How Vitamins Work

Common vitamins – their health benefits and sources.

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To promote growth and good health, we must fully understand how this complex machine (body) works. For it to function and work properly, a steady flow of nutrients working together harmoniously must be maintained. It is a common knowledge that our body can’t produce all the nutrients it needs; thus, we need to collect other substances from food. We can achieve this by taking in daily doses of multivitamins and minerals through supplements.

Vitamins are chemical compounds that fall into 2 categories: water-soluble — vitamin C and B-complex vitamins(such as vitamins, B6, B12) and fat-soluble – vitamins — A,D,E, and K.

Here is a list of these common vitamins – their health benefits and sources:

Vitamin A – promotes normal vision and regulates cell growth.
Sources: green leafy vegetables, broccoli, carrots, squash.

Vitamin B1 – helps produce energy from carbohydrates in body cells.
Sources: beef, bread, pork, corn, rice.

Vitamin B2 – helps produce energy in body cells.
Sources: beef, eggs, milk.

Vitamin B6 - facilitates the production of protein components as well as helps body produces chemical like antibodies, hemoglobin and insulin. antibodies.
Sources: animal meat, bananas, broccoli, spinach.

Vitamin B12 — keeps the brain healthy. Vitamin B12 also regulates red blood cells and helps maintain healthy nerve cells.
Sources: found almost exclusively in animal products.

Vitamin D – sustains bone health and density by allowing the body to retain calcium and phosphorus.
Sources: egg yolk and milk.

Vitamin E - it boosts the body’s immune functions. A powerful antioxidant, vitamin E protects your cells against free radicals.
Sources: butter, brown rice, nuts, vegetable oils, such as soybean oil and corn oil.

Vitamin K- produces protein for bones and kidneys.
Sources: green leafy vegetables, cereals, dairy products, eggs, milk, and other vegetables.

Niacin – assists acids in producing energy in cells, helps enzymes in their normal function, and helps your body use sugars and fatty acids.
Sources: protein-rich foods

Folate - enhances the production of new cells. Work together with vitamin B12 to produce hemoglobin in red cells.
Sources: breakfast cereals, whole wheat products, meat, vegetables like asparagus, beans, and leafy green vegetables, fruits such as bananas, oranges, lemons, and tomatoes.

The Bible’s Seven Wonder Foods

Are there wonder foods mentioned in the Bible? The answer is Yes! In Deuteronomy 8:8, God promised the Israelites as they reached the Promise Land that it was “a land of wheat and barley, and vines, and figs trees, and pomegranates; a land of olive trees and honey.”

At that time, the word “antioxidant” might have been a strange word for them, but they were about to add into their diet a list of biblical “super-foods.” Read on to know more details about these wonder foods.

Wheat

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Considered the World’s most important grain, wheat offers tremendous health benefits. Wheat is a major ingredient in making bread, cakes, crackers, pasta and muffins. This grain is rich in vitamins A, B, E, K, D, manganese, magnesium, calcium, potassium, zinc, cobalt, sodium, among others. Adding whole-wheat products to your diet ensures a diet rich in proteins. Regular consumption of 100% whole-wheat food items offer 30% of the body’s daily fiber need. Also, these products have high amount of magnesium and manganese.

Below are some more health benefits from eating wheat-based food:

* Whole-wheat has fat essential acids helpful in lowering cholesterol level and blood coagulation, which decreases the risk of heart-related diseases.
* A whole-wheat rich diet regulates the body’s blood glucose, which decreases the risk of type-2 diabetes.
* Consuming whole-wheat products prevents visceral obesity.
* High in fiber contents, whole-wheat consumption decreases the risk of cancer.

Barley

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Barley is another type of healthy whole grain, found in cereals and bakery items such as breads, pastry and cakes. Since ancient times, barley is used for medical purposes. Barley is rich in vitamins, proteins, amino acids minerals as well as fiber that is vital to our health.

Below are some health benefits of barley:

* A regular diet of barley aids in lowering cholesterol level, thus reducing the risk of type-2 diabetes and colon cancer.
* Regular consumption of barley prevents rheumatoid arthritis and obesity.
* Barley also helps in weight loss thus prevents obesity.
* Regular intake of barley, reduces high blood pressure and other heart diseases.
* Barley alleviate asthma, fever, stomach pains and ulcers.

Grapes

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Aside from the healthy red wine and grape juice, grapes have other health benefits. High in falconoid and antioxidants, grapes reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease and blood clots. Grapes are rich in potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron and other essential minerals as well as vitamins like A, C, B6; nutrient the body needs.

Here are other health benefits of grapes:

* Grapes ease asthma.
* Grape juice alleviate migraine, eases constipation and dyspepsia.
* Grape juice is also a good energy booster and boost immune system.
* Regular consumption of grapes reduces the risk of muscular degeneration and impairment of vision caused by aging.
* Grapes have anticancer properties since grapes contain resveratrol
Red wines have antiviral properties that prevent infections.

Figs

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These sweet but seasonal fruit, is a good source of vitamins including A, B1, and B2, as well as mincemeats like calcium, potassium, sodium, manganese, iron, chlorine and phosphorus, manganese, sodium, potassium and chlorine. Since figs are also rich in dietary fiber, adding figs to your diet aids in weight loss.

Below are other health benefits of figs:

* Figs boosts memory power.
* Figs prevents indigestion, constipation, cough, sore throats, asthma, anemia and diabetes.
* Figs contain Pectin that helps in reducing cholesterol level and prevents hypertension.
* Prevents heart diseases, breast cancer and colon cancer.
* Prevent vision loss and macular degeneration caused by aging.

Pomegranate

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These reddish-pink fruits are also pack with several health benefits. Among the health benefits are:

* Pomegranate is good in treating sun burns, sore throats, colds, cough, skin disorder and urinary infections.
* Pomegranate is rich in antioxidants that stop blood clots and lowers the risk of Alzheimer’s.
* Pomegranate juice lowers cholesterol levels and prevents heart attacks.
* Pomegranate is also good in the treatment of anemia, arthritis and diabetes.
* Studies showed that pomegranates prevent breast cancer.

Olive Oil

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When picking fats, olive oil may come first in the list of good oils. It has monounsaturated fat that lowers LDL levels in the blood helpful in reducing the danger of heart disease. Olive oil is also rich in vitamin E that reduces the risk of colon cancer.

Other health benefits of olive oil includes:

* Relieve gastritis and ulcer.
* Prevents gallstone formation.
* Lowers blood pressure.
* Lower blood sugar level.
* Ease asthma and arthritis pain.
Promote normal body weight.

Honey

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Since a good source of carbohydrates, raw honey provides the body the energy it needs as well as boosting the immune system.

Drinking or adding honey to your diet offers other health benefits such as:

* Honey is a common home remedy for treating sore throats, asthma, arthritis pain and even athlete’s foot.
* Honey also prevents swelling and inflammation from wounds, cuts, or burns
* Honey is a good cleansing tonic that helps maintain a healthy digestive system.
* Studies showed that honey can prevent hair loss.