Natural
Vitamins from our Food Pyramid
Get Natural Vitamins through our
daily food
You can get all the vitamins that your
body need through a daily, carefully balanced diet. In other
words, those who follow the food pyramid regularly and watch
what they eat
may not even need to have
a multivitamin. It is in fact, more healthy for the body to
get nutrients directly from their daily diet as the foods
on the food pyramid are generally healthy, sound eating decisions.
 Base
of the pyramid:
A‘base’,
of six to eight glasses of water per day. This water helps
your body to flush out waste with a minimum of difficulty
and
ensures
that you will not be dehydrated.
Level one: Grains
This basic level consist mainly of fortified cereal, bread,
rice, and pasta and recommends that you
should
get
around six
servings of these foods on a daily basis. It is important
to consider
eating whole grain bread as opposed to standard, bleached
white bread.
Bleached bread is stripped of roughly
forty nutrients
when going through the bleaching process, and is later
fortified with merely four nutrients. Whole grain contains
a host of
compounds which are beneficial to the human body. Whole
grain is an excellent
source of Vitamin E, and fortified bread often contains
Vitamin D, a vitamin which we can create in our own bodies
simply
by exposing our skin to the sun. T
here are not many vitamins
to
be found in the grain level of the food pyramid, but
that does not mean that these substances are not healthy; they
are key
to the rest of the pyramid. Level two, part one: Vegetables
Vegetables comprise one of the largest sources for vitamins
of all the foods we eat. Practically every vitamin can
be found in the proper vegetables. It is recommended that
the
average person eats three servings of vegetables
per
day.
Vitamin A can be found in a number
of vegetables; carrots, sweet potatoes, and
spinach are some
of the more prominent
Vitamin
A-rich vegetables. The Vitamin B-complex can also be
found in many vegetable sources. Pretty much
all legumes and
all green,
leafy vegetables such as lettuce contain some level of
the Vitamin B-Complex.
Vitamin C can
be found in tomatoes,
broccoli,
cabbage,
red bell peppers, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and
kale. Vitamin
E is found
in many vegetables such as Olives,
lettuce, spinach, mustard greens, collard greens,
lettuce and spinach all contain
some Vitamin E. Last, but not least, comes Vitamin
K. This compound can be found in Brussels
sprouts, carrots, parsley, avocadoes,
green peas, spinach, and cabbage. Level two, part two: Fruits
Fruits is another vitamin-rich level in the food pyramid.
With a recommended two servings per day, Vitamin
A can
be found in apricots, nectarines, cantaloupes, and mangoes.
While not
many fruits contain the Vitamin B-Complex, oranges have
been
found to be a significant source. Vitamin C is contained
within oranges, strawberries, cantaloupes, and
kiwis,
while Vitamin
E can be found in blueberries.
Level three, part one: Dairy
While not a significant source of a wide range of vitamins,
dairy products definitely help to fulfill certain needs.
3 daily servings
of dairy products are recommended by the food pyramid.
Vitamin A can be found in milk, due to the fact that
it is fortified;
mozzarella cheese also contains some Vitamin A. The
Vitamin B-Complex can also be found in milk, and even ice
cream!
Vitamin D and Vitamin K can be found in milk,
yogurt, or ice
cream.
Level three, part two: Meats, legumes,
and nuts
In other parts of the food pyramid, Vitamin
A is found in liver. Lamb,
venison, shrimp, fish, and chicken are rich in Vitamin-B
complex. Vitamin
D can be found in fish.
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