Britney Tuttle

HW499 – Unit 4

VitaminsWhat you didn’t know

Vitamins - Your Body’s Need

Vitamins are essential for your body’s proper production.

Vitamin A, B Vitamins, and Vitamins C, D, E, and K.

A good resource to consider when wondering about vitamins and your body’s need for them is National Institute of Health at www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/vitamins.html

Research on Vitamin Supplements

“Just because a supplement is promoted as natural doesn’t necessarily mean it’s safe” (NIH, 2013).

Overdose may occur if vitamins are not properly taken

An early study suggested that men who took vitamin E might have a lower risk of developing prostate cancer-but more research showed that taking supplements of vitamin E actually raised their risk of disease (NIH, 2013).

If supplements are bad, where can you get vitamins?

You can get all vitamins from food you eat

Vegetarians may need to take a B12 supplement

The National Institute of Health website has a breakdown of each vitamin and how it is helpful for your body.

Vitamins

“It’s possible to get all of the nutrients you need by eating a variety of healthy foods, so you don’t have to take one” (Haggans, 2013).

Vitamin A, an antioxidant, can be found in colorful fruits and vegetables, as well as liver and whole milk.

B vitamins help your body use and make energy

Vitamins

Vitamin C is also an antioxidant that is important for skin and bones

Vitamin E plays a role in the immune system

Vitamin D can be made by the body, as well as absorbed through the skin from the sun

Green vegetables and dark berries can provide Vitamin K

Are you eating enough Powerhouse vegetables?

There are certain foods that can actually provide more nutrients than others

Watercress, Chinese cabbage, chard and beet greens pack huge doses of vitamins and minerals

The Office on Women’s Health has a website that lists vitamins, how to get them, and what they do for your body – www.womenshealth.gov

Nutritional Advice

Dietary advice is constantly changing

Center for Disease Control and Prevention has provided us with information on essential vitamins and minerals and how you can get each one

Kaplan University also provides adequate resources for the basic information about proper vitamin nutrition

http://www.cdc.gov/nutrition/everyone/basics/vitamins/index.html

http://www.healthandwellness.kaplan.edu/articles/nutrition/A%20New%20Look%20at%20Nutrition.html

Resources

Center For Disease Control and Prevention. (2011). Vitamins and Mineral. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/nutrition/everyone/basics/vitamins/index.html.

Haggans, C. (2013). Should You Take Dietary Supplements? Retrieved from http://newsinhealth.nih.gov/issue/Aug2013/Feature1.

Kaplan University. (2014). A New Look At Nutrition. Retrieved from http://www.healthandwellness.kaplan.edu/articles/nutrition/A%20New%20Look%20at%20Nutrition.html.

National Institute of Health. (2014). Are You Eating Enough Powerhouse Vegetables? Retrieved from http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_146658.html.

National Institute of Health. (2014). Vitamins. Retrieved from http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/vitamins.html.

Office on Women’s Health. (2008). Fitness and Nutrition. Retrieved from http://www.womenshealth.gov/fitness-nutrition/nutrition-basics/vitamins.html.