from a plant or created in a laboratory and put into a form that
can be ingested and used by the body.
There are effective supplements, ineffective supplements and hazardous
supplements.
Uneducated consumers are at risk from two sides.
1. Consumer knows they should supplement but don't know how to
select an effective supplement, therefore waste their money, time
and health.
2. Consumer is uninformed (or given bad advice) on the need to supplement
and sacrifices their health.
Where do vitamins/minerals go in the body?
Vitamins and minerals go from your stomach to your intestines.
They then go through a very complex allocation system whereby the
body distributes (see image right) certain vitamins and minerals
to parts of your body based on its own priority system.
If a nutrient is needed in a certain organ that it (the body) deems
more important, it will take the nutrient from a less important
organ, and allocate it to a more important organ. Sort of a "rob
Peter to pay Paul" action. That's why it is critical to maintain
proper vitamin & mineral levels.
What Each Vitamin & Mineral Does In Your
Body
Vitamin A.
Prevents skin disorders, such as acne, wrinkling and age spots.
Enhances the immune system - protects against colds, flu, and infections
to kidney, bladder, and lungs. Maintains and repairs the mucous
membranes (all tissue that interacts with air, such as lungs, throat,
eyes, etc).
Vitamin B
Enhances memory, concentration judgment, learning capacity and prevents
mental deterioration. Helps maintain health of the nerves - anti-stress.
Plays important role in healthy sex hormones and fertility. Necessary
for healthy sleep patterns. Converts carbohydrates, fats and proteins
into energy. Enhances stamina. Helps in fighting infections. Alleviates
eye fatigue, helps ward off cataracts. Lowers cholesterol and improves
circulation.
Vitamin C
This antioxidant protects against the harmful effects of pollution,
helps to prevent cancer, protects against infection and enhances
immunity. May reduce levels of "bad cholesterol''- while increasing
levels of "good cholesterol". Protects against bruising.
Promotes the healing of wounds and burns. Helps maintain growth
of teeth, bones, gums, ligaments, and blood vessels. Aids in the
production of anti-stress hormones.
Required for at least 300 metabolic functions in the body. Works
together with Vitamin E and beta-carotene to create an even more
potent antioxidant effect. Needs to be taken into the
Vitamin D
Supports bone and tooth formation, muscle function, and thyroid
gland function. Necessary for the absorption and use of calcium
and phosphorus. Especially important for the growth and development
of bones and teeth in children. Involved in regulation of the heartbeat.
Important in the prevention and treatment of breast and colon cancer
osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, and hypocalcemia. Enhances immunity.
Some cholesterol-lowering drugs, antacids, and steroid hormones
interfere with Vitamin D absorption.
Vitamin E
An antioxidant that is important in the prevention of cancer and
cardiovascular disease.
Regards aging. Improves circulation. Necessary for tissue repair.
Aids in prevention of PMS. Reduces scarring from wounds. Reduces
blood pressure. Aids in preventing cataracts. Promotes healthy skin
and hair. Protects against approximately eighty (SO) diseases. Long-term
use has been proven to reduce prostate cancer risk in smokers. Aids
in tissue healing. Essential for normal cell structure, involved
in the formation of red blood cells. Protects the lungs against
injury from air pollution and helps preserve insomnia and osteoporosis
- bones lose their normal density and strength.
Molybdenum
Converts the air we breathe into something usable by the body. Supports
bone growth and strengthening of die teeth.
Phosphorus
Needed for blood clotting, tooth formation, cell growth and repair,
contraction of the heart muscle, normal heart rhythm, and kidney
junction. Assists the body in utilization of vitamins and the conversion
of food to energy.
Silicon
Used for bone formation. Supports the skin, hair, nails, blood vessels
and connective tissue. Needed to maintain flexible arteries. Plays
a major role in preventing cardiovascular disease. Important in
the prevention of Alzheimer's disease and osteoporosis. Stimulates
the immune system and inhibits the aging process in tissues.
Calcium
Needed for bone and tooth formation, blood clotting, heart rhythm,
nerve transmission, muscle growth and contraction. Deficiency can
result in: muscle cramps, irritability, insomnia and osteoporosis
– bones lose their normal density and strength.
Iron
Supports growth and development in youth. Is needed to produce hemoglobin.
Supports a healthy immune system. Deficiency can result in; Iron
deficiency anemia, fatigue, instability, headache, shortness of
breath, intolerance to cold, increased vulnerability to infections.
Magnesium
Highly involved in energy production. Can help prevent depression,
dizziness, muscle weakness -and twitching and PMS.
Aids in maintaining the body's proper pH balance and normal body
temperature. Protects the arterial linings from stress caused by
sudden blood pressure changes. Helps reduce and dissolve kidney
stones. Has a dramatic effect in reducing birth defects. Involved
in blood sugar metabolism and energy maintenance. Plays a role in
metabolism of calcium, potassium and vitamin C.
