Vitamins: The Basics from Food and Sunshine

Vitamins are chemical compounds which the human body needs to grow and function normally. Of the eleven vitamins we know humans need, nine are abundant in plants. Your body makes vitamin D from sunshine. Vitamin B12 is found only in animals, and is often added to plant based foods such as cereals or soy milk.

Most of the vitamins humans need are synthesized by plants, so you get plenty when you eat a variety of fruit, vegetables, whole grains, beans and other seeds.

The B vitamins (thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pyridoxine, folate, cyanocobalamin and biotin) are needed to convert carbohydrates into energy and for hundreds of other functions. They are found in whole grains, beans and many other plants, and in the animals that eat these plants.

Vitamins A, C and E are called the antioxidant vitamins because one of their important jobs is to prevent certain oxidizing chemical reactions that can be harmful to your body. The antioxidant vitamins help to prevent heart disease because LDL cholesterol must be oxidized before it can form plaques in your arteries. Brightly colored fruits and vegetables are particularly good sources of the antioxidant vitamins.

Our primary source of vitamin D is sunshine, not food. A person with light skin can get enough vitamin D from a few minutes spent in sunlight each day, but the darker your skin, the more sun exposure you need to meet your daily requirements. You can also get vitamin D from supplements, fish oils, fish, eggs and fortified foods.

You can get all the vitamins you need from the food you eat plus some sunshine. A daily multi-vitamin for extra "insurance" won't hurt you, but an unhealthful diet with vitamin pills is still an unhealthful diet. Dont be misled by high-priced supplements that make extravagant promises. You will probably be wasting your money, and mega-doses of vitamins can cause problems.

Read my Good Food Book FREE, with 100 healthful recipes. Dr. Gabe Mirkin has been a radio talk show host for 25 years and practicing physician for more than 40 years; he is board certified in four specialties, including sports medicine. Read or listen to hundreds of his fitness and health reports at http://www.DrMirkin.com Free weekly newsletter on fitness, health, and nutrition. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gabe_Mirkin,_M.D.

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What are vitamins?

an organic substance that acts as a coenzyme and/or regulator of metabolic processes. There are 13 known vitamins, most of which are present in foods or supplements; some are produced within the body. Vitamins are crucial for many bodily functions including a healthy immune response.
An essential low molecular weight organic compound required in trace amounts for normal growth and metabolic processes. They usually serve as components of coenzyme systems. For humans, vitamin A, the B series, C, D1 and D2, E and K are required. Deficiencies of one or more vitamins in the nutrient supply result in deficiency diseases.