It’s easy to admit, Johnny Depp made a pretty good looking pirate as Captain Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean movie franchise. But as many of us learned in our history classes, pirates probably weren’t Hollywood handsome. For one, they were often plagued by scurvy, a disease that caused bleeding gums, joint pain and fatigue, eventually losing their teeth and suffering from open wounds. Scurvy, which is caused by lack of Vitamin C, was eventually eradicated on ships by packing along oranges and lemons with the other supplies.
Not many of us these days suffer from the bleeding gums of scurvy, but this example shows just how important it is for people to pay attention to what they eat and to maintain a balanced diet complete with the proper vitamins for good health. Here at Foster Chiropractic Sports & Wellness, our focus is on the whole body -- your wellness. It’s so important that we include it in our name. And vitamins are one important part of overall wellness.
The vitamins essential for good health are: A, C, D, E and K, and the B vitamins including thiamin (B1), riboflavin (B2), niacin (B3) panthothenic acid (B5), pyridoxal (B6), cobalamin (B12), biotin and folic acid. Each vitamin plays an important role in the body’s functions. Some of what vitamins do include helping form and maintain healthy teeth and bones, helping form red blood cells, promoting wound healing, maintaining healthy skin, producing hormones and changing carbohydrates into energy.
Getting Vitamins in Your Diet
The best way to get the nutrients your body needs is through food. Unfortunately, a typical American diet is not usually balanced with fruits, vegetables and whole grains that offer a mix of vitamins and minerals that the body needs. Many people lack nutrient-dense foods that keep them healthy. Is kale a regular part of our diet? Kale contains 200% of the recommended daily allowance of Vitamin C, 300% of Vitamin A and 1,000% of Vitamin K, as well as large amounts of B6. You also know from the pirate example that citrus fruits are good sources of Vitamin C, but did you know half a cup of red pepper has as much Vitamin C as 3/4 or a cup of orange juice? Other sources of Vitamin C include broccoli, spinach and tomatoes.
Some other common fruits and vegetables with high vitamin content include:
Sweet potatoes for Vitamin A
Leafy greens for Vitamin E
Cabbage for Vitamin K
Meat, poultry and fish for B12
If you’re not feeling your best or interested in learning more about vitamins, we offer Standard Process products in our office. These whole-food vitamins (instead of synthetic) are sourced from a family farm in Wisconsin. From detox programs to reset your system to daily packs of multivitamin, minerals and fish oils, we’re committed to helping you live your best life.