Vitamins
Vitamins are essential organic compounds not being made by your body that are essential to life. They help normalise bodily functions. There are thirteen known vitamins in total. Food is the best source but due to our deficient soils we don’t receive the quantities we once did.
They help regulate metabolism and they help the chemical processes that release nutrients from the foods we eat. Vitamins are produced naturally in the foods we eat especially fresh fruit and vegetables.
Enzymes and vitamins work together to help chemical reactions that continually take place in the body. Chronic health conditions can be created or exacerbated by deficiencies.
The fat soluble vitamins are A, D, E and K. These are generally stored for longer in the body’s fat tissues and the liver. They are absorbed through the intestinal tract with the help of fats and lipids. If you don’t eat enough fats you won’t absorb them.
The rest are water soluble. This means they cannot be stored in the body and they are excreted anywhere from 4 hours to one day after consumption. These include all the B vitamins and Vitamin C.
Vitamins can be broken in to two groups:
Synthetic and Natural
Synthetic vitamins are made in labs from isolated chemicals that mirror the ones that are found in nature.
Natural vitamins are derived from food sources.
There are no chemical differences between the two, synthetic ones are only the isolated ingredient whilst in nature you get the other synergistic qualities from the other nutrients in the food.
Vitamins can come in many forms; capsules, tablets, powders, sub lingual, gel caps, lozenges and even liquid forms. Injection is another way they can be administered. They can also come as singles or in combinations. Depending on how slowly or quickly you want them in the body may depend on what form you use. Consider the condition you are taking it for and make sure it has a therapeutic dose in each supplement.
They are sensitive to light so should be stored in a cool, dark place. They do work best when taken in combination with food. Fat soluble ones should be taken before meals and water soluble ones taken after meals.
Due to the ever dwindling content of these vitamins in our food we should all consider using a multivitamin daily to increase our levels.
Be mindful that there are excipients that are used in the manufacturing process that can be detrimental to health so don’t buy your vitamins at your supermarket. Always go for a well known practitioner brand to eliminate these cheap, harmful ingredients.
Do you take a vitamin regularly? Do you find it makes a difference to your overall health and wellbeing?
If you would like some guidance around vitamins, book a call.