One thing you start to learn about when you’re having multiple health issues is vitamins. All 13 of them and what they do. I knew what they were before but I didn’t necessarily know what they did. Basically, there are 13 vitamins. Four of them are fat-soluble and nine of them are going to be water soluble. The ones that are fat-soluble can be stored in your body fat and also stored in certain organs such as your liver. The water-soluble vitamins do not get stored in your body in large amounts.

The vitamins that are fat soluble, which means that you can store them in your body for a long time, include A, D, E and K. These dissolve in lipids and require bile in order to be absorbed. They are also stored in tissues, and if you have too many of them they can be toxic to you.

The water-soluble vitamins are going to be C and eight of the B vitamins. These are thiamine, which is B1, Riboflavin, which is B2, niacin, pyridoxine, which is B6, pantothenic acid, which is B5, vitamin B12, biotin and folic acid. These dissolve in water, so if you are cooking or washing, the vitamins might actually be washed out of the food. They are easily absorbed and excreted, and are not stored very much or often in your tissues. These vitamins are seldom going to reach toxic levels.

I’ve had some trouble with a few of those. I’m anemic for starters, so I’ve had to take supplements for that since I was about 12 years old. But I also have to watch because it goes up and down and there are certain times when I can stop taking the supplement because when you have too much it just goes right back out of your body and it’s a waste of time and effort. And hand in hand with that came a vitamin b deficiency problem, leaving me tired, cranky, and forgetful. It’s something I’m still working on, even with the right complexes and foods I’m having difficulty with it. Hopefully it gets worked out over time and I don’t have to go for more yucky tests … again. I feel like guinea pig!

Amazingly all of these vitamins are found in the food you eat every day. So, are you getting all thirteen vitamins or are you eating cardboard for lunch?

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