Diet and Health
Value Of Vitamins
Our bodies use vitamins to regulate
crucial functions within the cells. Since the first vitamin
was identified around the turn of the century, our knowledge
of these essential dietary elements has been changing almost
daily. Early treatment of vitamin deficiencies resulted in
amazing—almost “miraculous”—improvements
in health. Sailors, for example, no longer died from scurvy,
and children going blind from vitamin A deficiency abruptly
regained their sight. Except for vitamins D and K, which the
body is able to manufacture, vitamins must be obtained from
the diet. Though needed in only small amounts, they play an
indispensable role in storage and production of energy, and
assist in tissue formation.
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WATER
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Of all the things we ingest, water
is probably the most important—and the most
neglected. You can live without nutrients for weeks or
even months, but without water, you can survive for only
days. Water accounts for 60 percent of the body's weight.
Water shuttles nutrients and oxygen to cells, where it
participates in the chemical reactions that produce
energy. It also transports waste products out of the
cells and eventually out of the body. Water cushions
joints, acts as a lubricant, and keeps food moving
through the digestive tract.
Water regulates body temperature. It
brings heat to the skin surface in the form of
perspiration, thus cooling the body and preventing heat
stroke or other temperaturerelated
illnesses.
We get some of our water from foods,
which are generally 85 percent to 96 percent water, but
most of it comes from fluids such as juice, milk, soup,
tap water, or anything else normally liquid at room
temperature. (Don't forget gelatin desserts, ice, and
frozen juice bars.) Ideally, you should drink 6 to 8
glasses a day. Beverages that contain caffeine or alcohol
are poor choices; they act as dehydrators by causing
increased urine production.
Plan ahead to avoid the dehydrating
effects of exercise. Load up with 16 ounces of cool water
10 to 15 minutes before an activity. During exercise, 4
to 6 ounces of cool water every 10 to 15 minutes will
help keep sweat production up and body temperature down.
Be sure to drink even more in hot
weather.
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