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Learn Your Vitamins And Your RDA
Learn your Vitamins and your RDA
Although multivitamins are popular nowadays, there have been reports that these vitamins use an old system to measure our daily requirement. Learning your vitamins go with knowing the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) or the amount of adequate nutrients needed to be healthy. Listed below are some important facts you should learn about your vitamins and the RDA.
1. Vitamin C is responsible for the body’s normal growth and development. Foods rich in Vitamin C are potatoes, broccoli, cabbage, cranberries, water melon and other citrus fruits and juices. 2,000 mg. of Vitamin C can lead to diarrhea and upset stomach; but lower amount leads to anemia, bruising, bleeding and scurvy. The RDA of Vitamin C is 75 to 90 mg/day for adults; 15 to 50 mg/day for infants and children and 65 mg/day for adolescents.
2. Vitamin K is responsible in blood clotting. This can be found in some green leafy vegetable like spinach or cauliflower and cereals. Insufficient Vitamin K can cause easy bleeding and bruising. The RDA of Vitamin K is 90 to 120 mcg/day.
3. Magnesium is important for our metabolism. Soy products, legumes, bananas and nuts are rich sources of magnesium. Excessive magnesium can lead to toxicity while deficiency can lead to fatigue and sleepiness. The RDA of magnesium is 80 to 240 mg/day for infants and children; 360 to 410 mg/day for adolescents and 310 to 400 mg/day for adults.
4. Iron is needed to create myglobin and hemoglobin found in our muscles and red blood cells. The best sources of Iron are dried fruits, liver, oysters, whole grains and lean red meat. Low iron level in the body can cause iron deficiency anemia; too much iron can lead to iron poisoning. The RDA of Iron for infants and children is 0.27 to 11 mg/day; 8 to 11 mg/day for adolescents and 8 to 15 mg/day for adults.
5. Selenium can help prevent certain cancers. Common sources are fish, vegetables, enriched breads and meats. Selenium deficiency can cause heart muscle abnormality; high intake can cause toxicity leading to nausea, fatigue and mild nerve damage. Selenium RDA for infants and children are 15 to 40 mcg/day while adolescents and adults can take in 40 to 55 mcg/day.
The best way to get our daily RDA is to eat a balanced diet but this isn’t always possible. The RDA depends not only on gender and age but other factors such as illnesses and pregnancy. The Vitamins above are just some of the useful vitamins that help in supplementing our body with needed nutrients. Learning your vitamins goes well with consulting your physician. This can greatly help us improve our health and well being.
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