Do you know what each vitamin is for and what foods it is found in?
When we talk about vitamins, perhaps the first thing that comes to mind is oranges to prevent colds. And it’s not a bad reference. But the field of vitamins is much more than that. In fact, it is as extensive as the letters of the alphabet that are added and the numbers that are added as ‘last names’ to make subcategories, always subject to reclassification: “Vitamin H is now recognized as B7 or B8,” it says. an example María Bascuñana, clinical nutritionist, expert in immunonutrition and author of the book ‘Vitaminados’. «Vitamins have an important role in regulating health. Without them, imbalances occur that can lead to pathologies. Scurvy, for example, has to do with a lack of vitamin C,” says the expert. “If I don’t have vitamins, my metabolism is not going well,” confirms Guadalupe Blay, head of the Endocrinology and Nutrition working group of the Spanish Society of General and Family Physicians (SEMG). With the two specialists we go through the vitamin alphabet to find out which foods provide us with one or the other.
Help to…
«Keep skin, nails and hair healthy. It also protects the gums from bleeding. Together with vitamin D, it helps heal wounds, promotes the health of tendons, muscles and bones and helps protect blood vessels. A good supply of vitamin C also prevents the appearance of bruises when we hit ourselves,” he points out in his book Bascuñana.
Is found in…
Fruits such as orange, papaya, strawberry or mango. And in vegetables like broccoli or pepper. Regarding fruits, the specialist gives a warning: «The vitamin contribution of these foods has a lot to do with the degree of ripening. But it happens that each time we pick the fruit earlier, we put it in cold chambers and then the industry gives that color to the rind. Thus, oranges are being sold that do not have a sufficient supply of vitamin C because they have not been picked at the optimal point. And continuing with oranges… “It’s curious but kiwi provides more vitamin C than oranges,” says Dr. Blay.
Help to…
«It is an ally of eye health and also has a role in skin care. It intervenes in the fight against bacteria and viruses and is important for the health of the baby when it is developing in the mother’s womb,” explains María H. Bascuñana.
Is found in…
Foods such as liver, butter, cabbage, pumpkin, sweet potato, carrots or egg yolk.
Help to…
The classification extends with several numbers: B1, B2, B3, B5… «It provides vitality and energy and, together with vitamin C, helps the growth and care of bones so that they are strong and protects the brain and system. highly strung. It takes care of the eyes along with vitamin A and also prevents stomach pains and muscle cramps…”
Is found in…
Eggs, meat, fish, cheese, yogurt, nuts… and, of course, almost all vegetables.
«It is the only vitamin that is found where there is sun and, therefore, also in foods that have received sun: eggs from free-range chickens, milk from cows that graze outdoors, sun-dried mushrooms… ».
Anyone would think that living where we live we have plenty of this vitamin. But not. “We are lacking vitamin D, which is why it is important that people who live in residences or closed places receive a little bit of sun every day,” says Guadalupe Blay. From the IDIBAPS Biomedical Research Institute they give the data: “More than 50% of the population has a vitamin D deficiency, a percentage that rises to 80% in the elderly and up to 62% in pregnant women.”
– And what about vitamin supplements?
Guadalupe Blay: We prescribe supplements, but it is always better that the contribution comes from food. An orange, for example, in addition to vitamin C, has acids that make that vitamin better absorbed than if it were taken in an effervescent pill. In the same way that iron from meat or legumes is better assimilated than from a supplement. With exceptions, vitamins, always from food.