Manganese
Needed for protein and fat metabolism, healthy nerves, healthy immune
system, and blood sugar levels. Is used in energy production. Required
for normal bone growth and for reproduction. Used in the formation
of cartilage and lubricating fluid of the joints.
Works well with the B vitamins to give an overall feeling of well-being.
Aids in the formation of mother's milk.
Potassium
Needed for healthy functioning of nervous system (communication
between the brain, spinal cord, and nerves with the rest of the
body). Supports the normal function of the heart, muscles, kidneys
and blood. Important for regular heart rhythm. Helps prevent strokes.
Aids in proper muscle contraction. Works with sodium to control
the body's water balance. Important for stable blood pressure.
Selenium
Vital antioxidant, especially when combined with vitamin E. Protects
the immune system by preventing the formation of free radicals that
can damage the body. Vital role in regulating the effects of thyroid
hormone on fat metabolism. Principal function is to inhibit the
oxidation of fats. Supports healthy functioning of cell membranes
and pancreatic function. Has shown promise in the treatment of arthritis,
cardiovascular disease, male infertility, cataracts, AIDS, and high
blood pressure.
Vanadium
Needed for cellular metabolism, required for the formation of bones
and teeth. Plays a role in growth and reproduction and inhibits
cholesterol synthesis. Improves insulin utilization, resulting in
improved glucose tolerance.
Zinc
Important in prostate gland function and the growth of the reproductive
organs. Helps prevent acne and regulates the activity of oil glands.
Required for protein synthesis and collagen formation. Promotes
a healthy immune system and the healing of wounds. Helps the acuity
of taste and smell. Protects the liver from chemical damage. Vitamin
E requires proper levels of Zinc in the blood. Promotes burn and
wound healing. Supports the immune system, involved in carbohydrate
and protein digestion.
Should you take Vitamin & Mineral Supplements?
Vitamins and minerals are vital nutrients for bodily functions
and prevention of disease. There is an archaic argument of "I
can get everything I need from food." Are you? In a large 26,000-person
study it was concluded that not one person received the nutritional
requirements set forth by the RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance).
96% of the US population dies of a disease - we are NOT getting
proper nutrition.
"Insufficient vitamin intake is apparently a cause of chronic
diseases. Most people do not consume an optimal amount of all vitamins
by diet alone. Pending strong evidence of effectiveness from randomized
trials, it appears prudent for all adults to take vitamin supplements."
Vitamin and mineral supplementation is necessary
for the following reasons:
1. Crop nutrient losses -
Decades of agriculture have overworked and depleted soils of minerals.
2. Poor digestion -
Eating too much or too quickly and stress can cause indigestion.
Indigestion reduces absorption of vitamins and minerals.
3. Over-cooking -
Can easily destroy valuable food nutrients.
4. Microwave cooking -
Studies suggest that microwave cooking alters the nutritional structure
of food.
5. Food storage -
Length of storage and freezing deplete the nutritional value of
most foods.
6. Food selection -
Eating a too limited range of different food groups will result
in nutrient deficiencies
7. Food omission -
Allergies to foods, crash dieting and poorly designed vegetarian
diets omit significant dietary sources of nutrients.
8. Environmental factors -
Herbicides and pesticides are used on crops, leaving them with low
nutritional value.
9. Antibiotics -
Antibiotics interfere with the intake of essential nutrients.
10. Poor lifestyle habits -
Smoking, alcohol and caffeine can inhibit the absorption of vitamins
and minerals or accelerate the loss of nutrients.
11. Stress -
Be it physical or emotional, can increase the body's requirement
of vitamins and minerals.
12. Out of balance -
The level of each vitamin and mineral in the body has an effect
on others, so if one is out of balance (missing), all are adversely
effected. With antioxidants, one is not nearly as strong as several
combined as each greatly enhances the power of the others.
13. Nutrient variance -
There are substantial differences between one fruit or vegetable
and another. One tomato can have 10 times more nutritional value
than another - which tomato did you eat?
Vitamins and minerals in your body should not be viewed as independent
substances, but rather as a cooperative network of nutrients working
together. If one nutrient is missing, it throws the entire network
of nutrients out of balance.
How do vitamins/minerals leave the body?
Vitamins and minerals are "used" by the body. As they
perform their function, they often use themselves up in the process,
which is the case with most of the critical disease fighting antioxidants.
Even thinking uses vitamins and minerals. Exercise and stress use
a lot of vitamins and minerals; the use of diuretics (substances
that increase the discharge of urine] such as drugs, alcohol, coffee,
tea and sodas — washes vitamins and minerals out of the body
creating deficiencies — this can create a major health problem!
Tobacco and alcohol can also inhibit the absorption of vitamins
and minerals, or accelerate the loss of them.
YOUR HEALTH, YOUR INTELLIGENCE, YOUR ENERGY AND YOUR APPEARANCE
ARE DEPENDENT ON YOU REPLENISHING YOUR VITAMINS AND MINERALS SEVERAL
TIMES PER DAY.
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