A, B, C, D, E, K’s of Nutrition

“One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.” – Virginia Woolf – A Room of One’s Own

n important factor affecting human life and development at any stage of their life span is nutrition. It follows us in the earliest stages of our lives until old ages. To survive, grow, develop, produce, and live a healthy life, good food is necessary [1]. During the pandemic, I would encourage you, the dear reader, to pay more attention to what you eat, remember that, “what you eat, you become.” Therefore, this time let us talk about vitamin A, shall we?

Vitamins are compounds that people require in small amounts to maintain their well-being. For instance, did you know that in 1500 BC – the liver (rich in vitamin A) was used by the ancient Egyptians to treat night blindness? [2] That being said, vitamin A is required in small amounts for the proper functioning of the vision, growth, development [3], and many other scientifically used terms which are not our primary focus at the moment.

This vitamin is fat-soluble, meaning that upon consumption, our bodies store it under the skin where the fat is located, which further means that if you eat carrots in excess, you can turn to orange color. Even though it is hard to define the deficiency from this vitamin, in extreme cases, it causes irreversible blindness, an increase in morbidity and mortality, as well as adverse outcomes such as anemia, slow growth, and development [3].

So, would you like to know the sources of vitamin A? Yes? Then, let us not waste any more time. As every child knows, carrots are a good source of this vitamin; eating 100 g of carrot can meet the persons’ daily requirement. Aside from this, green leafy vegetables, such as spinach, lettuce, beet greens, turnip greens, collards, kale, and more, are good sources. A variety of dishes can be prepared or used for salads from the above-mentioned vegetables. If you are interested in getting your vitamin A from non-vegetal sources, then keep in mind that animal liver and egg yolks contain enough of it to meet your daily requirements [4].

A healthy mind is found in a healthy body; thus, we all are responsible for our nutrition, and the adverse outcomes, as a result of not eating properly. Now you know the importance and the sources of vitamin A. Be aware that the quantity in micronutrients such as vitamins is essential unless you want to walk around your neighborhood all orange and people staring at you strangely. Stay safe and healthy through nutrition.

Dzaner Shengjuler

Sources: [1]https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/66509/WHO_NHD_00.6.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y [2] http://courses.washington.edu/medch562/NEW2015/pdf/562_lecture1lx_2016.pdf [3] file:///C:/Users/Neko/OneDrive/Desktop/9241546123.pdf [4]https://m.dailyhunt.in/news/india/english/lybrate+english-epaper-lybraten/10+interesting+facts+about+vitamin+a-newsid-100986894