Essential Vitamins

Vitamins are essential food factors. They don’t nourish or provide energy but enable nourishment to be utilized and energy to be generated. Vitamins are activators and regulators, and when they are present in our foods in adequate amounts, they ensure good health. When vitamins are lacking in our foods, deficiency diseases, like heart disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, and arthritis, soon manifest themselves.

Although the discovery of vitamins goes back to the beginning of the last century, men have long recognized the existence of food factors that cured the disease. In 460 B.C. The famous Greek physician Hippocrates correctly advised giving ox liver ( which is rich in vitamin A ) for eye diseases. He also described the disease we know as scurvy, which can be cured with vitamin C.

In 1768 Captain James Cook sailed around the earth, a journey that took “3 years”. He returned without a single death among his crew from scurvy, which was a remarkable achievement in those days. His secret was: he served his men a drink made of sprouted barley, prepared fresh daily, and used liberally.

Unknown to Cook, this drink supplied an abundance of Vitamin C, which is essential to prevent Scurvy.

 

The RDA Levels, which are daily dietary allowances, recommended by the U.S. Government, consisting of Vitamin C (against scurvy) 60mg, Vitamin E, 15 IU, and Vitamin D (against Rickets) 200 IU, did a good job to eliminate those diseases, but consuming the RDA’s will not even come close to helping prevent degenerative disease, and our EPIDEMIC health stats prove that.

Here follows a list of the 10 essential vitamins and minerals:

Vitamin A

This is needed to prevent eye, ear, nose, and sinus trouble; it also prevents kidney and bladder ailments, skin disturbances, and gallbladder infections. This vitamin is essential to prevent Respiratory ailments, such as Bronchitis, Coughs, Colds, etc., and for Colitis and other infections of the Intestinal tract. The richest source of Vitamin A is Fish Liver Oil.

Vitamin B Group: Essential B vitamins group comprises at least eleven vitamins, i.e., B1, B2, B6, B12, pantothenic acid, inositol, niacin, folic acid, biotin, para-amino-benzoic acid, choline, and possible others. A lack of these vitamins can have a damaging effect on the nerves, skin, digestion, appetite, eyes, blood cell supply, and muscle tone, and can cause anemia, headache, migraine, constipation, chronic fatigue, and other ailments. The best sources of the B group vitamins are unprocessed cereals.

Vitamin B1(thiamin) is needed for overweight conditions, palpitation, headache, irritability, excessive fatigue, and edema. Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) loses its potency when exposed to light. This vitamin is beneficial for sores or cracks at the corners of the mouth, burning or dryness of the eyes, disorders of the cornea of the eye, burning sensation of the feet, and ‘twilight’ blindness. It is useful for cataracts in conjunction with vitamins C and E.

Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) This vitamin is used for the more serious forms of neuro-muscular and nervous disease, such as disseminated sclerosis, myasthenia gravis, muscular dystrophy, and Parkinson’s disease; in conjunction with certain other vitamins. It also gives relief in the ‘morning sicknesses of pregnancy.

Vitamin B12 was discovered in 1948 and is now being used most successfully (together with other vitamins) to combat pernicious anemia. This vitamin has several other uses. Beneficial in multiple sclerosis, and other neuro-muscular diseases; in osteoarthritis, osteoporosis (brittle or soft bones), and skin troubles.

Choline. The function of choline is to transport fats in the body. When choline is lacking, fats accumulate in the liver and can lead to liver cirrhosis. a rich source of Choline is liver and wheat germ. It is also found in peas, cabbage, potatoes, soya beans, and spinach.

Folic Acid stimulates the normal growth and reproduction of red blood cells in the bone marrow. The principal use of folic acid is to prevent simple anemia, and it has been used with success to cure this ailment. Folic acid should not be used for pernicious anemia, for which vitamin B12 is necessary.

Niacinamide (Niacin) has proved beneficial for vertigo, nausea, vomiting, skin lesions, head noises, insomnia, neuritis, tender gums, diarrhea, depression, and loss of appetite. A severe deficiency of niacinamide can give rise to pellagra. The symptoms of this disease are skin disorders, digestive disturbances, degeneration of the nervous tissue, and mental aberrations. Pellagra is common among those whose diet has been deficient in the liver, lean meat, milk, eggs, and other protein foods, also green vegetables.

Pantothenic acid is required for the growth and normal functioning of living cells. The richest sources are liver, yeast, and rice polishing. Egg yolk, peanuts, wheat germ, molasses, soybeans, dried peas, and beans are also good sources of this vitamin, which is partially lost by the head of cooking and the use of sodium bicarbonate when cooking vegetables. It is also leached away in the water used for cooking vegetables.

Pantothenic acid is very effective for painful burning feet and the pains of neuritis. It has also been beneficial for inflammation of the intestines and stomach. According to Adelle Davis in “Let’s Eat Right to Keep Fit”, pantothenic acid improves defective memories and ‘appears to offer awards of positive health and perhaps can help to extend youthfulness.’

Para-Amino-Benzoic Acid (PABA) in serious diseases like lupus, rare skin disease, and other vitamins. It is effective in preventing and healing sunburn.

Vitamin C is destroyed by cooking. A lack of vitamin C can result in influenza and colds and fragile capillaries, spongy and bleeding gums, joint pains, rheumatism and arthritis, and bone ailments. It is needed for tissue replacement, cartilage, and strong teeth and bones. What should you eat best sources of vitamin C are fruits and vegetables.

Vitamin D is essential to prevent and cure rickets. It is also required to ensure healthy teeth and bones, normal growth, and heart function. The effect of sunlight on the skin’s oil glands causes a provitamin called ‘ergosterol’ to be secreted on the skin’s surface. After the ergosterol is acted upon by the sun’s ultraviolet rays, it is converted into vitamin D and absorbed into the body through the skin.

Vitamin E. This vitamin is normally present in cereals, cereal, and vegetable oils, before the various refining and attractive processes are commenced. A lack of essential vitamins E gives rise to serious heart ailments, hypertension, high blood pressure, rheumatic heart trouble, hardening of the arteries, varicose veins and ulcers, loss of muscular power, cataract, kidney and liver ailments, and retinal diseases. Vitamin E strengthens muscle tissue and reduces the body’s requirements for oxygen. It also improves circulation, dissolves blood clots, and prevents their formation.

Vitamin F (Lecithin) – also known as unsaturated fatty acids. The best sources of this vitamin are unprocessed cereal and vegetable oils, such as soybean oil, wheat germ oil, peanut oil, olive oil, etc. Levitin is needed to prevent eczema, dandruff, falling hair, brittle nails, underweight conditions, and retarded growth. It is also beneficial in emulsifying cholesterol, a hard and waxy substance that silts up veins and arteries, and leads to the hardening of the arteries and thrombosis.

Vitamin K. Essential vitamins is concerned with the normal coagulation of blood. When it is lacking, blood takes longer to coagulate. Vitamin K concentration tends to be low in newborn babies, which explains several cases of hemorrhagic disease in the newly born. It is now usual to give expectant mothers vitamin K injections, late in pregnancy. Vitamin K is found chiefly in the leaves of green vegetables.

Vitamin P (the flavonoids) comprises hesperidin, rutin, and citrinin Hesperidin is a flavonoid extracted from oranges and appears to be more effective when taken with vitamin C, as each supplement reinforces the action of the other, called synergy. Rutin is obtained from buckwheat.

Extensive clinical research has shown that flavonoids are necessary to prevent capillary fragility. When the capillaries are healthy, the absorption of infection from mucous surfaces during the common cold and influenza is greatly reduced and both ailments are more quickly and easily thrown off.