All About Vitamins

Go into any nutritional isle at your local grocery store or Wal-Mart and you’ll see shelf after shelf of vitamin and mineral supplements. Keeping fit and healthy is a hot topic these days, and taking vitamins is a big part of it. Taking vitamins has been shown to reduce the risks of many major cancers and diseases, as well as improve heart health, immune system, bones, memory and aid in weight loss.

While most of us know that taking vitamins can play a positive role in our health, the question most people have is what to take? How do you know what the proper amounts of vitamins and minerals are? Are there dangers with taking vitamins? Below is a helpful list of the most common vitamins along with the recommended daily dosages.

Vitamin A
For good vision, an especially night vision, Vitamin A is a must. Not only will it promote good vision, but is also works to improve your body’s immune system by encouraging proper cell growth. Vitamin A is also important in bone growth. One important point to keep in mind is that doctors have said to limit Vitamin A to 3,000 IU a day. Anything over 10,000 IU a day can actually cause serious health problems and even death in extreme cases. Some of the foods that provide natural sources of Vitamin A include:
Sweet Potatoes
Carrots
Pumpkin
Broccoli
Spinach
Eggs

Vitamin B6
Taking Vitamin B6 plays a key role in the bodies releasing of the proper amount of blood glucose and helping to maintain the right level. It is an essential part of red blood cell metabolism and helps to provide oxygen to these cells. Vitamin B6 is also good for your immune system. Interestingly, some studies have shown Vitamin B6 to produce more vivid dreams during the night.

The recommended daily dosage of Vitamin B6 is 2mg per day. Foods that provide natural sources of Vitamin B6 include:
Fish
Liver
Chicken
Eggs
Carrots
Peas
Walnuts

Vitamin B12
Vitamin B12 helps to provide your body with healthy nerve cells and red blood cells. It is also required to help form your bodies DNA. Vitamin B12 deficiency is the leading cause of anemia. The recommended daily dosage is 2.4mcg per day. Natural sources of Vitamin B12 include:
Liver
Shellfish
Eggs
Milk
Breakfast Cereals

Vitamin C
Vitamin C is required by the body in order to maintain a healthy life. In fact, without Vitamin C your body can’t survive. Several studies have shown that taking increased doses of Vitamin C while at the onset of having a cold will reduce the duration. That’s good news for those of us who don’t like to get a cold. Vitamin C is helpful to our immune system as well aiding in the repair of our bodies tissues. It has also been shown to help against the formation of heart disease.

The recommended dosage of Vitamin C is 90mg a day. Sources for Vitamin C include:
Oranges
Lemons
Grapefruit
Potatoes
Broccoli
Red Peppers

Vitamin D
I’m sure just about everyone was told as a child growing up to drink your milk in order to have strong bones. It’s true; Vitamin D promotes strong bone growth in our body, as well as produce calcium in our blood. The recommended daily dosage of Vitamin D is 200IU.

Sources of Vitamin D include:
Milk
Cod Liver Oil
Salmon
Mackerel
Tuna
Sardines
Breakfast Cereal

Vitamin E
This vitamin is essential in protecting your body’s cells against free radicals. Why is this important? Free radicals can damage cells and cause the creation of cardiovascular disease and cancer. Vitamin E also helps with DNA function and the immune system.

The recommended daily dosage of Vitamin E is 10mg. Sources for Vitamin E include:
Plant oils
Margarine
Nuts
Seeds
Salad Dressings

Of course, you can learn more about vitamins by talking with your doctor or health care provider. They can assist in setting you up with a plan on the proper amounts that would be right for you. You can also take one of the many multi-vitamins on the market in order to give your body the vitamins and minerals it needs. There is no question about it, taking the right vitamins and minerals will help you to stay much healthier over the course of time.