Taking vitamins has long been considered as a prerequisite to good health. In fact, health experts are in agreement, that these organic molecules are needed to be taken by the human body in minute quantities, to ensure proper health. According to these experts, a person deprived of a particular vitamin would eventually exhibit disease symptoms particular to the said vitamin.

The importance of vitamins for good health is a fact well known to everybody. Even children at the primary school level are well aware of this because they are being educated on the importance
of vitamins for their body. But while everybody knows how important vitamins are, not everybody knows where to get them. In fact, many believe that the only source of vitamins is the medicine bottle.

Vitamins, however, are not limited to those that are sold on drug stores as food supplements. In fact, vitamins do exist naturally. To give more light on this topic, it may be better if we give you first a background on the basic types of vitamins available today.

The Basic Types of Vitamins Available in the Market

There are three general types of vitamins being sold in the market today. These three types are the natural vitamins, crystalline vitamins, and synthetic vitamins.

* Natural Vitamins

Natural vitamins are those vitamins that can readily be found in natural foods. If processed into a commercial food supplement, the vitamin must have all of its components intact, including its enzymes, co-enzymes, minerals, mineral activators, and co-vitamin helpers.

* Crystalline Vitamins

Crystalline vitamins are those vitamins that are extracted from natural food sources but were already treated with various high-powered chemicals, solvents, heat and distillations to separate the specific vitamin from all other synergistic components attached to it. As such, these vitamins have a very
simple structure compared to the complex structure of natural vitamins.

* Synthetic Vitamins

Synthetic vitamins are those vitamins that were chemically formed in laboratories by scientists. While they are not derived from any natural source, the structure of these vitamins would usually resemble that of their crystalline counterparts.

As you can see, vitamins are not limited to those found on drug stores and medicine bottles. In this article, we’ll concentrate on those vitamins that can be found on natural food sources–the natural vitamin supplements.

Natural Vitamin Supplements

According to studies, our body needs 13 vitamins for proper bodily functions. These vitamins are composed of the vitamins A, C, D, E, K and the B vitamins. The B vitamins, on the other hand, are composed of thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, biotin, vitamin B6, vitamin B12 and folate.

Now, all these vitamins are available in drug stores in various concentrations. However, all of these 13 vitamins can also be found on natural food sources. In fact, a person having a variety of foods in his diet must already be taking minute amounts of these vitamins everyday. And as have previously been
said, only a minute amount of all these vitamins are needed by the body to function properly.

So if you are interested on keeping your health at its prime, then you can bank on the natural vitamins that nature has to offer. Here is a list of the food sources from which you can extract natural vitamin supplements:

1. Vitamin A

Vitamin A can be found from meat sources and dairy products like milk, cheese, cream, liver, kidney, and cod liver. But since all of these are high cholesterol products, you may want to try getting vitamin A from its precursor, beta-carotene. Common sources of beta carotene are raw carrots, sweet potatoes, winter squash, cantaloupe, spinach, mango, broccoli and other red- or yellow-skinned fruits and vegetables.

2. Vitamin B1 (thiamine)

Common sources of thiamine are fortified breads, cereals, pasta, whole grains, lean meats, fish, peas and dried beans. Some dairy products, fruits and vegetables are also rich in vitamin B1.

3. Vitamin B2 (riboflavin)

Dairy products like milk and yogurt are the primary sources of riboflavin. Other sources are chicken meat, green and leafy vegetables, fruits and almonds.

4. Vitamin B3 (niacin)

Food products that are rich in niacin include dairy products, poultry, fish, lean meats, nuts and eggs. Some legumes and cereals also contain traces of niacin.

5. Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid)

Vitamin B5 rich foods would include, fish, dairy products, poultry, lean beef, yeast and vegetables in the cabbage family. Also rich in vitamin B5 are white and sweet potatoes as well as peanuts and peas.

6. Vitamin B6 (pyroxidine)

Fruits like bananas, watermelons and tomatoes are known sources of vitamin B6. Other common sources are chicken, broccoli, spinach, potatoes, white rice, peanuts, oats and fortified cereals.

7. Vitamin B12

Meat, poultry, fish, shellfish and dairy products comprise the rich sources for vitamin B12.

8. Folate

Green and leafy vegetables are the largest source of folates, although this vitamin can also be found on tomato juice, peas, wheat germ, oranges and mushrooms.

9. Vitamin C

The most common sources of vitamin C are the citrus fruits and their juices like strawberry, melon, cranberry, grapefruit and others. Most other fruits and vegetables also contain small amounts of vitamin C.

10. Vitamin D

The largest sources of vitamin D are dairy products, poultry, and cereals. Aside from these food sources, the body also synthesizes vitamin D when the skin is exposed to the heat of the sun.

