If you're beginning to understand that healthy eating is truly about making smart choices, then you've arrived at the right place!
Medindia's interactive '
Vitamins and Minerals in Food Items' tool can assist you in calculating the precise quantity of vitamins and minerals in your diet.
Why do we need vitamins and minerals? Our body needs a fresh supply of vitamins and minerals everyday to function properly and for normal growth and development. Vitamins and minerals obtained from a healthy diet work together and separately to maintain the health of tissue, organs, muscles, nerves, bones and blood. In addition, certain
vitamins are necessary to absorb certain minerals. For example Vitamin C helps in the absorption of iron needed to prevent anemia(
1✔ ✔Trusted Source
The Efficacy and Safety of Vitamin C for Iron Supplementation in Adult Patients With Iron Deficiency Anemia: A Randomized Clinical Trial.
Go to source) and
Vitamin D is needed to absorb calcium, essential for strong bones and teeth(
2✔ ✔Trusted Source
Vitamin D and bone health: potential mechanisms
Go to source).
Why do our body need minerals? Minerals help in forming bones, making hormones and regulating the heartbeat. Some
minerals like calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium are needed in large amounts and they are termed as
macrominerals(3✔ ✔Trusted Source
Diet and Health: Implications for Reducing Chronic Disease Risk.
Go to source). On the contrary,
trace elements like chromium, copper, selenium, iron and zinc are very essential, but needed only in small quantities every day.
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Interesting Facts about Vitamins and Minerals:
| ❖ | Vitamins can be fat-soluble or water-soluble. Fat-soluble vitamins such as vitamins A, D, E, and K dissolve in fat and are stored in the body. Water-soluble vitamins like the B vitamins (B1, B2, B6, B12) and Vitamin C that dissolve in water, cannot be stored by the body for long, pass through the kidneys and lost in urine(4✔ ✔Trusted Source
Biochemistry, Water Soluble Vitamins
Go to source). Except vitamin B12, which is stored in the liver, water soluble vitamins should be taken daily. |
| ❖ | Vitamin E and vitamin C act as an antioxidant that help prevent cell damage caused by the action of free radicals(5✔ ✔Trusted Source
Antioxidant effects of vitamins C and E are associated with altered activation of vascular NADPH oxidase and superoxide dismutase in stroke-prone SHR.
Go to source). |
| ❖ | Vitamin B12 plays a major role in forming red blood cells, synthesizing DNA and proper functioning of neurological system. Deficiency of vitamin B12 may lead to megaloblastic anemia, fatigue, weakness, constipation, loss of appetite and weight loss. It can even cause numbness and tingling in the hands and feet(6✔ ✔Trusted Source
Vitamin B12 in Health and Disease
Go to source). |
| ❖ | Vitamin C requirement is increased by 35 mg for smokers and those who are exposed to second hand smoke(7✔ ✔Trusted Source
Vitamin C
Go to source). |
| ❖ | Only 1% of the total body calcium is needed for the metabolic functions while remaining 99% is utilized to provide strength and structure for bones and teeth(8✔ ✔Trusted Source
Dietary Reference Intakes for Calcium, Phosphorus, Magnesium, Vitamin D, and Fluoride
Go to source). |
| ...Read more |
Recommended Readings on Vitamins and Minerals in Food Items
Mineral deficiency is a condition in which the concentration of an essential mineral element in the body becomes very low and leads to impairment of function.
Vitamin B1 or thiamine is a B complex, water-soluble vitamin necessary for brain, heart, nerve and eye health. Vitamin B1 deficiency can cause beriberi.
Vitamin D the sunshine vitamin is essential for strong bones. Vitamin D deficiency is reportedly increasing worldwide and cause bone pain and muscle weakness.
Vitamin E is a fat soluble vitamin with antioxidant properties. Naturally found in some foods and also as a dietary supplement, Vitamin E deficiency is rare condition.
Vitamins are essential for our body to grow and develop normally. Vitamin deficiencies are widespread. Understand the role of dietary sources in vitamin deficiency prevention.
Pregnancy Calorie Intake Calculator is a pregnancy calorie guide and a quick calculator to check calorie intake when you are pregnant. Find out how much energy (calorie) a pregnant woman needs in each trimester.
Mineral Chart (Recommended Mineral Intake Calculator) calculates the recommended dietary allowance of various minerals and helps you know their deficiency symptoms, functions and sources.
With increasing health awareness, a lot of people are making sure that they eat nutritious food. A well-balanced diet is not only important for growing children, it is equally important for the middle-aged group as well as the elderly. But are your ...
A popular garden herb, mint has earned worldwide fame both in the kitchen as well as health. A tasty garnish and rich in Vitamins this tiny herb has more to offer but we fail to mint it all out of it.
Minerals are important for our body and are helpful to keep the vital organs functioning. Hence we should know the right amounts of the important minerals to be included in our daily diet.
Everyone requires good nutrition, be it man, woman, child or elderly. However, nutrition that men need differs slightly from that required by women. Find out how ...
Foods rich in dietary potassium, calcium and anti-oxidants such as rutin, kukoamine and vitamin C can lower your high blood pressure significantly.
Include vegetables and fruits as part of your diet and improve your overall health.
Certain natural foods have unique ingredients that can enhance the health of people living with diabetes. Learn about them through this slideshow.
Vitamin B-12 is also known as cobalamine or cyanocobalamine, owing to the presence of the metal, cobalt. Cyanocobalamine is used in most supplements because it is readily converted to active forms of vitamin B-12 in the body.
Vitamins play an equally important part in the synthesis of neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitters in the brain also help maintain good mood while keeping one''s mental faculties sharp
Vital info about vitamin C, its molecular structure, dietary sources, beneficial aspects, symptoms of deficiency and toxicity, supplementation tips and related research news are discussed in detail
Keep a track of the calorie intake in your daily diet and pave the way for health and fitness with the help of the calorie chart of Indian food.
The blood sugar chart gives you the fasting glucose values and glucose tolerance test values for normal people and people with early diabetes and established diabetes. Also use the calculator to find out if you have diabetes.
Dr. Rajan HandaDEHM,BEMS,MDEH, NDDY, MDAM, Ph.D. Honorary, DNHE, Doctorate of Natural Medicine / DNMA, Executive Therapist
26 years experience
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Nice to see these information here. Why do we check which mineral is in which food. Just take one NUTRILITE Daily, which will give you 13 Vitamin and 11 Minerals. Check out NUTRILITE Daily.