Why Do We Need So Many Vitamins Now ?
By Prithu Nath
I have been asked this question repeatedly by so many people and there is a general belief that ones immunity is in perfect order till disaster strikes !
Vitamins & Minerals Play a vital role in the immunity of every individual and shortage of these can result in disaster when the body needs every ounce of immunity to fight a formidable opponent that is striking us with multiple consequences. One must feed their Military i.e. their own immune system specially their T Cells , which is the first and most important line of defense to win.
People tend to eat all kinds of Processed Foods, Junk Foods and the stuff one is not supposed to eat. Besides sitting on a chair and peering at the phone for 14 hours a day without venturing out for exercise or under the sunlight.
Technology, Air conditioning and more money in the pocket has resulted in a sedentary lifestyle with unprecedented consequences on our health.
The food chain has become polluted and the large scale production techniques adopted with fertilizers being used for only growth of plants rather than balanced minerals are also another result of the shortage of certain key nutrients that our body needs specially Zinc.
RO and municipal water is something that one drinks without understanding the long term detrimental health consequences that occur within our body due to the lack of minerals in the water specially Magnesium. We are supposed to drink Spring Water and not Purified RO water that lacks in all minerals. One forgets that our body is more water than anything else and how essential it is to have mineral water from the mountain Springs.
Another issue is the consumption of unbalanced food specially food that one likes rather than food that the body needs. Our urban fast paced lifestyle is another cause of this malady where one tends to cook only things that are easy to cook or can be cooked with least complication.
The Prejudice associated with eating non vegetarian food in many families is resulting in acute shortage of B12, Iron, Omega 3, Zinc and other minerals found only in non vegetarian food. People do not realize that a majority of their brain is made up of fats which are derived from Fish oil. It is impossible to get these from vegetarian food.
To be having adequate Vitamin D levels of 70-80, one needs to work under the sun for at least 5-6 hours a day and that too without wearing much clothing. no one is doing this anymore except a few handful of farmers. Vitamin D plays a very vital role not only in Calcium absorption but also in our immune system.
Leaching of Calcium due to acidic food from the bones, and leaching of Vitamins due to alcohol consumption plus inadequate water consumption that too of the wrong type are more examples of the skewed vitamin and mineral Levels in our body.
FAT & WATER SOLUBLE VITAMINS
Fat Soluble vs. water Soluble Vitamins. The difference between these two groups of vitamins is how they interact with the body when ingested. While fat soluble vitamins are able to be stored in the body within the fat cells for a short period of time, water soluble vitamins can not be stored.
The Fat–Soluble Vitamins: A, D, E and K. Vitamins can be classified based on their solubility. Most are water–soluble, meaning they dissolve in water. In contrast, the fat–soluble vitamins are similar to oil and do not dissolve in water.
For the absorption of Fat soluble vitamins it is essential for one to either consume these vitamins premixed in oil or one must consume healthy fats like Ghee and Olive oil in order for these vitamins to be absorbed and stored in our body.
Fat soluble vitamins can be consumed occasionaly i.e. once or twice a week as they get stored in our body, but water soluble vitamins must be consumed daily as whatever the body does not need is excreted out.
Instead, if they aren’t used or absorbed, they’re excreted out and away.
Which vitamins are Fat Soluble?
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin D
- Vitamin E
- Vitamin K
Which vitamins are Water Soluble?
- Vitamin C
- The B Group Vitamins
- B1 – Thiamin
- B2 – Riboflavin
- B3 – Niacin
- B5 – Pantothenic acid
- B6 – Pyridoxine
- B9 – Folate
- B12 – Cobalamin
Vitamins & Minerals Essential for our Immune System
For a strong & Robust Immune System there are some essential vitamins and Minerals needed. They act like a body Armour or shield . The invaders are looking for chinks in this body Armour to get in and this is where most people are lacking.
Viruses are so smart that they even know that Vitamin D is so important for the immune function to work properly that they block the vitamin D receptors on our immune cells so as to weaken our immunity !
Similarly for the proper functioning of our body the vitamins and minerals are of extreme importance and lack of these allow the invaders i.e. the pathogens to enter more easily for their main aim is to find the weak chinks in our bodies to enter and play havoc inside.
SO VITAMINS VITAMINS VITAMINS ONE NEEDS WITHOUT DOUBT! Look at your parents btw and if you find them to have undergone some major health issues you will realise that they could maybe have been prevented if one knew that their problem was associated with a long term vitamin shortage for example Osteoporosis or Dementia or Arthritis !
Vitamin : A, C, E, D, B2, B6, B9, B12 are very important.
Minerals : Selenium, Zinc, Omega 3 Fatty acids, Butyric Acid, Allicin, Sylimarin, Omega 7, sodium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, manganese, are very important and we will cover them in further articles.