Vitamins and minerals are part of our daily lives. But how much do we really know about them? This article will give you a brief introduction to some, a re-acquaintance to others.
Vitamins and minerals are referred to as micronutrients. It is ideal to obtain them from organic, whole foods, but at times supplementation is necessary.
Vitamins are classified in two groups. There are fat soluble vitamins, that dissolve in fats & oils, and water soluble vitamins, that dissolve in water.
A, D, E, F, & K are the fat soluble vitamins. Care must be taken with these as they are stored in the body, so this increases the risk for toxicity.
The B-group, C, & P vitamins are all the water soluble ones. These vitamins are lost through perspiration & urination and are not stored in the body. Deficiencies in these can occur if they are not replenished daily.
In the 1940's a system helping us to meet our minimum daily requirements was instituted. This system, however, is based on estimations, assumes we know all of the micronutrients there are, and differs from country to country. You may recognize it: our Recommended Daily Allowance, or RDA.
In 1993, new standards were proposed. These are referred to as the Dietary Reference Intakes (DRI). These include the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA), Estimated Average Requirements (EAR), Adequate Intake Levels (AI), and the Tolerable Upper Intake Levels (UI). To learn more about these, as well as specific vitamin details, follow the link below!
Vitamins and minerals are referred to as micronutrients. It is ideal to obtain them from organic, whole foods, but at times supplementation is necessary.
Vitamins are classified in two groups. There are fat soluble vitamins, that dissolve in fats & oils, and water soluble vitamins, that dissolve in water.
A, D, E, F, & K are the fat soluble vitamins. Care must be taken with these as they are stored in the body, so this increases the risk for toxicity.
The B-group, C, & P vitamins are all the water soluble ones. These vitamins are lost through perspiration & urination and are not stored in the body. Deficiencies in these can occur if they are not replenished daily.
In the 1940's a system helping us to meet our minimum daily requirements was instituted. This system, however, is based on estimations, assumes we know all of the micronutrients there are, and differs from country to country. You may recognize it: our Recommended Daily Allowance, or RDA.
In 1993, new standards were proposed. These are referred to as the Dietary Reference Intakes (DRI). These include the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA), Estimated Average Requirements (EAR), Adequate Intake Levels (AI), and the Tolerable Upper Intake Levels (UI). To learn more about these, as well as specific vitamin details, follow the link below!
About the Author:
To learn more about vitamins and the new monograms, please click Vitamin Requirements to view. Melissa Possehl can enlighten you on not only Vitamin Requirements, but many other things having to do with nutrition & holistic living!
