Over the next few weeks we will be discussing Vitamins and Minerals. We will be discussing one vitamin or mineral at
a time discussing what it is, what it does and factors that affect absorption. We will also be giving you a general list of food items that contain the vitamin or mineral that we will be discussing for that week.
Before we begin lets first discuss the difference between a vitamin and mineral. A vitamin is any compound that contains carbon and therefore is organic. There are two classes of vitamins…fat soluble A, D, E and K or water soluble, B and C.
Minerals on the other hand do not contain carbon and are what we call inorganic. There are macro- minerals and micro-minerals. Macro-minerals are calcium, chloride, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium and sodium. Micro-minerals are: chromium, iron, copper, zinc, iodine, manganese, molybdenum, selenium and iron.
There are many factors that can decrease the absorption of vitamins and minerals they are: alcohol, caffeine, antibiotics, stress, corticosteroids, aspirin, diuretics, oral contraceptives, sugar and tobacco. Therefore if you lifestyle includes any of these factors and you are not well there could be a good chance that you are not absorbing your essential nutrients. You will learn over the next few weeks the critical affect that each of the vitamins and mineral have over the health of your body.
This week we will be discussing Vitamin A
What it is: Vitamin A is a fat soluble vitamin. So what does this mean? This means that Vitamin A is found in the fat tissue of plants and animals. In addition we have the ability to store this vitamin in our own fat tissue. This can be a bitter sweet situation. On the good side, we can store Vitamin A in our fat and the body can use it as needed. However, we can also store too much and risk becoming toxic. Typically this is not the problem in our society because: 1. we don’t consume enough of healthy fat so that our bodies can store Vitamin A and 2. We have a difficult time absorbing vitamins/minerals because of our poor food choices and poor intestinal health.
What is does: Vitamin A:
- Is an antioxidant, helps with vision, and increases the immune system
- Is needed for the growth and development in healthy bones, skin, teeth, lungs and intestinal tract.
- Is needed for the absorption of Calcium
- Helps prevent birth defects and has a role in red blood cell production
Factors that decrease Vitamin A absorption are a Vitamin E and or Zinc deficiency, alcohol use and medications like cortisone and Iron.
Foods that contain Vitamin A:
There are many foods (too many to list) that contain Vitamin A. Vitamin A comes primarily from vegetables. Here are a few of the more common sources of Vitamin A…are you getting your daily allotment of Vitamin A?
- Carrots
- Butternut Squash
- Sweet Potatoes
- Spinach
- Kale
- Swiss chard
- Cantaloupe
- Red Peppers
- Bok Choy
- Romaine Lettuce
- Apricots
- Orange tomatoes
- Broccoli
- Goat Cheese
- Red Cherries
Caution! Vitamin A that has been added to milk. The Vitamin A that is added to milk is Vitamin “A” palmitate and has been shown to increase bone fractures at high doses.
We hope that this has been helpful. If you have more specific questions or concerns please feel free to call us and set up a consultation either in person or over the phone. We are here to help you.
Lori Metroka Yu
Nutrition & Wellness Specialist
Resource: The power of nutrient dense food by Pattie Weller, C.C.N
Picture by: http://www.wuchi.co.uk/pictures/ind467f086b35a07l.jpg
