The Basics On Vitamins

We’ve posted a lot of articles on vitamins over the years. But sometimes it’s good to back up and do an overview, or a “vitamins 101.”

We recently reported to you on the benefits of doing a detox for yeast infections, so here’s your next step: getting your diet back on track afterward.

Having a healthy diet with a wide variety of vitamins and minerals is essential for optimal body functioning, energy and longevity.

You can watch the video I made about the basic on vitamins here, or read on below.

What Are Vitamins And Minerals?

Vitamins and minerals are nutrients that your body needs to function, but can’t produce on its own. As a result, your body relies on food or supplements to get what it needs.

There are water soluble vitamins – such as C and B vitamins – and fat soluble vitamins: A, D, E, and K.

Important minerals include calcium, magnesium, and iron.

What Are Some Signs Of Vitamin Deficiency?

Vitamin deficiencies each have their own signals and signs. Here are some of the more common ones.

Vitamin C Deficiency

You’ll get scurvy.

Although this might make you laugh, it can still happen from too much beer and pizza and not enough vegetables.

If left long enough, scurvy is deadly. But It’s incredibly simple to provide treatment for.

Just eat some oranges, for goodness’ sake!

Vitamin A Deficiency

Vitamin A deficiency can lead to nyctalopia, or night blindness. This is an inability to see in dim or low light.

There are a few different possible causes for nyctalopia, including glaucoma, cataracts, diabetes, and of course, vitamin A deficiency.

Vitamin B Deficiency

Deficiency in B-vitamins is more common in women, particularly if they’re on the birth control pill. In particular, vitamins B6, B9, and B12. This is because it depletes vitamin B stores, and manifests in low energy.

Vitamin B12 deficiency is also more common in vegetarians, because it’s hard to find B12 in sufficient quantities in plant-based foods. While vegetarian/vegan diets are safe, it’s important to replace the nutrients you used to get from animal sources.

What’s The Best Way To Get Vitamins And Minerals?

Of course, it’s always preferable to get your vitamins and minerals through your diet. This is because there are other benefits to your body when you process whole foods.

The problem is that our diets are often overly-processed and genetically modified. As a result, they tend to contain less of the good things that we need.

Fresh, raw, organic vegetables are best. When you irradiate it, salt it, freeze it, or heat it, you lose a lot of the nutrients.

However, you can take an oral multivitamin to top things up.

Another good solution is to talk to your naturopath about getting multivitamin doses by IV formulated to your needs.

How Do You Know What Vitamin Is The Best Option?

It can be confusing; with so many vitamins, a whole wall of bottles, which do you choose?

Many people don’t even know what they’re looking for, so they don’t know how to compare one against the other.

Here are a few guidelines for what to look out for in multi-vitamins:

• Try to find one where the minerals are in citrate form. They absorb better in your system without other interventions (example: magnesium citrate)
• Be aware of binders and fillers, such as dyes and aluminum
• For women, you may want to look for one that has the full spectrum of the B vitamins included

How Do You Know Which Vitamins You Need?

My best recommendation for this one is to talk to a naturopath. This is because there’s no easy, one-stop-shop answer for this question.

Everyone’s body is different. Everyone has different eating habits. So everyone needs something different.

As I already referenced with B vitamins: certain groups, genders and age brackets all suffer from different natural deficiencies. These factors need to be accounted for.

A naturopath will likely do tests to determine your current vitamin levels. They’ll also include a discussion about life and health. This helps them understand the big picture.

Lastly, a good naturopath will tailor a course of vitamins to your specific needs.

Questions? Ask Dr. JJ!

It’s important to make sure you’re getting enough vitamins and minerals. It’s a foundation for good health, optimal body functions, and maximum energy with which to live an amazing life.

I’m passionate about helping people find optimal health. This is one of the first places I look, to make a profound difference in people’s lives.

Call now to book your appointment with me – I’d love to hear about your health goals and help you get there with a custom plan I’ll draw up just for you.