Natural Sources of Vitamin D

Hi Guys..


Moving on with our awareness of the importance of Vitamins to our body, today i am going to list some important natural sources of Vitamin D. I believe that you would have read our post on The Importance of Vitamin D. If you have not, do read that as well...

Here goes:-


1) Sunlight - This is the most natural source that is available to everyone in the world. No one can complaint that this is not available to them..:) As opposed to popular believe, Morning Sun does not contain Vitamin D instead, the UV rays from the Sun enables our body to synthesize Vitamin D which is sufficient for our body's need. So guys, exposure to the Morning Sun is very important..


2) Milk - When we mention milk, it can be of any type - Cow, Goat, Soy, Rice, Powdered, etc.. but the fact is that none of these raw products have Vitamin D. The one's that has it are those that have been processed. Vitamin D is an added component to any form of milk. So make sure you read the label to see if the type of milk you buy contains Vitamin D or not. 1 Cup of milk a day gives us the required amount of Vitamin D needed.


3) Seafood - Tuna, Mackerel, Cod or any kind of oily seafood has loads of Natural Vitamin D.


4) Whole egg - Consuming 2 whole egg (including yolk) a day can provide us with the Natural Vitamin D we need. The only set back with this is that, it is not a suitable source for those with high levels of cholesterol. Children and adults with no cholesterol issues can use this as a good source..


5) Eel - To you guys who are sushi lovers, a serving of Unagi (Eel) will do the trick... Has pretty high contents of Vitamin D..


6) Beef Liver - Well this guy is not the best source but it still has some amount of Vitamin D.. So to those of you who like it, go ahead and be rest assured that you will be getting some amount of Vitamin D.


Well guys, I have just listed for you the most common sources of Vitamin D... go ahead and get enough of them.. there are many other processed food, drinks etc in the market as well.. all you have to do is read the labels before you get them...


That's all for now.. till our next post.. adios...

Natural Sources of Vitamin A

Hi guys...

Picking up from our previous post on Vitamins.... today i am going to give you a list of Natural sources for Vitamin A, a very important vitamin for our body...

Vitamin A can be found from various vegetables, fruits and meat. It is a norm that when we talk about Vitamin A, the 1st thing that comes to our mind are CARROTS... Well, there's lots more to food with Vitamin A than just carrots..Below is a list of food sources rich in Vitamin A:

Fruits & Vegetables

• Apples
• Apricots
• Asparagus
• Basil
• Beetroot
• Bell peppers
• Broccoli
• Carrots
• Cabbage
• Cantaloupe
• Carrots
• Cayenne pepper
• Chile pepper
• Cucumber
• Collard greens
• Grapefruit
• Green beans
• Guava
• Kale
• Lemons
• Lettuce 
• Mangoes
• Oatmeal
• Oregano
• Papaya
• Parsley
• Peaches
• Peas
• Plum
• Prunes
• Red peppers
• Spinach
• Squash
• Sweet potatoes
• Sweet red peppers
• Tomato
• Turnip
• Watercress
• Watermelon 


Animals:

• Beef
• Cod fish
• Duck
• Egg
• Fish oils
• Lamb
• Milk
• Pork
• Turkey
• Veal


But now the question is how much of these do we need to consume? Ok according to FDA standards, the daily consumption of Vitamin A should be no more than 5000 IU (International Units). 


Next question is, can we get an overdose by consuming Vitamin A rich food? The answer is YES (High Probability) for kids under the age of 6 and YES (lower probability) for everyone else... WHY?? Well, as we all know (if you would have read my previous post on Vit A) Vitamin is a fat soluble Vitamin. This means that our body can store these vitamins in our liver and use it when necessary. Kids under the age of 6 have livers that are not 100% developed plus only require a very small amount of Vit A. Therefore, feeding them with a lot Vit A rich food can lead to overdose. 


In most kids, overdose (Carotenemia - Orange red coloured skin on the palm and sole of the feet) comes due to excessive consumption of carrots (one of the highest Vit A content). Parents have the misconception that since carrots are good for health, they stuff their kids with carrots pretty much every meal. To those of you who are parents, PLEASE do not make that mistake. Too much of anything turns out to be bad for health. It's good to include carrots or equivalent in your childs diet but 1 meal a day is more than sufficient. The most important thing is to have a good balance of everything. 


Anyone above the age of 6 more often than not never get overdosed from food sources because they require more Vit A but because of the way our food is prepared (frying, over-cooking etc) and stored it loses some of its Vit A content. So, generally the amount of food we consume either gives us just the right amount or lesser than what we need. This is why, in most cases a person is diagnosed with some form of Vit A deficiency after the age of 6. 


When it comes to food preparation, it is important to consume vegetables half cooked or preferably raw and meat steamed, baked, grilled etc. It helps retain the Vit A content. 


But lets face facts... In the real world, it is difficult to prepare food all the time the perfect way. The least that we can do is to make sure we have at least 1 Vit A rich component every meal.... 


If with that you still have a Vit A deficiency, you can always visit any pharmacy and get Vit A supplements. Remember, please do consult your doctor before taking Vitamin A supplements as supplements can easily give anyone an overdose if not taken according to our body need. 


