Jeneve Ruben, age 12, of Pittsburgh, Penn., for her question:
WHERE CAN YOU GET VITAMINS?
One of the first to realize that a deficiency or lack in the diet could cause harm was the surgeon general of the Japanese Navy, Kanehiro Takaki, who in 1882 greatly reduced the number of beriberi cases among naval crews by adding meat and vegetables to their diet of rice. Later others found that polished rice was not as good as rice with the hulls.
A vitamin is a complex material that is necessary to the human body for growth and health. It is not a fuel. Some vitamins are made by the body but most must be supplied.
The very best way to obtain vitamins is to eat food in which they can be found naturally. Also, many doctors prescribe vitamins in pill form.
Medical authorities report there are about 25 different vitamins that are important to the nutritional needs of humans. Again, they can be obtained by eating a proper diet.
Vitamin A aids in the building and growth of body cells. Because of this, it is absolutely necessary that children have a proper amount just as it was necessary for a mother to be properly supplied before her baby was born. Vitamin A also helps maintain skin and eyes.
An abundance of vitamin A is found in carrots, spinach, sweet potatoes, liver, egg yolk, green and yellow vegetables and milk.
Vitamin B complex is a group of more than 15 vitamins. It is needed for carbohydrate metabolism and the release of energy from food. In addition, it helps the heart and nervous systems to function properly.
The various vitamin B benefits can be obtained from yeast, meat, whole grain cereals, nuts, soybeans, peas, most vegetables, milk, cheese and milk products.
Vitamin C, which is also called ascorbic acid, is necessary for sound bones and teeth and is also needed for tissue metabolism and wound healing. It is found in citrus fruits, tomatoes, raw cabbage, potatoes, strawberries and cantaloupes.
Vitamin E, which helps maintain heart and skeletal muscles, is found in whole grain cereals, lettuce and vegetable oils, while vitamin D, which is essential for calcium and phosphorus metabolism, is found in fish liver oils, fortified milk, eggs, tuna, salmon and sunlight.
Vitamin K, which is needed for normal blood clotting and is made by intestinal bacteria, is obtained by eating leafy vegetables. Leafy green vegetables also provide folic acid which is needed for the production of red blood cells.
Vitamins are divided into two general classes: the fat soluble vitamins which include A, D, E, and K and the water soluble vitamins which include C and the B complex group.