11. Vitamin E
Vitamin E is mostly derived from plant oils and products made from it, like margarine and mayonnaise. Other sources include peanuts, whole grains, wheat germ, corn, nuts, olives, spinach and other green and leafy vegetables.

12. Vitamin K

Leafy and green vegetables like cabbage and spinach are the primary source of Vitamin K. Other sources include soybeans, cereals, fruits, beets, potatoes, dairy products, meat products
and poultry. Bacteria found in the stomach and in the intestines can also synthesize vitamin K.

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Vitamin B12 is also used within the body to create the protective covering of all nerve cells.

Whilst an important function of Vitamin B12 is to form healthy red blood cells, all cells need Vitamin B12 to keep them healthy. The white blood cells need Vitamin B12 to in order that the immune system can function properly. Mention has been made of the part Vitamin B12 plays in protecting nerves and this also includes the main organ of the nervous system – the brain.

As with most vitamins and minerals, the amount of Vitamin B12 required by the body is small – but it is essential. For this reason, the body requires a regular supply of animal foods such as liver, eggs, fish and meat – which contain this essential vitamin.

Looking at the sources of Vitamin B12 you will realise that vegetarians and vegans are most at risk of suffering from a dietary deficiency of this vitamin and are therefore likely to require supplements.

Anaemia can be triggered by a Vitamin B12 deficiency as the body’s ability to produce healthy red blood cells will be impaired. Anaemia can also be caused by the body not creating enough Intrinsic Factor to help absorb the Vitamin B12 that is available in the food consumed. The body tends to makes less Intrinsic Factor after the age of 50 and this will lead to less Vitamin B 12 being absorbed suggesting that supplementation may be required.

If free radicals are allowed to grow in number and circulate freely they can lead to disease and illness. Antioxidants form the first line of defence against these damaging molecules.

Antioxidants occur naturally within our bodies and their number can be boosted through a diet rich in these molecules, or by taking a supplement. Experts appear to be unite in their agreement that maintaining high levels of antioxidants does appear to provide added protection against illness, particularly cancer.

Antioxidants are found in Vitamins C and E and special antioxidant blends provided by supplement manufacturers.

But what about these free radicals? Without going into molecular chemistry it is perhaps sufficient to say that these are damaged or deficient molecules which wonder around the body looking for equally damaged molecules to which they can attach themselves. As these free radicals clump together they can form into tissue which is not healthy for the body – such as a tumour.

You will appreciate that anything we can do to reduce the number of free radicals in our bodies is a good thing.

Some rapid weight loss diets declare that they can help you lose lots of weight in a matter of days. This reason for this rapid weight loss does of course come at a price; you are limited to eating only select fruit and vegetables only. You can either cook these or just eat them raw, the choice is yours.

Should you choose to cook your fruit and vegetables you will have to look at your cooking methods. It is no good going on a rapid weight loss diet if you are going to use a load of oil, grease, and fats in your cooking process.

So what’s the best diet for rapid weight loss? The answer to that question is I’m afraid going to be down to you, everybody’s body is different. Because of this different results will be seen from each rapid weight loss diet. Don’t give up if you don’t succeed on your first attempt; try a different quick weight loss diet.

Lastly, do these rapid weight loss diets really work, and are there any symptoms of rapid weight loss? With all diets you are recommended to consult your doctor first, rapid weight loss diets are no different. After your successful rapid weight loss diet you should try to maintain a constant healthy everyday diet to keep the weight off.

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Another reason to use liquid vitamins is convenience. Liquid vitamins are easier to take than solid vitamins. Anyone who has looked at and then choked down a handful of pills can testify to that fact.

Another bonus to liquid vitamins is that you can add them to water or juice and sip them throughout the day. This keeps on ongoing measure of vitamins entering your system. This is much better than overwhelming the system with more nutrition that it can effectively handle at one time and then denying it any more nutrition for the rest of the day. Think of an hourglass?only so much goes through at one time. Similarly your body can only use so much at one time.

A final plus is cost. To get enough in solid vitamins, you need to buy a bottle of this, of that, and then the other. With liquid vitamins, you have one bottle and if it is the right bottle, you might not need much more except maybe a good oil or some protein.

Simplicity is another key. If you take multiple bottles of this and that, you have to think about what you have taken and open and close a number of bottles. This is a real nuisance as anyone who has had to do very much of it can testify.

Liquid vitamins It is the only way to go. I rest my case for liquid vitamins.

Cheryl Jones has been investigating alternative and holistic health solutions for over 30 years and has access to information published generally in advance of mass media publications. www.vitaminfriendly.com