Do I Need Vitamins If I Don’t Have Deficiencies?
Here’s the short answer. Yes. Always.
One of the key components of a fully functional and active body that not only survives but also thrives throughout your life is the adoption of a balanced diet. This entails the regular and consistent inclusion of several nutrient-dense foods in your daily meal plan. What exactly does this mean?
Everything we eat consists of nutrients that are broadly classified into 2 main categories — macronutrients and micronutrients. As the name suggests, macronutrients are dietary components that we need in large quantities such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, fibre and water. These form the cornerstones of our diets. They serve as the fuel that our bodies need to generate energy, provide the basic building blocks for organs and tissues, and are critically involved in the maintenance of the body’s structures and functions.
On the other hand, micronutrients are needed in very small quantities but play an indispensable role in all of our metabolic (life-sustaining) processes. They primarily function as starters and catalysts and are needed in sufficient quantities for all our bodily functions. If they are absent or inadequately present, these bodily functions do not occur.
Micronutrients primarily consist of vitamins and minerals. These are involved in nearly every biochemical reaction that occurs in the body and are required for optimal brain development, immune system function, and other activities such as initiating conversions of food into energy, promoting hair and nail growth, and maintaining our bones and skin, etc.
So why do you need to include micronutrients in your diet every day?
Well, for one thing, any imbalance in your nutrient levels causes can have devastating effects. Since vitamins and minerals are only required in small amounts, your body does not necessarily absorb and hold every single microgram that you send its way. Your body also has different ways of storing and utilizing these, based on the type of micronutrient in question.
Water-soluble vitamins: These dissolve in water, moving freely through your circulatory system and thus get excreted or flushed out along with other water-soluble molecules every day through the urinary system. Therefore it is really important to continuously replenish your supply of them on a daily basis. Vitamin B & vitamin C are examples of water-soluble vitamins.
Fat-soluble vitamins: Fat-soluble vitamins do not enter your circulatory system by themselves directly. They need to be captured in a medium (fat) so that they can be transported through your body and interact with the various cells in it.
Vitamins A, D, E & K are examples of fat-soluble vitamins and tend to be stored in your body largely in the liver and adipose tissues, for a longer period of time. Fat-soluble vitamins generally survive quite well even when the foods that contain them are cooked. While you may not need to replenish these as frequently as you need to with water-soluble vitamins, certain populations are fundamentally deficient in certain vitamins. 80% of Indians for instance tend to suffer from a vitamin D deficiency which manifests itself in a variety of inconvenient and life-threatening ways over time.
Minerals: Unliked vitamins which are organic compounds, minerals are naturally occurring element present in the earth and in our food that is required for our bodies to function and develop normally. These play extremely specific roles in our bodies both in terms of structure and organ system function and include calcium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, chloride, magnesium, iron, zinc, iodine, chromium, copper, fluoride, molybdenum, manganese, and selenium.
While most minerals can be sourced from our daily diets quite easily, it is important to remember that 100% intake does not necessarily equal 100% absorption. This is evident from the vast numbers of people who suffer from calcium and iron deficiencies, both of which are serious health problems around the world.
While it is always a delicate balance between just the right amount and too much of any nutrient, ensuring you get the right amount of each of these through your dietary intake is extremely important to avoid contracting conditions such as anaemia (low haemoglobin), osteoporosis (low calcium and weak bones), insufficient immunity (low levels of vitamin C, D and zinc), fatigue and lethargy (low levels of vitamin B and D), heart attacks, nerve issues, etc.
Since your body does not always store everything it is given and uses its nutrient stores on a constant basis, refuelling and restocking it with these is an important daily consideration and habit, even if you do not have any deficiencies.
Read more about the benefits of each of these nutrients:
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