Just a few common overdose symptoms: 

• Nausea, loss of appetite and headache are the most commonly observed disorders which occur as a result of vitamin A overdose.
• Along with that hair loss and peeling of the skin will also be experienced by some people.
• Enlargement of the spleen and the liver and menstrual irregularity in females is also observed.
• The people having excess amount of vitamin A might get tired easily and they might also tend to feel weak at times.
• The very common symptom which is observed during the initial stages of vitamin A overdose is dry lips
• In case of chronic vitamin A overdose, notable symptoms include brittle nails, conjunctivitis, abnormal reddening of skin, liver cirrhosis, edema and peripheral neuritis (nerve inflammation)

That's all for now guys... till our next post.. adios...

Benefits of Vitamin A

Hi Guys..


Today I am going to write a on the benefits of Vitamin A. From the previous blog in this category, we know that Vitamin A is a Fat soluble vitamin. Although we may not need loads of it but a certain amount is a must for our body to function at it's best. So now let us see what are the benefits of this Vitamin to us. 


What are the Benefits of Vitamin A?

Benefits of vitamin A are numerous and vary greatly - from protecting eyesight to keeping the skin healthy. Benefits of vitamin A supplements that are available in the pill form help to overcome nutrient deficiency. However, vitamin A supplements are no substitute for natural sources of vitamin A, therefore it is extremely important to know the natural sources of Vitamin A and take them as required. 

Promotes Sharp Vision
Eye health and vitamin A go well together. Gradual vision loss that occurs with age can be easily prevented by including vitamin A in the diet. Poor vision and onset of eye problems like dry eyes and night blindness are often the result of Vitamin A deficiency. For optimal functioning of the eye, proper intake of Vitamin A is essential. From stopping progressive deterioration of retina to improving eyesight, vitamin A does everything to keep the eyes healthy. To reap benefits of vitamin A, many pharmaceutical companies are manufacturing vitamin A eye drops that are extremely useful in the treatment of eye problems like

• Cataracts
• Conjunctivitis (Pink eye)
• Blurred vision

Ensures Healthy Skin
Benefits of vitamin A are not restricted to maintaining eyesight. Topical skin care products containing vitamin A (retinol) can also help to beautify the skin. Skin ailments like acne are often treated with vitamin A. Retinol for acne is often the first line of treatment for this skin problems. Equipped with skin nourishing properties, benefits of vitamin A on face can prevent aging signs like wrinkles and will keep the face looking young years down the line. If a youthful face is what you are looking for, then using topical vitamin A products like tretinoin is a good option. However, application of vitamin A cream alone is not very effective to rejuvenate the skin. So, besides topical usage, one also has to take vitamin A internally to ensure noticeable improvement in the appearance of skin. Benefits of vitamin A cream can be instrumental to alleviate skin problems.

Strengthens the Immune System
After knowing the benefits of vitamin A for skin, lets discuss its advantages that promote immune function. Vitamin A also makes the immune system more effective against various infections by taking vitamin A enriched food on a daily basis. The immune system falling prey to infections is a rare possibility if the diet is rich in vitamin A. The white blood cells, commonly described as the immune system's army, do the job of thwarting any infections. With the presence of vitamin A, the white blood cells can do their assigned task more efficiently, thereby boosting immune function.

Promotes Bone Health
Vitamin A and bone health go hand in hand. For proper development of bones, it is necessary to include vitamin A in our daily diet. Deficiency of vitamin A in adults, especially women, makes them prone to hip fractures. No wonder vitamin A comes in the list of bone health. For healthy strong bones, other than calcium, vitamin A intake is equally important. 

Displays Anti-Cancer Properties
Daily consumption of vitamin A foods can substantially minimize the occurrence of cancer development. Internally certain organs are covered by a membranous tissue known as epithelium. Vitamin A can restrict cancer formation in organs that contain these epithelial tissues. Thus, a diet high in vitamin A can play a major role to lower the risk of cancers associated with the breast, colon, lungs and the esophagus.

These are some of the important benefits of vitamin A that contribute in helping you stay healthy and keep age related disorders at bay. On the whole, to have good eyesight, healthy immune system, glowing skin and strong bones, one simply cannot afford to avoid vitamin A. So, make sure foods high in vitamin A are an integral part of your diet.


Stay tuned for our post on a list of Natural Sources of Vitamin A.. till then.. adios.. 

Overview of Vitamins - What we need and Why?

Hi Guys,

Today i am writing a short article on Vitamins. Vitamins are substances that our body needs to maintain its proper function. They help in digestion, metabolism of fats, carbohydrates and proteins. These complex organic molecules also help build strong bones, teeth and healthy skin. 

Vitamins can generally be divided into 2 categories - Fat Soluble and Water Soluble. What's the difference? 


Fat Soluble Vitamins - Vit A, D, E , K - These guys dissolve in fat when ingested by our body. Our body uses what it needs at that time and stores the balance in our liver for future use. Basically we do not need to consume these vitamins on a daily basis (unless we have a medical condition and prescribed by a doctor) 


Water Soluble Vitamins - Vit C, B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B9, B12 - These guys dissolve in water when ingested by our body. Our body uses what it needs and releases the balance via our urine. It does not store any for future use. therefore, we need these on a daily basis. 


The good part of Vitamins is that our body only needs a little of these(if taken enough and properly) but the bad part is that it is not self produced by our body. Therefore we need to get from an external source(best being from our daily diet)


In our following posts in this category, we will be running by you details of each Vitamin and how we can get them.. So guys stay tuned..Adios..