The All-Powerful Vitamins
It's not hard to notice that many people have vitamin supplements on their desks, to some extent. Especially some middle-aged and elderly friends, and some white-collar workers, I don't know from when, taking vitamin supplements has become a means for them to pursue health. Maintaining a good state in the heavy work seems to depend on these vitamin supplements. Are vitamins really that magical?
Vitamins are substances that maintain the body's normal physiological functions. When vitamin intake is insufficient, vitamin deficiency or lack will occur, thus affecting growth, development, and health.
Vitamins are important elements for maintaining life and health. Although the amount needed by the human body is small, their role is very important. Once the human body's intake is insufficient, it can cause deficiency syndromes in mild cases, and in severe cases, it can even endanger life. This is not alarmist. The discovery of vitamins can be said to have been paid for with life.
In the 16th century, Italian navigator Columbus led his fleet to break waves in the Atlantic Ocean. During the long voyage, more than ten crew members suffered from a disease called "the fierce god of the sea". However, on a deserted island, they miraculously came back to life by eating wild fruits. After research, people found that wild fruits and some other fruits and vegetables contain a substance called vitamin C, and it was vitamin C that saved the lives of those crew members.
Various manifestations of vitamin deficiency
The ancient navigators used their sea voyages to tell us how terrible severe vitamin deficiency can be. Most of them seemed to be cursed, and to varying degrees, they experienced loose teeth, gum ulcers, dry skin, subcutaneous bruising, colds, anemia, fatigue, and weakness... and eventually death. This type of illness was called scurvy. The cause of scurvy is the lack of vitamin C.
In 1519, the Portuguese navigator Magellan's ocean-going fleet set off from the east coast of South America towards the Pacific Ocean. Three months later, some crew members had broken gums, some had nosebleeds, and some were weak all over. When the ship arrived at its destination, of the original 200-plus people, only 35 were alive. Similar incidents also occurred: during the Crusades, when a ship sailed around the Cape of Good Hope, 100 out of 160 crew members unfortunately died; in 1880, scurbing disease spread in the Japanese Navy, almost losing its combat effectiveness. All these manifestations have a common cause, which is vitamin deficiency.
The diseases caused by vitamin deficiency mainly include the following situations:
When vitamin B1 is deficient, people are prone to forgetfulness, anxiety, irritability, depression, peripheral neuritis, insufficient cardiovascular function, edema, intermittent soreness of the calves, beriberi, etc.
When vitamin B2 is deficient, it can cause various skin and mucosal diseases such as angular cheilitis, glossitis, cheilitis, scrotitis, blepharitis, etc.
Vitamin B6 is a coenzyme for many enzymes and participates in the metabolism of various amino acids. Deficiency can cause weakness, insomnia, dry and cracked lips, stomatitis, seborrheic dermatitis.
When vitamin B12 is deficient, symptoms such as symmetrical pigmentation on the palms, forearms, and lower limbs, pernicious anemia, sweating disorders, and nail malnutrition may appear.
When vitamin C is deficient, discomforts such as poor wound healing, fatigue, mental depression, loss of appetite, anemia, weakness, and gum bleeding may occur.
In summary, vitamins are, as their name suggests, the elements that maintain life.
Getting vitamins from food
So, how to get this type of nutrient?
Food is the best source. If the diet is properly arranged, there is generally no lack of vitamins. At present, the intake of vitamin A, vitamin D, and vitamin B2 is insufficient among our population, which is caused by an unreasonable dietary structure. In daily diet, eat a variety of foods to get sufficient vitamins.
It is very convenient to get vitamins from food. For example, vitamin A can be obtained from daylilies, leeks, carrots, and spinach; vitamin B1 from animal内脏, lean meat; vitamin B2 from animal liver, milk, eggs, beans, and green leafy vegetables; vitamin B2 is mostly derived from animal foods such as liver, egg yolk, meat, and shellfish; and to get vitamin C, various fruits such as hawthorn, fresh jujubes, oranges, oranges, and lemons are indispensable. In addition to fruits, fresh green leafy vegetables are also a good food source of vitamin C.
Regular sun exposure for good health
The British Guardian once published a news report that two people had proposed a "new theory on the cause of Mozart's death" after research: lack of sun exposure! That is, lack of sun exposure!
Everyone knows that Mozart was a "musical prodigy", but unfortunately he died young and passed away at the age of 35. However, people did not know the cause of his death. For many years, some people have studied and inferred the cause of his death. Recently, Stefan Piltz and William Grant published an article "Vitamin D Deficiency Led to Mozart's Death" in an academic journal. The article pointed out that Austria, where Mozart lived, is one of the countries with the least sunshine in Europe. Mozart lived a reversed day and night, staying indoors埋头写曲, with almost no chance to see the sun. Due to lack of sunlight, his body could not synthesize vitamin D, which made Mozart unable to resist the invasion of diseases. He suffered from kidney disease, smallpox, typhoid fever, tonsillitis, and pharyngitis during his lifetime, and suffered from diseases. The researchers pointed out: "Almost every disease is directly related to vitamin D deficiency. If Mozart had noticed this and sunbathed more at that time, his creativity could have doubled."
