|
By Lea Manto-Beltran, Health News Subeditor
CONSUMERS are bombarded with misconceptions
about the importance of vitamins and minerals. Breakfast cereals
claim that they are full of vitamins and minerals, sports drinks
boast of its capacity to rev up flagging energy with a jolt of
vitamins or minerals.
It’s a known fact that vitamins and minerals
are good for the body, but which ones does our body really need? And
is it possible to get too much of a good thing?
With all these confusing proliferation of
products claiming to be “good and healthy, Dr. Zenaida Narciso,
Ph.D, chief science research specialist of the Food and Nutrition
Research Institute (FNRI) clarified some myths and facts about
vitamins and minerals during a recent Nutrition Camp held at The
Farm in San Benito, Batangas, sponsored by Nutrilite, global
inventor of dietary supplement.
According to Narciso, among the common beliefs
about vitamins and minerals are:
- Vitamins and minerals are less important
compared to the macronutrients (carbohydrates, proteins and fats).
- One can live only on vitamins and mineral
supplements daily for survival.
- One cannot depend on food sources of vitamins
and minerals because these are inadequate and contaminated.
To illustrate the truth behind these
apprehensions, Narciso clearly discussed some facts about vitamins
and minerals:
- Vitamins are substances occurring in small
amounts in foods and cannot be produced by the body.
- Vitamins should be supplied to the body and
work together, each one performing a specific function.
- Vitamins are needed for specific regulatory
function and maintenance of life and growth.
- Vitamins do not produce energy but catalyze
reactions for body to utilize energy.
She further explained that vitamins fall into
two categories: fat-soluble and water-soluble. Fat-soluble vitamins
are stored by the body for relatively longer periods of time like
vitamins A, D, E and K while water-soluble vitamins C and the
B-complex vitamins (such as vitamins B6, B12, niacin, riboflavin,
and folate) are stored in various tissues of the body, thus need to
be replenished frequently like B vitamins and C. Any vitamin C or B
that your body doesn’t use as it passes through your system is
lost (mostly when you urinate). So you need a fresh supply of these
vitamins every day.
According to Narciso, “Minerals are
non-caloric, meaning they do not provide energy. It remains largely
as ash when food materials are burned in the body. Minerals are
important for growth and normal functioning of the body.”
She also identified the two groups of minerals:
macro-minerals and trace minerals and pointed out that
macro-minerals like calcium, phosphorus, potassium, sulfur, sodium,
chlorine and magnesium are required in relatively large amounts
daily for normal body development.
Trace minerals, on the other hand, are required
in minute amounts for normal body development and growth like iron,
iodine, zinc, manganese, copper, chronium, selenium, cobalt,
molybdenum and fluorine.
Vitamins and minerals can be derived in everyday
diet and supplements. To get all the vitamins and minerals each day,
as well as the right balance of carbohydrates, proteins, fats, and
calories, one should eat a variety of foods. Fresh fruits and
vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy products, lean meats, fish,
and poultry or the whole or unprocessed foods are the best choices
for providing the nutrients the body needs to stay healthy and grow
properly.
It should also be remembered that nutrients work
together in the body as a team and therefore should be adequately
supplied.
After explaining above facts, Narciso validated
earlier misconceptions and derived on the following conclusions:
- Vitamins and minerals are as equally important
as carbohydrates, protein and fats because they all work as a team.
- One cannot live only on vitamin and mineral
supplements for survival. People need food and the other nutrients.
- With proper planning and selection, foods are
good sources of vitamins and minerals.
In conclusion, Dr. Zenaida Narciso advises,
“For good nutrition, observe variety, balance and moderation.”
|
