Vitamin C

Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin that is necessary for normal growth and development.

Water-soluble vitamins dissolve in water. Leftover amounts of the vitamin leave the body through the urine. That means you need a continuous supply of such vitamins in your diet.

Function

Vitamin C is required for the growth and repair of tissues in all parts of your body. It is necessary to form collagen, an important protein used to make skin, scar tissue, tendons, ligaments, and blood vessels. Vitamin C is essential for the healing of wounds, and for the repair and maintenance of cartilage, bones, and teeth.

Vitamin C is one of many antioxidants. Vitamin E and beta-carotene are two other well-known antioxidants. Antioxidants are nutrients that block some of the damage caused by free radicals, which are by-products that result when our bodies transform food into energy.

The build up of these by-products over time is largely responsible for the aging process and can contribute to the development of various health conditions such as cancer, heart disease, and a host of inflammatory conditions like arthritis. Antioxidants also help reduce the damage to the body caused by toxic chemicals and pollutants such as cigarette smoke.

The body does not manufacture vitamin C on its own, nor does it store it. It is therefore important to include plenty of vitamin C-containing foods in your daily diet.

Food Sources

All fruits and vegetables contain some amount of vitamin C. Foods that tend to be the highest sources of vitamin C include green peppers, citrus fruits and juices, strawberries, tomatoes, broccoli, turnip greens and other leafy greens, sweet and white potatoes, and cantaloupe.

Other excellent sources include papaya, mango, watermelon, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage, winter squash, red peppers, raspberries, blueberries, cranberries, and pineapples.

Running Health Benefits

Running is a fabulous workout to condition your body. It serves as the perfect remedy to get rid of your flabby abs and shed those extra pounds on your body. Not only it helps in fastening your weight loss program, but also it helps to overcome aging problem and thus makes you look ten years younger. In the present times, people are leading such an unhealthy lifestyle that they virtually have no time to workout, to strengthen their body and to keep fit. It is, thence, that running helps in strengthening your body muscles and keeping you in shape. Running also closes the gateway for diseases like breast cancer, heart stroke, diabetes, hypertension etc, thus protecting you from the clutches of these ugly problems. To know more about the heath and psychological benefits about running, check out the following lines.

Health Benefits Of Running

• One of the most popular benefits of running is to reduce or manage weight. It burns more calories per minute, than any other form of cardiovascular exercise. Research proves the fact that running burns an average of 100 calories per each mile.
• Running has proved to be beneficial in slowing the aging process. People, who run regularly, do not face muscle or bone loss in comparison to their counterparts.

VITAMIN B COMPLEX

Vitamin B1

Vitamin B1, also called thiamin is a water-soluble vitamin that is essential for the breakdown of carbohydrates into the simple sugar glucose. Thiamin is also important for the proper functioning of the nervous system.
Thiamin is found in whole-grain cereals, bread, red meat, egg yolks, green leafy vegetables, legumes, sweet corn, brown rice, berries, and yeast.
Thiamin is absorbed through the intestines.

Deficiency of Vitamin B1

Thiamin deficiency is rare. However, thiamin deficiency often occurs in alcoholics. It occurs in alcoholics because alcohol interferes with the absorption of thiamin through the intestines. Thiamin deficiency can cause beriberi, wernicke's encephelopathy, and sensitivity of the teeth, cheeks and gums.

Too Much Vitamin B1

Large doses (5,000 to 10,000 mg) can cause headaches, irritability, rapid pulse, and weakness 

Vitamin A (Retinol)

 Vitamin A and its metabolites play diverse roles in physiology, ranging from incorporation into vision pigments to controlling transcription of a host of important genes. Health depends on maintaining vitamin A levels within a normal range, as either too little or too much of this vitamin lead to serious disease. 

Structure

Vitamin A or retinol has a structure depicted to the right. Retinol is the immediate precursor to two important active metabolites: retinal, which plays a critical role in vision, and retinoic acid, which serves as an intracellular messenger that affects transcription of a number of genes. Vitamin A does not occur in plants, but many plants contain carotenoids such as beta-carotene that can be converted to vitamin A within the intestine and other tissues. 

Vitamin A - good sources of nutrients - pamphlet

This is one in a series of fact sheets containing information to help you select foods that provide adequate daily amounts of vitamins, minerals, and dietary fiber as you follow the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The Guidelines are--

* Eat a variety of Foods
* Maintain Desirable Weight
* Avoid Too much Fat, Saturated Fat, and Cholesterol
* Eat Foods with Adequate Starch and Fiber
* Avoid Too Much Sugar
* Avoid Too Much Sodium
* If you Drink Alcoholic Beverages, Do So in Moderation

What Is Meant By Good Food Source?

A good food source of vitamin A contains a substantial amount of vitamin A and/or carotenes (converted to vitamin A in the body) in relation to its calorie content and contributes at least 10 percent of the U.S. Recommended Daily Allowance (U.S. RDA) for vitamin A in a selected serving size or a unit of measure considered easy for the consumer to use. The U.S. RDA for vitamin A is 1,000 retinol equivalents per day.