Essential Vitamins

Vitamins are organic substances made by plants and animals. Our bodies need thirteen vitamins to function properly. They can all be found in food. Each one plays an important role. Three of the most important vitamins are vitamin A, C, D. These vitamins are essential to maintain good health.

Vitamin A is important for your eyes and skin health. Vitamin A helps our eyes work well. It helps form the coloring in our retina. The retina is at the back part of the eye. The coloring in our retina allows us to see things. Not getting enough Vitamin A can damage the retina. This can cause poor eyesight and even blindness. Vitamin A also helps the body maintain normal skin. It does this by changing new, immature skin cells into mature skin cells. Vitamin A can be found in green, leafy vegetables like spinach and broccoli.

Vitamin C is essential to the health of our skin, bones, and other body tissues. Vitamin C is needed to make collagen, which is a protein that holds our cells together. Collagen is found in our bones and muscles. It is also in our skin and other organs. People who do not get enough Vitamin C cannot make enough collagen. As a result, they may suffer from a rare disease bleed. Wounds may appear on the skin. Teeth become loose. The gums start to bleed. Eventually, acne may appear on the skin. To get plenty of vitamin C, fruits such as oranges and strawberries are recommended.

Vitamin D keeps our bones strong. It does that by helping our body absorb calcium. Calcium is a mineral our body uses to build bones. We get calcium from things we eat and drink. If we do not get enough vitamin D, we cannot absorb enough calcium. Eggs and mushrooms are good sources of vitamin D.

All of these essential vitamins are found in foods. Therefore, if we eat a balanced diet, we should have no trouble getting enough vitamins. Some people, however, have trouble getting enough vitamins from food. For those people, vitamin supplements may be a good choice. I don’t take a lot of vitamin A, but I am trying to eat a balanced meal.