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Feed Your Chemical Body

By Deborah White, M.D., MBA

You eat chemicals every day. Food is complex combinations of chemicals called proteins, carbohydrates, fats, water, minerals and vitamins. Vitamins are organic substances that are essential in small amounts for your body to prosper and be in health. They work with enzymes in your body to facilitate chemical reactions. Each of the 13 vitamins you require for normal growth and metabolism fall into one of two categories: water-soluble or fat-soluble. Water-soluble vitamins that your body doesn’t use right away wash out of your body in your urine. Your body stores fat-soluble vitamins in your fatty tissue. To get your full complement of vitamins, make sure you eat lean protein, whole grains, healthy fats (mono-unsaturated and polyunsaturated) and a rainbow of fruits and vegetables. The table contains a list of the vitamins you need and a few of the foods that contain them.


Fat Soluble Vitamins


Functions


Food Sources


Vitamin A


Helps in forming and maintaining healthy teeth, bones, soft tissue,
mucous membranes and skin.


Carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, spinach, collard greens, kale, turnip
greens, cantaloupe, eggs, meat, liver, cod.


Vitamin D


Promotes the absorption of calcium for the normal development and
maintenance of teeth and bones; maintains proper blood levels of calcium
and phosphorus.


Fortified cereal, fortified milk, fatty fish like salmon, cheese,
oysters


Vitamin E


An antioxidant; helps with the formation of red blood cells; helps the
body use vitamin K.


Sunflower seeds, almonds, hazelnuts, turnip greens, wheat germ, tomato
products, spinach, olives, vegetable oils.


Vitamin K


Helps blood clot formation.


Dark green leafy vegetables like kale, collard greens, and spinach;
soybeans, blackberries, canola oil, cabbage, cauliflower

 


Water Soluble Vitamins


Function


Food Sources


Vitamin B1 (Thiamine)


Helps cells release energy from carbohydrates; required for heart
function and healthy nerve cells.


Fortified cereals, whole-grains, lean meats, fish, dried beans, peas,
soybeans, mill products, fruits and vegetables.


Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin)


Important in body growth and red blood cell production.


Almonds, milk products, avocados, dark green vegetables


Vitamin B3 (Niacin)


Helps maintain healthy skin; has cholesterol-lowering effects.


Lean  meat, fish, poultry, peanuts and other legumes, whole grains,
nuts, eggs


Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic Acid)


Required for the metabolism of food.  Has a role in the production of
hormones and cholesterol.


Eggs, fish, milk products, whole grains, legumes, yeast, broccoli and
other vegetables in the cabbage family, white and sweet potatoes, lean
beef.


Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine)


Helps the body use protein, form red blood cells and maintain brain
function.


Poultry, fish, beef, nuts, beans, egg yolk, vegetables


Vitamin B7 (Biotin)*


Required for the metabolism of proteins and carbohydrates and in the
production of hormones and cholesterol.


Eggs, fish, milk and milk products, whole grains, legumes, yeast,
broccoli and other vegetables in the cabbage family, white and sweet
potatoes, fruits, meats


Vitamin B9 (Folic Acid; Folate)


Works with B 12 to help form red blood cells.  Required to produce DNA,
which controls tissue growth and cell function.  Low levels in women are
linked to neural tube defects (abnormal formation of the brain and
spinal cord in an embryo).


Peas, beans, dark green leafy vegetables like spinach and mustard
greens; asparagus, oranges and orange juice


Vitamin B12


Helps form red blood cells and maintain the central nervous system.


Milk and milk products, eggs, salmon, trout, beef, poultry, shellfish


Vitamin C


An antioxidant; promotes healthy teeth and gums.  Helps absorb iron,
maintain healthy tissue and promote wound healing.


Citrus fruits and juices, Kiwi fruit, strawberries, cantaloupe, papaya,
tomatoes, broccoli, turnip and other greens, sweet and white potatoes

Sources:
† U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. 2006. USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 19. Nutrient Data Laboratory Home page. http://www.ars.usda.gov/ba/bhnrc/ndl
* Dietary Reference Intakes for Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Vitamin B12, Pantothenic Acid, Biotin, and Choline (1998), National Academy of Sciences. Institute of Medicine. Food and Nutrition Board. Page 384 http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/DRI//DRI_Thiamin/thiamin_full_report.pdf
Medline Plus Medical Encyclopedia, U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health, http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002399.htm

Dr. Deborah White is the founder, President & CEO of Health Meditations, LLC, a health education consulting firm that provides health information on body, mind and spirit for the wise consumer. She is a board-certified Obstetrician-Gynecologist with 22 years of experience overall, including 11 years in patient care and clinical teaching, followed by 11 years in the corporate world. Dr. White earned her medical degree at New York Medical College in Valhalla, New York. She did her OB/GYN residency at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center in New York and has an MBA in Finance from Columbia University. For additional information, go to www.healthmeditations.com or email Dr. White at drdwhite@healthmeditations.com.

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