WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT VITAMIN

Vitamin is an organic compound that an organism requires in a limited amounts for normal metabolic processes. There are many types of vitamins with distinguished chemical nature and diverse physiological effects. Vitamins have long been recognized as vital nutrients, which are indispensible for human body.

Different categories of vitamins

Vitamins are classified into 2 categories, namely water and fat-soluble vitamins. Water-soluble vitamins include vitamin C and B complex vitamins while A, E, D, and K vitamins are fat-soluble vitamins. Each type of vitamins performs different functions to human body.

Our bodies require a daily intake of many vitamins. Fat-soluble vitamins are stored in liver and fat tissues of our bodies. These vitamins can be automatically put into use when needed, thus, they do not require daily replenishments. However, if fat intake is too low or fat absorption is compromised, absorption of these vitamins also encounters difficulties as they can only be taken in with the presence of fatty substances.

For water-soluble vitamins, excessive quantity of these vitamins consumed can not exist for long in our bodies as they will be excreted through perspiration and urine. Therefore, intake of such vitamins should be replenished every day.

Sources of Vitamins?

- The richest sources of vitamin A are from milk, eggs, liver, cereals, green leafy vegetables, carrots, potatoes, pumpkin, fruits such as papayas, mangoes, red melons.

- Vitamin C can be found in red fruits, red and green peppers, tomatoes, cauliflower, sweet leaf bush, guavas, grapefruits, oranges, berries.

- Vitamin D can be synthesized by the body through skin when receiving sufficient sunlight. Besides, vitamin D can also be found in egg yolks, fish, liver, mushroom and supplementary foods.

Vitamin B12 can be found in fish, red meat, poultry, cheese and eggs.

- Vitamin B1, B3 are available in breads, cereals, meat, fish, French beans, soybeans, peas.

- Vitamin B2 can be found in peas, peanuts, dairy products, cauliflower, asparagus shoots, dark green vegetables, cereals.

- Sources of Vitamin K include green vegetables, fermented cheese, soybean products, cabbages cauliflower, cereals. 

How to keep vitamin for sufficient intake?

As vitamins play an important role in dietary supplementation of nutrients, following principles of food processing in daily meals should be noticed:

- Some vitamins of A, E, D, K are fat-soluble, so limited fat should be added when processing these vitamin containing foods for better absorption of our bodies.

- Such vegetables and fruits of cucumbers, pumpkins, potatoes or tomatoes will lose their nutrients if keep refrigerated. To avoid that loss, these foods should be thoroughly cooked before putting in refrigerator.

- Vitamins are vunerable to be broken when cooked at high temperature, thus, vitamin containing foods should never be overcooked.

- Fruits should not be soaked into sinks but directly washed under tap to prevent some vitamins and minerals from being water-soluble.

- Vitamins are mainly located in fruit’s peel or right beneath the peel. To avoid loss of vitamin, peel your fruit as thinly as possible or even eat its peel if that fruit has been properly washed.