All natural vitamins are organic food substances found only in living things, that is, plants and animals.

With few exceptions the body cannot manufacture or synthesize vitamins. They must be supplied in the diet or in dietary supplements.

A lot of people think vitamins can replace food. They cannot. In fact, vitamins cannot be assimilated without ingesting food. If you take vitamin supplements on an empty stomach they will quickly pass out in your urine. This is especially true of vitamins that dissolve in water i.e. vitamin C and B. Therefore you should take them with food.

Vitamins help regulate metabolism, help convert fat and carbohydrates into energy, and assist in forming bone and tissue. Vitamins are essential to the normal functioning of our bodies. They are necessary for our growth, vitality, and general well being.


Vitamins are organic substances required by the body in small amounts for healthy functioning and metabolic regulation.

There are 14 known vitamins found in various food sources. Vitamins in foods are a better source than supplements.



VITAMIN A
RDA 800 mcg
Upper safe level Daily is 2300 mcg

IMPORTANCE:
Maintains and repairs tissue, aids growth, (formation of bone tissue and dentine during growth). Helps protect the mucous membranes of the mouth, Nose, throat and lungs, essential for immune function, protects against air pollutants and helps to maintain Smooth, soft disease-free skin, Synthesis of the visual pigment. (in other words counteracts night-blindness and weak eyesight).


DEFICIENCY SYMPTOMS:
May result in night blindness, a loss of smell & appetite; increased susceptibility to Infections, rough, dry and scaly skin, fatigue, defective teeth & gums and retarded growth.


WHO ESPECIALLY NEEDS IT?
Pregnant woman should have no more than the RDA (800 mcg daily). And should avoid vitamin A rich foods such as liver.

VITAMIN A. FOOD SOURCES:
Milk, cheese, butter, egg yolk, oily fish . Palm oil. Animal liver. Tomatoes, parsley, spinach, dandelion leaves. Most vegetables


INTERACTIONS:
Vitamin A can be depleted by alcohol and as such you should maintain vitamins C & E levels to keep your vitamin A levels up in your body. defective teeth & gums and retarded growth.



VITAMIN B-1
RDA 1.4mg
Upper safe level Daily is 100mg

IMPORTANCE:
Plays a key role in the body's metabolic cycle for generating Energy, aids in the digestion of carbohydrates, essential for the normal functioning of the nervous system muscles and heart. stabilizes the appetite and promotes growth and good muscle tone.

DEFICIENCY SYMPTOMS:
May lead to the loss of appetite, weakness and a feeling of Tiredness, paralysis and nervous irritability, insomnia, loss of weight, vague aches and Pains, mental depression, constipation, heart and gastrointestinal problems.

WHO ESPECIALLY NEEDS IT?
Pregnant woman, children, athletes and the elderly.

VITAMIN B1 FOOD SOURCES:
Brown rice, yeast extract and most breakfast cereals

INTERACTIONS:
As with all B vitamins, cooking should be reduced to the shortest time possible as they are decreased when exposed to heat.




VITAMIN B-2 (Riboflavin)
RDA 1.6mg
Upper safe level Daily is 200mg

IMPORTANCE:
Necessary for carbohydrate, fat & protein metabolism, aids in the Formation of antibodies and red blood cells, maintains cell respiration. Necessary for the maintenance of good vision, skin, nails and hair, alleviates eye Fatigue and promotes general health.

DEFICIENCY SYMPTOMS:
May result in itching and burning eyes, cracks and sores in the mouth & lips, bloodshot eyes,purplish tongue, dermatitis, retarded growth. Digestive disturbances, trembling, sluggishness and oily skin.

WHO ESPECIALLY NEEDS IT?
Smokers, pregnant woman and children.

FOOD SOURCES:
Milk, cheese, eggs and yeast extract.

INTERACTIONS:
B2 is best preserved by cooking with out water, e.g. microwaving, stirfrying or steaming. Caffeine and alcohol reduce its effectiveness.



VITAMIN B3 (Niacin)

RDA 18mg
Upper safe level Daily is 150mg

IMPORTANCE:
Improves circulation and reduces the cholesterol level in the blood, maintains the nervous system, helps metabolize protein, sugar and fat; reduces high blood pressure, increases energy through proper utilization of food, prevents pellagra, helps maintain a healthy skin, tongue and digestive system.

DEFICIENCY SYMPTOMS:
May result in pellagra, gastrointestinal disturbance, nervousness, headaches, fatigue, mental depression, vague aches and pains, irritability, loss of appetite, insomnia, skin disorders, muscular weakness, indigestion, bad breath, canker sores.

WHO ESPECIALLY NEEDS IT?
Pregnant woman, the elderly, children and people under stress.

FOOD SOURCES:
Bread, oily fish, breakfast cereal and yeast extract.

INTERACTIONS:
Alcohol greatly reduces the effectiveness of B3




VITAMIN B6 (Pyridoxine)


RDA 2 mg
Upper safe level Daily is 50mg

IMPORTANCE:
Necessary for the synthesis & breakdown of amino acids, the building blocks of protein. Aids in fat and carbohydrate metabolism, aids in the formation of antibodies, maintains the central nervous system, aids in the removal of excess fluid of premenstrual women, promotes healthy skin, reduces muscle spasms, leg cramps, hand numbness, nausea and stiffness of hands also helps to maintain a proper balance of sodium & phosphorous in the body.