The nutrients needed by the human body include more than 40 types such as protein, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals, and water. Among them, vitamins are a type of nutrient necessary to maintain life and health. Vitamins are divided into two categories: fat-soluble and water-soluble. Fat-soluble vitamins can dissolve in fat, including vitamins A, D, E, and K. Water-soluble vitamins include B vitamins, vitamin C, folic acid, etc.
Vitamin D is a type of fat-soluble vitamin. Its most important function is to promote the absorption of calcium and phosphorus, maintain sufficient calcium and phosphorus in the blood to meet the needs of bone structure formation, and can also regulate many physiological functions such as immune function. In recent years, the role of vitamin D in fighting chronic diseases has become a research hotspot. The latest research found that vitamin D deficiency may be related to many diseases, including cancer, diabetes, stroke, heart disease, sclerosis, tuberculosis, osteoporosis, and respiratory infections. If vitamin D is deficient, the risk of these diseases will increase.
Vitamin D deficiency can lead to reduced absorption of calcium and phosphorus, affecting bone calcification, and affecting bone and dental health. Infants lacking vitamin D can lead to rickets; in adults, especially pregnant women, lactating mothers, and the elderly, vitamin D deficiency can lead to osteomalacia and osteoporosis.
To determine whether a person is deficient in vitamin D, a blood test is needed. Survey and research found that the rate of vitamin D insufficiency among children in the suburbs of Beijing is 68.5%. The proportions of vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency in the middle-aged and elderly population in China are 69.2% and 24.4%, respectively. Therefore, it is necessary to pay attention to the nutritional status of vitamin D for yourself and your family.
The human body needs two sources of vitamin D. One is to get it directly from food, but the content in general foods is relatively low. Animal foods are the main source of vitamin D, such as cod liver oil, liver, egg yolk, cream, and cheese. Vegetables and grains almost contain no vitamin D. The other source is endogenous, which can be produced by sunlight (ultraviolet rays) irradiating human skin. The precursor of vitamin D is called 7-dehydrocholesterol, which is inactive. By sunbathing, ultraviolet rays in the sunlight can convert cholesterol in the skin into vitamin D3. The vitamin D3 obtained through the above two pathways enters the blood and is converted into active vitamin D3 in the liver and kidneys.
Because sun exposure can help our body synthesize vitamin D, sunbathing is a cost-effective, simple and easy way to get active vitamin D. Why not do it? However, because many women regard white as beautiful and are afraid of the sun. They either use umbrellas to block the sun or apply a layer of sunscreen to block the sun. In the long run, this will affect the synthesis of vitamin D in the body and bring negative effects to their health.
You should be outdoors for more than 1 hour a day, and receive sunlight for half an hour to an hour every day. In spring, you can do it from sunrise to sunset. In summer, you can do it from 6 to 9 am, and from 6 to 8 pm in the afternoon. In winter, the weather is cold and the sunshine time is shorter, so you should let the sun shine more. On a sunny day, go out to sunbathe from 11 am to 3 pm. Especially in the northern regions with higher latitudes, you should pay more attention to sunbathing. When sunbathing, pay attention to letting your skin bathe directly in the warm sun! If you are wrapped tightly, you cannot enjoy the ultraviolet rays in the sun, and there is no chance to activate vitamin D in the body, so it's useless to sunbathe!
Guava and Carrot Juice
Ingredients
1/2 guava, 100 grams of carrot, 80 grams of grapefruit, 1 lemon.
Method
1 Wash and cut the carrots, wash and cut the guava, and peel the grapefruit.
2 Put the guava, grapefruit, carrot, and lemon into a juicer, and blend into juice.
Key Tips
It is best to remove the guava seeds and do not use them for juicing.
Nutrition Explanation
Carrots are rich in carotene, which can be converted into vitamin A in the body. Guava is rich in vitamin C. Regular consumption can enhance the body's disease resistance.
Luffa and Pork Liver Soup
Ingredients
300 grams of luffa, 100 grams of pork liver, 3 slices of ginger, appropriate amount of cooking wine, starch, and salt.
Method
1 Peel the luffa, wash it, and cut it into pieces; wash the ginger and slice it.
2 Slice the pork liver, soak it in clean water for 5 minutes, wash it, drain the water, and marinate with appropriate amount of cooking wine and starch for 5 minutes;
3 Heat the oil in a pan, sauté the ginger and luffa slightly, add an appropriate amount of water, bring to a boil, add the pork liver and cook until done, and season with salt.
Nutrition Explanation
Vitamin A deficiency can easily lead to xerophthalmia and dry skin. Animal liver is one of the best sources of vitamin A, and it also contains iron, which can prevent the occurrence of iron-deficiency anemia.
This article is excerpted from "Dr. Ma Talks About Nutrition" by Guansheng Ma, authorized by Phoenix Hanzhang Books. Reproduction is strictly prohibited.