So this is how it is. When you write on any health subject there is always someone who wants to know more. This is why we write. To help someone who does not know what we know, or to help someone learn about the subject that wants to find out more.

I was asked to write an article with my frequently asked questions to go with my series on health I am currently writing. I thought it was a great idea so here it is.

Let me say first though that this is the "real condensed" version for those of you who need to find something quickly.

Usually when I am asked questions about anything having to do with health, it is a question that I do not expect. It generally goes like this: "Should I switch to coconut oil as the oil I cook with?" Or sometimes it is: "Can I eat pork?" Or even: "I don't like all that vegetarian stuff. Can I still eat meat and be healthy?"

What people do not know about their own health is staggering. We must find a common ground to start with in this discussion.

How about if I start explaining how to begin to become "in better health"?

I think that we need to learn just a few basics and then we can communicate much better on this nutrition subject.

The vitamins and minerals we need for our bodies to function are in the food that we eat. We need a certain amount of these nutrients on a daily basis to keep our bodies running in full capacity.

Actually, what we are really trying to do is to keep our bodies functioning by giving our bodies what they need to function. The problem here seems to be that we do not know what our body needs. Nobody is teaching this in school anymore. Therefore, nobody knows what is good for them and what is bad for them because our governing agency in our government is no longer doing its job. And never fear…the nutrition pyramid is so tainted by the money of each food group that it is never been correct.

It has moved along into the “whatever” stage and has forgotten that it has a job to do to keep us from being poisoned, however, we are now being poisoned by all the chemicals it has added to our food supply to make the food stay pretty until it has reached the groceries.

This has been the worst thing that our food supply could have done. Maybe we did not know about this at first, but by now we surely know, and refuse to turn back the clock to good food.

The chemicals they spray on the food makes it not worth eating. So now we are looking for organic food, and it costs more than other food, because it is in the minority of the sales department.. Not everybody seems to know that organic food is the best for you, and to buy only organic food.

Organic food has the nutrients we need to keep our bodies functioning in the proper manner.

If we do not get enough of these nutrients then our bodies begin to falter and not function as we would like them to, which may not be even noticeable until time has gone by and we begin to see a lack of participation from our body. Especially if we are in our youth, we may not see any detrimental effects until later in life, from the nutrients we did not get as a child or young adult.

Youth is so forgiving, because the body is running in full gear and has not been abused so much yet.

Vitamins

There are many vitamins but we will start with the one that most people are familiar with, which is Vitamin C.

Vitamin C is a substance that our body cannot make. Most animals can make it for themselves, and we used to be able to make it inside our body, but we no longer can and must supplement it in our diet.

Just to keep our teeth and gums healthy we must ingest 1,000 mg of vitamin C daily. That may not be with food, because it would be hard to do, so we must supplement with a vitamin C supplement.

75% of the vitamin C in our body is inside our eyeballs.

Your skin needs TWO things to replicate new cells and those TWO things are: 1.Water and 2.Vitamin C.

These are not the only uses for vitamin C inside our bodies but as you can see they are very varied.

This well-known vitamin is required in hundreds of the reactions inside our body. It is also necessary for: adrenal gland function, to keep healthy gums, and for tissue growth as well as tissue repair. Vitamin C is also involved in the metabolism of the amino acids phenylalanine and tyrosine, and the B vitamin Folate. It is also required for the production of collagen.

Food Sources of vitamin C are: the most common of which are sweet red, yellow, and green peppers at 190 mg, which is much more than an orange with only 50 mg.

Then, there are the best two food sources of vitamin C which are the Kakadu Plum and the Camu Camu fruit with 3100 and 2800 mg respectively.

Some deficiencies of vitamin C: the biggest deficiency of vitamin C is the most commonly known disease called Scurvy, which can be seen in the beginning with bleeding gums, and which will show long before the deleterious effects of Scurvy set in. Deficiencies of vitamin C are also found in people with heart disease, and men with cancer, as well as smokers having lung borne diseases with very low levels of this vitamin.

Vitamin B is a complex of B vitamins that are necessary for many functions including the health of your central nervous system.

Your hormones need B vitamins to make more hormones.

Your skin needs B vitamins to not have acne.

You need B vitamins for energy.

Obesity is also a sign of B vitamin deficiency.

As you will see there are also many, many more human bodily needs of the B vitamins.

The B vitamin complex is made up of vitamin B1 thiamine, B2 riboflavin, B3 niacin, B5 pantothenic acid, B6 pyridoxine, B7 biotin, B9 folic acid or folate, B12 cobalamins, and vitamin B4 is adenine but it is no longer classified as a B vitamin because it is synthesized by our body, and B8 myo-inositol is also no longer classified as a B vitamins because it, too, is made by the human body.

Vitamin B1, or Thiamine, is an antioxidant that helps to protect us from aging, smoking and alcohol consumption. It is required for creating energy, normal appetite, and growth. It is also a requirement in proper cognitive activity.

It is a part of a co-enzyme system necessary in the metabolizing of carbohydrates. It maintains digestion, healthy hair, skin, eyes, and the mouth. It is not only essential for the function of the heart, it is required to keep the nerve tissues healthy and maintain your muscles, to help you keep your learning capacity in order, and for the maintenance of mental illness and memory.

Food sources of vitamin B1, or Thiamine, are yeast, egg yolks, liver (beef or pork), oatmeal, flax, brown rice, sunflower seeds, asparagus, cauliflower, beans, whole grains, fish, plums, most nuts, and kale.

Some deficiencies of vitamin B1, or Thiamine, are severe weight loss, weak and sore muscles, Beriberi, tingling sensation, constipation, poor coordination, pain and sensitivity, edema, numbness of hands and feet, nervousness, enlarged liver, muscle atrophy, fatigue, loss of appetite, forgetfulness, labored breathing, gastrointestinal disturbances, irritability, heart changes, and general weakness.

Vitamin B2, or Riboflavin, is required for the metabolism of proteins, fats, carbohydrates, ketone bodies, and to make energy. It is helpful with Carpal Tunnel, and is necessary in the formation of red blood cells, skin, hair and nails, and to prevent cataracts, eye fatigue, and dandruff.

Food sources of vitamin B2, or Riboflavin, are milk, mushrooms, dandelion greens, avocados, broccoli, bananas, cheese, leafy green vegetables, yogurt, eggs, liver, kidneys, Brussels sprouts, legumes, molasses, yeast, and almonds.

Some deficiencies of vitamin B2, or Riboflavin, are not oddly accompanied by deficiency of other vitamins. The B vitamins work in complex and are also deficient in complex. Symptoms of deficiency include sore throat, cracked lips, inflamed mucous membrane of the mouth and also tongue, ulcers in the mouth, iron deficient anemia, eyes sensitive to light and possibly bloodshot, and angular cheilitis which is cracks at the mouth corners.

Some other deficiency symptoms are: an inflamed GI mucus membrane, corneal opacity, hemorrhagic adrenals, cataracts, and fatty liver.

We will continue with vitamin B3, or Niacin, in Part 2.

You can come along and join us in the reading, and learning, about more vitamins and minerals for your health.