DEFICIENCY SYMPTOMS:
May result in nervousness, insomnia, skin eruptions, loss of muscular control, anemia, mouth disorders, muscular weakness, dermatitis, arm and leg cramps, loss of hair, slow learning, and water retention.

WHO ESPECIALLY NEEDS IT?
Menstruating woman, woman taking oral contraceptives and children.

FOOD SOURCES:
Yeast extracts, liver and wheatbran

INTERACTIONS:
Vitamin B6 is destroyed by exposure to air, so keep B6 rich foods and supplements in airtight containers






VITAMIN B12 (Cobalamin)

RDA 1mcg
Upper safe level Daily is 500mcg

IMPORTANCE:
Helps in the formation and regeneration of red blood cells, thus helping prevent anemia, necessary for carbohydrate, fat and protein metabolism, maintains a healthy nervous system; promotes growth in children, increases energy; needed for Calcium absorption.

DEFICIENCY SYMPTOMS:
May lead to pernicious anemia, poor appetite, and growth failure in children, tiredness, brain damage, nervousness, neuritis, and degeneration of spinal cord, depression, and lack of balance.

WHO ESPECIALLY NEEDS IT?
Vegetarians, pregnant woman, the elderly and children.

FOOD SOURCES:
Breakfast cereals, offal meat, and fish.

INTERACTIONS:
Best taken with the other B vitamins.





VITAMIN C

RDA 60mg
Upper safe level Daily is 2000mg

IMPORTANCE:
Essential for healthy teeth, gums and Bones, helps heal wounds, scar tissue and Fractures, prevents scurvy, builds resistance to infection, aids in the prevention and treatment of the common cold, gives strength to blood vessels, aids in the absorption of iron. It is required for the synthesis of collagen which holds tissues together.
It is also one of the major antioxidant nutrients. It prevents the conversion of nitrates (from tobacco smoke, smog, bacon, lunchmeats, and some vegetables) into cancer-causing substances. Vitamin C is believed to decrease the risk of getting certain cancers.

DEFICIENCY SYMPTOMS:
May lead to soft and bleeding gums, swollen or painful joints, slow-healing wounds and fractures, bruising, nosebleeds, tooth decay, loss of appetite, muscular weakness, skin hemorrhages, capillary weakness, anemia and impaired digestion.

WHO ESPECIALLY NEEDS IT?
Smokers, pregnant woman, men for their fertility, children and those with colds and injuries

FOOD SOURCES:
Fruits, especially citrus potato and green veg.

INTERACTIONS:
Can not be stored in the body so it needs to be taken regularly. C and E vitamins can help reduce heart attacks.




VITAMIN D

RDA 5mcg
Upper safe level Daily is 10mcg

IMPORTANCE:
Improves absorption and utilization of Calcium and Phosphorous, required for bone and teeth formation, maintains a stable nervous system and normal heart action.

DEFICIENCY SYMPTOMS:
May lead to rickets, tooth decay, softening of bones, improper healing of fractures, lack of vigor, muscular weakness, inadequate absorption of calcium, and retention of phosphorous in the kidneys.

WHO ESPECIALLY NEEDS IT?
Children, vegetarians and vegans, pregnant and breast feeding woman, those exposed to the sun.

FOOD SOURCES:
All dairy products oily fish and fortified cereals.

INTERACTIONS:
Vitamin D helps with the absorption of calcium and phosphate from food.




VITAMIN E
RDA 10mg
Upper safe level Daily is 800mg

IMPORTANCE:
Major anti-oxidant nutrient, retards cellular aging due to Oxidation, supplies oxygen to the blood, thus alleviating fatigue, aids in bringing nourishment to cells, strengthens the capillary walls and prevents the red blood cells from destructive poisons, prevents and dissolves blood clots.
Doctors think that it may help in helping prevent sterility, muscular dystrophy, and calcium deposits in blood walls and heart conditions

DEFICIENCY SYMPTOMS:
May lead to a rupture of red blood cells, loss of reproductive powers, lack of sexual vitality, abnormal fat deposits in muscles, degenerative changes in the changes in the heart and other muscles, dry and flaky skin.

WHO ESPECIALLY NEEDS IT?
Smokers, those with heart disease and people who live in polluted areas.

FOOD SOURCES:
Soybeans nuts, seeds, vegetable oil, whole grain bread and cereals.

INTERACTIONS:
Preserve vitamin E levels by keeping up intakes of vitamin C and selenium.

DISTRIBUTION OF VITAMINS IN THE BODY:


HAIR
Vit.A, Vit.B2,Vit.C.

EYES
Vit.A,Vit.B2.

TOUNGE/GUMS
Vit.B3,Vit.C.

HEART
Vit.B1,

BLOOD
Vit.B6,Vit.B12,Folic Acid,Vit.C,Vit.E,Vit.K.

NERVES
Vit.B1,Vit.B2,Vit.B5,Vit.B6,Vit.B12.

LIVER
Vit.A,Vit.B complex,Vit.C.

ADRENAL
Vit.B5.

BONES
Vit.C,Vit.D.

ANTIBODIES
Vit.A,Vit.B6,Vit.C.

ENERGY
Vit.B1,Vit.B2,Biotin.


SKIN
Vit.A,Vit.B3,Vit.C,

CELLS
Vit.B1,Vit.B12,Choline.

NAILS
Vit.B2,Vit.D.

Dieting
Dieting tips
Fats and cholesterol
Herbs an Spices



     # VITAMINS