You've probably heard your mum or granny say, 'Eat your spinach - it's packed with vitamins!' But what exactly are vitamins? Vitamins are a group of thirteen vital nutrients that your body needs in tiny amounts to grow and stay strong - and just about everything else. You can't live long without them. Although your body is a powerful machine that's capable of manufacturing many things it needs, it can't make vitamins. Luckily, you can get them from the food you eat. Different foods contain different vitamins, each with a special role to play. Think of vitamins as a softball team: it doesn't matter how good your pitcher is, if you don't have all your other fielders, you won't have much of a game - you need the lot.
There are two basic types of vitamins: fat-soluble (these dissolve in fat) and water-soluble (these dissolve in water) - and you need both types for great skin. Vitamins A, D, E and K are fatsoluble. When you eat foods that contain fat-soluble vitamins, those vitamins end up being stored in your fat tissues and liver. Then they wait around in storage until your body needs them - some for a few days, some for up to six months. Water-soluble vitamins, like C and the B vitamins, don't get stored for very long. Instead, they travel through your bloodstream and then whatever isn't used gets filtered out by your kidneys and comes out when you go to the bathroom. Because they don't stick around, you need to replace them often. Here's a rundown of the key vitamins for healthy, glowing skin:
Best sources: eggs and cod-liver oil. You can also get vitamin A from foods like carrots, sweet potato, pumpkin (squash), broccoli, rockmelon (cantaloupe) and spinach. These are rich in a substance called beta carotene, which your body can convert into vitamin A.
Beauty benefits: vitamin A is key to keeping dry, flaky skin at bay, plus it's essential in the normal shedding of dead skin cells that would otherwise plug up your pores.
There are eight B vitamins.
Best sources: leafy green vegies, whole grains, chicken, egg yolks, legumes (like lentils), lean red meat, fish and bananas.
Beauty benefits: the big-beauty B vitamins help with just about everything. They help rebuild and repair skin tissue, and are needed to keep your skin in top form and function, including your sebaceous (oilproducing) glands.
Best sources: oranges and other citrus fruits, kiwifruit, broccoli, parsley, capsicums (peppers), tomatoes and strawberries.
Beauty benefits: vitamin C is a fantastic antioxidant and an absolute must for gorgeous skin. It guards cells against damage, promotes cell renewal and blood circulation, and helps the healing process. It's also needed to create collagen for firm skin.
Best sources: egg yolks, sunflower seeds, avocados, nuts, green leafy vegies and whole grains.
Beauty benefits: vitamin E is another powerful antioxidant that helps protect your skin cells from damage, and your tissues need it for repair and healing.
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