What are Vitamins and minerals

Vitamins and minerals are essential nutrients required for the healing and functioning of the body. When we don’t take in enough nutrients, vitamins, and minerals deficiencies occur and diseases can result.  Vitamins and minerals come from healthy foods but many people do not eat enough of the right foods to ensure they get the entire recommended daily intake.  The difference between vitamins and minerals has to do with their chemical structure. Vitamins can be broken down but minerals are inorganic and cannot be broken into smaller chemical units, vitamins are essential, meaning we have to get them from our diet or supplements. Some minerals are essential. vitamins can also be classified as fat-soluble or water-soluble. Water soluble vitamins are only in the body for a short time before excesses are excreted in the urine and sweat. 

There are 9 water-soluble vitamins 8 B vitamins and C vitamins. Other vitamins are fat-soluble, which means they require dietary fats for absorption.

Fat-soluble vitamins can be s stored in fat tissues so they can accumulate over time, minerals can be classified as macro minerals, which are also called electrolytes, or trace minerals.

Minerals or substances that contain no carbon (whereas vitamins do) and which form naturally in the earth. Your body needs minerals for many different physiological functions including building bones, making hormones, and regulating your heartbeat. Examples of minerals your body needs are calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, sodium, potassium, chloride, and sulfur.

These are known as macro minerals because your body needs relatively large amounts to function properly.  Trace minerals are types of minerals that your body only needs small amounts of like iron, magnesium, copper, Iodine, zinc, cobalt, fluoride, and selenium.