The benefits of vitamins
and minerals are many, but they are no replacement for
food. Vitamins and minerals help keep billions of cells
healthy and encourage them to grow and reproduce. Some
supply the keys to unlocking the energy in the carbohydrate,
fat, and protein in the foods you eat. A vitamin or mineral
has no caloric or energy value by itself, but when taken
as a dietary supplement to your daily food intake, they
can help supplement your daily diet by balancing out the
deficiencies of improper eating habits, overcooked foods,
and non-nutritive processed foods
Vitamins and minerals differ in basic ways. Vitamins are
organic and can be broken down by heat, air, or acid.
Minerals are inorganic and hold onto their chemical structure.
That means the minerals in soil and water easily find
their way into your body through the plants, fish, animals,
and fluids you consume. But it's tougher to shuttle vitamins
from food and other sources into your body because cooking,
storage, and simple exposure to air can inactivate these
more fragile compounds. Minerals actually become components
of the body structure - bones, cartilage, toenails, and
fingernails and they contribute toward hardness and strength.
Minerals help accelerate the billions of chemical reactions
occurring in your body all the time. Some help in the
efficient destabilization of proteins, fat, and carbohydrates.
Other help regulate the utilization of certain vitamins.
Deficiency in vitamin C causes the bleeding gums and scurvy,
Vitamin A leads to blindness and many children develop
the soft, deformed bones of rickets because they don't
get enough vitamins.
