Our bodies need vitamins and minerals to function, and in reality, the best way to get these vitamins is through the food we eat. Unfortunately, we cant get all of the vitamins we need from food. That why we should take some vitamin and mineral supplements to prevent getting sick. We can even take vitamins to help our body fight off an illness we already have.
If we were to get all the vitamins we needed from our food, we would have to eat 5 cups of fruit and vegetables a day, and most of us just don't do that. Plus we would have to get certain vegetables and fruits to get certain vitamins. Not to mention that, as a nation, we have some serious problems with the way fruits and vegetables are produced and harvested.
1 A Day Vitamins
The Two Types of Vitamins
Vitamins fall into two categories, those that are fat-soluble and those that are water soluble.
o Vitamins that are water soluble include vitamin and many of the B vitamin family.
o Vitamins that are fat soluble include vitamin D, A, E, K. But only vitamins A,E and B12 are stored in the body.
Most Americans have a vitamin deficiency. They receive about 80% less than the recommended daily allowance, especially of vitamin B complex, C and A.
Minerals
In the last century the medical field has realized how absolutely essential it is that a pregnant woman, a woman who is even considering getting pregnant, or a woman who is nursing, take the right amount of vitamins and minerals.
Vitamins and minerals determine the way the pregnancy develops. The vitamins a pregnant woman needs is C,E,D, B vitamins, Folic Acid and minerals.
Vitamins and Cardiovascular Disease
Recent studies show that certain vitamins and minerals help prevent cardiovascular disease. B vitamins, antioxidants, vitamin C and E help lower the risks of cardiovascular disease.