stayinghealthytogether

 You hear on the news and in the papers about how you should eat healthy to receive all the vitamin’s that your body needs. That it is essential to eat right and exercise in order to stay healthy and fit. You also have probably heard how these foods contain different vitamins that your body needs in order to stay healthy. Do you know exactly what these vitamins for you? Probably not, most people don’t this is why I will talk about the different vitamins and what part each one plays in maintaining a person’s health.

Vitamin C is one that we hear about it all of the time especially during cold and flu season. Did you know that Vitamin c not only boosts our immune system it is also an antioxidant. Vitamin C is also good for our skin. It helps the body form collagen which helps the skin remain firm. This helps slow down the visible signs of aging. Vitamin C is also thought to help prevent heart disease, polio and other diseases. How do you know if you don’t have enough vitamin C? Some of the signs of vitamin C deficiency might include:  swollen or bleeding gums. A person low on vitamin C might bruise easily and may have wounds that are very slow to heal. How much Vitamin C do you need? Your body is unable to store vitamin C so you need a daily dose. The dose rate varies some say 40 mg a day while others say 65mg a day. If you smoke your dose needs to be higher because smoking decreases the amount your body can absorb. When taking vitamin C be sure to take it with a meal or soon after otherwise you might experience indigestion.  If you are experiencing diarrhea while taking this vitamin the dose is too high and should be reduced according to your symptoms.

Another essential vitamin is vitamin D. This vitamin is needed for your body to absorb calcium. It also helps your body maintain an adequate level of the essential minerals.  Unlike vitamin C, vitamin D is fat soluble so your body can store it. This is why you need such a low daily dose, 200 IU’s a day. You can also get an adequate amount of vitamin D just by being out in the sun 45 minutes a week. Without this vitamin your bones will become brittle and you can develop a disease known as rickets.

Vitamin A is essential for producing and maintaining healthy teeth. It also helps form and maintains soft tissue and skin. Vitamin A helps with the digestive and the urinary track. It is important in maintaining healthy eye sight. That’s not all; vitamin A helps your body produce white, red blood cells and it important in gene structure. It is also though that vitamin a reduces the growth of cancer cells in the liver breast, colon and skin. A lack of vitamin a can lower the immune system which makes people more prone to infections and respiratory problems. Lack of vitamin A will also make your skin and eyes to become dry. Severe deficiency can even cause night blindness in children.

The last vitamin I want to talk about is vitamin E. This vitamin is known to reduce the build up of plaque in your artery walls known as atherosclerosis. It also has shown to reduce the risk of heart disease. Studies done on vitamin E have proven that it prevents cataracts and other macular degeneration, two diseases that people might experience when they become older. It too like vitamin c is an antioxidant. Because of its antioxidant effects it is used to treat osteoarthritis. Vitamin E has also shown to help diabetics control their blood sugar levels and has proven to lowers the risk of developing diabetes.  In clinical studies vitamin E has shown to reduces hot flashes in menopausal women and prostate cancer in men. If it is taken with a vitamin C supplement, is thought to reduce your risk of Alzheimer’s and other types of dementia. Studies have also shown that taking vitamin C and E together decreases the decline of cognitive thinking.  How much does a person need? Vitamin E like vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin. This means that unlike other vitamins your body can store it. This is why it is recommended to only take 200- 400 IU a day.

Each of these vitamins helps our body in their own way.  Vitamin C boosts our immune system. It helps the skin to main firm reducing aging signs. It also helps prevent heart, polio and other diseases. Vitamin D helps us absorb calcium and maintain healthy amounts of minerals in our bodies. Vitamin A helps with digestion, urinary track and our site. This vitamin helps produce white and red blood cells and it helps boost our immune system.  Vitamin E reduces the growth of cancer in specific organs and helps prevent Pack build up in our arteries. Vitamin E helps prevents muscular degeneration, dementia, Alzheimer’s heart diseases, osteoarthritis, diabetes and helps control blood sugar levels. It helps reduce hot flashes in menopausal women and lowers the risk of prostate cancer in men.  Knowing all the advantages these vitamins has you now have the understanding of why it is so important to eat right.

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