Everything you wanted to know about Vitamins and why you shouldn't buy them

     Yep, Thats right. Don't buy vitamins at the store.

 I have spoken.

    Oh, you want proof? Always a catch.

    I have to preface this article by saying that I am not a registered dietician. It is not in my scope of practice to tell you what to eat. I can make recommendations and offer education pertaining towards nutrition, but no meal prep plans. 

    Cool, now that's out of the way I can begin to explain what Vitamins are. Vitamins are naturally occurring elements within the foods we eat and are needed for specific metabolic functions within the body. Vitamins are broken down into two categories: fat soluble and water soluble. Fat soluble are stored in fat cells and carried by fat cells. A super deep dive into fat can be found here. Vitamins A/D/E/K are examples of your fat-soluble vitamins. Vitamin A is necessary for vision, healthy skin, teeth, body tissues. Vitamin D assists with calcium absorption, building bones mass and helps with loss of bone mineral density. If you know about the Sliding Filament theory, then you know that role that calcium plays within muscle movement. Having a vitamin that helps with the absorption of calcium is key for muscle movement. Vitamin E is used for immune function and metabolism. Vitamin K is used for blood clotting and supports tissue and bone health. There is however a catch with fat soluble vitamins in excessive amounts they are dangerous to the body. By dangerous I mean death. This is where supplements come into play. Ingesting supplements at an excessive rate or consuming supplements in light of eating foods is a recipe for disaster.

    Water soluble vitamins on the other hand are dissolved in water and carried by the bloodstream. The only exception is your B12 vitamins that are stored in the liver for years. Water soluble Vitamins include Beta-Carotene, Vitamin C, Folate, Biotin, and of course your B Vitamins like B1, B2, B6 and B12.Much like their fat-soluble counterparts' water-soluble Vitamins have an upper limit for intake. Meaning that ingesting massive amounts of Vitamin C will not prevent you from being sick. Water soluble vitamins use what is needed the excrete the rest through urine. Hence why consuming Vitamin supplements are basically expensive urine.  

    Given that Vitamins in general come from the foods we eat eating a well-balanced diet that includes all colors of Vegetables is needed to ensure all the vitamins are hit within the day. This means eating your green leafy vegetables, and your various pepper varieties. Cooking these vegetables in a certain way (boiling) will minimize the vitamin content. Baking or grilling veggies tend to keep the most vitamin content.