Vitamins and Minerals
There are nutrients that are very important for our body, for the proper growth and development. Those nutrients are called vitamins and minerals. We get almost all of them from the food that we eat. However, not every food consists of the same amount of these useful nutrients. One of the reasons why junk food is not good for us is that is fills up us, but does not contain a lot of vitamins and minerals.
Two kinds of vitamins can be found: fat-soluble vitamins, such as A , D , E, and water-soluble vitamins, for example B and C. Our body can not store the water-soluble ones, so we need these every day.
We can get vitamin A from citruses and vegetables, such as carrots, peppers, pumpkins or peaches, and from dark green vegetables, like spinach. This vitamin is beneficial for the skin and the eyes. Also, eggs and milk are rich in vitamin A.
There are a large number of different B vitamins. They help to make the red blood cells that carry oxygen to the muscles. They can be found in bread, fish, meat, eggs or beans.
There is a high level of vitamin C in fruit, such as oranges, grapefruit, tomatoes.. and from vegetables , like potatoes, cabbage or broccoli. It is good for the skin, it fights infections and helps the body to absorb the needed iron.
Vitamin D is very unusual because it is the only vitamin that is got from sunshine. Also, it can be found in fish and eggs. This vitamin is particularly important for teeth and bones, as it helps the body to absorb calcium. Also skin, the largest organ of our body needs vitamin D and its the organ who produce it. Over the winter our body needs substantial sources of vitamin D because our skin is not exposed to sun and can’t produce it so this summer give more importance to sun exposure in a protected way.
Several important organs , such as the liver or the lungs , need vitamin E for proper function. One gets it form bread, green vegetables, nuts, eggs and oily fish, like salmon and sardines.
Regarding to minerals, there are two most important ones, calcium and iron. A body needs calcium for strong bones and teeth, while iron helps the blood to carry oxygen around the body. Other useful minerals are magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and zinc. We usually get minerals form meat and fish, but if someone is a vegetarian, plenty of eggs, cheese and beans should be eaten.
