If you want your body to function properly and grow well, there are many wellness factors to consider. However, if you really want to look after your overall wellbeing, one thing that is unavoidable is ensuring that you get the right levels of essential vitamins and minerals.
These powerful little substances play a vital part in your health. Vitamins are organic, manufactured by plants and within the bodies of animals. Minerals, on the other hand, are inorganic substances that are found abundantly in nature. Plants absorb various minerals from natural elements like soil and water, and so consuming plants is the way in which humans can get them. Various foods have different minerals and vitamins present in them in varying quantities, and so all you need is to consume a balanced diet to get all the nutrients you need.
You can get vitamin A, for example, from carrots, cod liver oil, milk products, yellow fruit like bananas, and leafy, green vegetables such as spinach. This vitamin is important for good skin, healthy bones and teeth, immunity and, most importantly of all, vision. A whole group of vitamins fall under vitamin B, but they’re all vital for helping in the formation of red blood cells and nerves, and preventing weak nails, skin inflammation and fatigue. You can get B vitamins, such as B2, B3,B5, B6 and B12, from fish, banana, cheese, poultry products, and whole grains like rice and cereals.
Also known as ascorbic acid, Vitamin C is found in tomatoes, berries, citrus fruits like oranges, and peppers, and plays a vital role in your immune system, protection from various bacteria and viruses, healing wounds, reducing cholesterol and for the lifespan of your cells. Vitamin E also helps in cell growth, and is important for the health of your red blood cells, as well as being an antioxidant that keeps your skin looking healthy and glowing. You can source your vitamin E from vegetable oils, nuts, wheat germ and whole grains.
One vitamin that is hard to obtain naturally from food is vitamin D, so most people need to produce it with the help of sunlight on the skin, which your body then transforms into vitamin D. You need vitamin D to absorb calcium, and so it is a very important vitamin for the health of teeth and bones. For those times when sunlight just isn’t available (which is often in the UK!) vitamin D can be derived from cod liver oil, sardines, salmon, tuna, milk and various fortified dairy products.
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