Nutrition

Vitamins

Vitamins are organic sunstances that are made by plants or animals. Vitamins are very important for humans to have in their diets. Different vitamins contribute to different parts of the body and perform different functions. 

• Vitamin A- eye function, vision, hair, and skin. You get this from dairy, meat, and fish.
• Vitamin B- it's a co-enzyme and used for the nervous system. Found in dairy, meat, spinach, and Bananas.
• Vitamin C- Immune system and antioxidants. Found in citrus fruit. 
• Vitamin D- Helps your body absorb calcium, good for bones and teeth. Found in the sunlight and in fish. 

http://www.cdc.gov/nutrition/everyone/basics/vitamins/ <-- Helpful link on different types of vitamins, very detailed 

Minerals

Minerals are inorganic elements that come from the soil or water. Minerals are ions, that's why they are elements. Some minerals are need to be taken in high doses and others need to be taken in very small amounts. The minerals taken in small doses are called trace minerals because they are taken in trace amounts. 

 List of important minerals: Iodine I, Potassium K, Sodium Na, Calcium Ca2, Iron Fe2, and Zinc Zn2

A good link about minerals and their functions: http://kidshealth.org/teen/misc/mineral_chart.html 

Nutrient Diseases and Deficiencies 

There are many diseases that come from poor nutrition, lack of certiain vitamins, and just genetic diseases.

• Scurvy- Scurvy is a pretty horrible disease that comes from the lack of vitamin C in a persons diet. The early symptoms are shortness of breath and bone pain. After some more time you can get gum diseases, loosing teeth, easy brushing, and poor wound healing. This can be prevented by having 45-60 mg of vitamin c daily.
• Rickets- A disease in which your bones become soft and weaken. This is caused by a lack of vitamin D, phosphorus, and/or calcium. This disease can cause fractures of bones and bone deformities. This disease is more common in developing countries. 
• PKU- PKU is really called phenylketonuria, this is a genetic disorder in which your body can't process the enzyme phenylalanine hydroxylase which is used to produce tyrosine. If you have PKU you should avoid breast milk and nuts. 
• Protein Deficiency- A deficiency in which the person does not get enough protein. This is almost always found in developing countries. This results in a swollen body and blocked protein pumps. The way to prevent this is get protein in your diet.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ArkbEv0Q8D8

Very interesting video about vitamin C

This video shows the very important features of vitamin C and how helpful it is.