Which vitamins to take is another question. And the more you’ll ask the more answers you’ll get. Here is some order in the confusion and the recommended daily allowance by the food and drug administration.

Vitamin A – Helps in bone growth and in vision, appetite and taste. Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) is 800 mcg.
Vitamin B1 – Helps regulate the nerve system, heart, digestion and muscles. RDA – 1.2 mg.
Vitamin B2 – Helps in the breaking of fat, protein and carbohydrates. Helps in the building of nails, hair and skin. RDA – 1.3 mg.
Vitamin B6 – Helps in the absorption of proteins and carbs. RDA – 1.3 mg.
Vitamin B12 – Boosts energy, helps in the production of red blood cells. RDA – 2.4 mcg.
Vitamin C – Immune booster, helps in healing of wounds, preventing scurvy. RDA 90mg.
Vitamin D – Enables the absorption of calcium . RDA – 5 mcg. a day.
Vitamin E – An antioxidant, fights infections, lubricates, has an important part in the building of nails and hair. RDA 15 mg.
Folic Acid – Helps in the production of red blood cells. Women lacking in folic acid might give birth to babies with neurological problems.
Vitamin K – promotes strong bones, helps in blood clotting. RDA 100 mcg.
Coenzyme Q10 – The body makes it and our cells use it, but we don’t make enough. The coenzyme is important in converting food to energy. RDA 100 mg.

Those are the basic vitamins (today we know also of B3, B5, B7 etc.) we should all take the recommended dosage. There is a difference between men and women. This list is the average to be used as a guideline.

Most of those vitamins have been grouped together in multi-vitamins to make it easy to take. Some people say those recommendations are too low. From time to time there comes a doctor who recommends loading the body with a certain vitamin to prevent diseases (used to be B12, then C. Now it’s vitamin D.) Try to get as much vitamins as you can from proper nutrition and use supplements to make up the gap.

Calories

– The amount of calories in a certain food is a way to measure how much heat will be released while burning that food. A man needs about 2,000 calories a day, a woman a little less depending on their activity levels. Calorie amount is given so we will know how rich or dense the food is so we can calculate how many calories we eat.

- When looking at the box it’s important to understand that the amount of calories written as information is sometimes for only one serving and not the whole box. You have to be aware of that and make the calculations.

Carbohydrate

– Sugars and starches and other elements the body needs and uses as an energy source. There are simple carbohydrates that break down easily and quickly into glucose and those are the ones we try to avoid. Complex carbohydrates take a lot of energy to break down and keep out bodies busy for a while longer.

Cholesterol

- Our body produces most of the cholesterol it needs to be able to build cells and make hormones. When we add cholesterol to our bodies it is accumulating in the arteries and sometimes creates blocks and cloths that lead to cardiac arrest.
Enriched foods –those are elements, such as vitamins, which are added to the food to compensate for what it lost in the manufacturing process.

Fortified foods

- those are elements added to the food that were never there in the first place. For example; added vitamin D in milk that will help in the absorption of calcium.

Dietary fiber

– the parts of a plant or vegetable that our body does not digest. It increases the bulk in our digestive track, fills us up and gives our stomachs a lot to chew on. You need about 25 gr. of fiber per day.

Daily value

– It is a calculated number, based on a diet of 2000 calories a day, that tells you how much of each ingredient, in percentage, the food contains. You need 100% of that ingredient a day.

High Fructose Corn Syrup

- Sometimes (quite often) used in foods instead of sugar. Just as bad as sugar if not worse.

Hydrogenated fat

– a process that turns liquid fat into semi hard one. The process creates Trans fats that are harmful and turn quickly to cholesterol.

MSG (Monosodium Glutamate) – it is a flavor enhancer, somewhat similar to salt. It may cause an allergic reaction in some people. This is why it has to be spelled out.

Potassium – a substance helping the building of muscles and maintaining healthy blood pressure. Found in generous amounts in bananas and nuts.

Saturated fats – Usually come from animal products and are not good for our bodies. Some vegetables as coconut and palm oil contain saturated fats as well, that harden in room temperature. No more than 7% of your fat intake should come from saturated fats.

Sodium – is what we call salt. Salt is needed in the body but in big amounts can raise the blood pressure and cause the body to retain water.

Sugars – different kinds of sugars are used in the manufacturing of food; fructose, glucose, sucrose, maple and corn syrups. They are added to the food to enhance the flavor and have no nutritional value.

Use this information to make an educated decision about the kinds of food to buy and what to serve your family. Balancing all the elements and avoiding those that are harmful is the first step to healthy nutrition.