Why we need Vitamins every day

Dear Readers,

Its Out great pleasure to present the articles related to health, our mission to provide the best self help for the people to understand about the better nutrition for healthy life style. Today we are going to present you about the Importance of Vitamin on every life.
If we observe, more than ever most of us are beginning to realize that we are not getting our proper nutrition just from our food and that we need to take vitamins and other nutritional supplements on a regular basis. There might be different reason for this, its may be that we are not getting all the vitamins & mineral form the food we are taking on every day basis. Your daily vitamins play some very important roles within the body. They help strengthen your immune system, slow down the process of aging, and increase your energy levels. When choosing a daily vitamin make sure you know what you need and what you are looking at.

Vitamins are sometimes referred to as the "spark plugs" of our human machine. They are required to do many things and their excess or depletion can lead to acute and chronic disease. This is why understanding the vitamins is important in healthy aging. The vitamins are categorized into two groups:

* fat-soluble (vitamins A,D,E, K)
* water soluble (vitamins B,C, P).

The difference is important because the water soluble vitamins are excreted by the kidneys and it is particularly important to be certain that they are present in our daily consumption. On the other hand the fat soluble vitamins are stored in fat and other tissues and if we ingest too much they can accumulate and Vitamin A in particular is known to be toxic. Only vitamins D and K are produced by the body and the others must be either in the food we eat or in a supplemental pill or capsule. Vitamins A, C, and E are anti-oxidants and data shows they can help prevent cardiac disease and some cancers.

Some Problems with Vitamin Deficiency:

Vitamin D is necessary for the health of our bones. If we have insufficient levels of vitamin D this can lead to brittle bones. It is important to also take a supplement of calcium to maintain bone density and help prevent osteoporosis in patients who are developing this with age. Vitamin B12 is important in maintaining mental function. Vitamin B12 is found naturally in lean red meat, chicken and skim milk. Folate and vitamins B6 and B12 are required for homocysteine metabolism and have been shown to reduce heart disease if ingested in appropriate concentrations. The antioxidants potentially reduce the incidence of several chronic illnesses. The point is that vitamins are important in maintaining our health.

• Calcium Importance

What role do vitamins and minerals play in nutrition?

Vitamins help the body turn food into energy and tissues. There are 13 vitamins in all: vitamin A; the vitamin B complex, which includes thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B₆, folic acid, vitamin B₁₂ pantothenic acid, and biotin; and vitamins C, D, E, and K.

Minerals are needed for growth and maintenance of body structures. They also help to maintain digestive juices and the fluids found in and around cells.

Unlike vitamins, carbohydrates, fats, and proteins, minerals are not made by plants and animals. Plants get minerals from water or soil, and animals get minerals by eating plants or plant-eating animals. The minerals the body needs in large amounts include calcium, chlorine, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, and sulfur. Other minerals, called trace elements, are needed in much smaller amounts. Trace elements include iron, copper, fluorine, iodine, selenium, zinc, chromium, cobalt, manganese, and molybdenum.

Here is a rundown of what each macronutrient does and some good sources.

Carbohydrates Carbohydrates include all starches and sugars. They are the body's main source of energy. Each gram of carbohydrate provides 4 calories. Most foods contain carbohydrates. The main sugar in food is sucrose, which is everyday white or brown sugar. Other sugars include lactose (found in milk) and fructose (found in most fruits and many vegetables). Starches are a more complex form of carbohydrate. They are more filling and contain more nutrients than foods with lots of sugars, fats, or oils. Foods containing starches include beans, breads, cereals, pasta, and potatoes.

Fats Fats pack a lot of energy. Each gram of fat provides 9 calories. There are three kinds of fat: saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated. Animal and dairy fats, which remain solid at room temperature, are saturated fats. Saturated fat is often called "bad" fat. Unsaturated fats include vegetable fat and oils; they remain liquid at room temperature.

Proteins Proteins provide energy at 4 calories per gram, but they are more important as the body's building materials. Muscle, skin, bone, and hair are made up largely of proteins. In addition, every cell contains proteins called enzymes, which speed up chemical reactions in the body. Cells could not function without these enzymes. The body uses proteins to make antibodies, or disease-fighting chemicals, and certain hormones such as insulin, which serve as chemical messengers in the body. (Other hormones, such as the female hormone estrogen, are not made from proteins.) Meat, poultry, fish, dairy products, eggs, cereals, legumes, and nuts are all good sources of protein.

Feel free to ask questions.

Some more details :

* Importance of Vitamin C

* Importance of Omega3