How much do we really know about the basics of vitamins? Some of you may know all of this, some of you may learn a thing or two.
It is best to obtain your vitamins and minerals, aka micronutrients, from whole, organic foods. This may not give us all that we need though, and supplementation is often required.
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 other category, the water soluble vitamins; are the B-group, C, & P. They cannot be stored in the body. These vitamins are lost through the body through perspiration and urination. Because of this, it is essential for you to replenish these on a daily basis. If this is not done, deficiencies can occur.
You may have heard of the RDA, or Recommended Daily Allowance, that is our standard of daily requirements for vitamins. This system has been in place since the 1940's, and is only based on estimations of what we need. These allowances are also based on the assumption we know all there is as far as vitamins go, and even worse, differ from country to country. They are only requirements in place to help us avoid vitamin deficiencies, the minimum our bodies need.
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!
It is best to obtain your vitamins and minerals, aka micronutrients, from whole, organic foods. This may not give us all that we need though, and supplementation is often required.
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 other category, the water soluble vitamins; are the B-group, C, & P. They cannot be stored in the body. These vitamins are lost through the body through perspiration and urination. Because of this, it is essential for you to replenish these on a daily basis. If this is not done, deficiencies can occur.
You may have heard of the RDA, or Recommended Daily Allowance, that is our standard of daily requirements for vitamins. This system has been in place since the 1940's, and is only based on estimations of what we need. These allowances are also based on the assumption we know all there is as far as vitamins go, and even worse, differ from country to country. They are only requirements in place to help us avoid vitamin deficiencies, the minimum our bodies need.
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 find out more about vitamins and the new monograms, please click Vitamin Requirements to access. Mel Possehl can educate you on not only Vitamin Requirements, but many other things having to do with nutrition & holistic living!
