Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Vitamins Hang Out in Water and Fat


If you're like most kids, you've probably heard at least one parent say, "Don't forget to take your vitamin!", "Eat your salad because it's packed with vitamins!" But what exactly are vitamins? There are two types of vitamins which are fat soluble and water soluble. When you eat foods that contain fat-soluble vitamins, the vitamins are stored in the fat tissues in your body and in your liver. They wait around in your body fat until your body needs them. Fat-soluble vitamins are happy to stay stored in your body for awhile — some stay for a few days, some for up to 6 months! Then, when it's time for them to be used, special carriers in your body take them to where they're needed. Vitamins A, D, E, and K are all fat-soluble vitamins. Water-soluble vitamins are different. When you eat foods that have water-soluble vitamins, the vitamins don't get stored as much in your body. Instead, they travel through your bloodstream. Whatever your body doesn't use comes out when you urinate (pee). Does it waste? Hehehe =p So these kinds of vitamins need to be replaced often because they don't stick around! This crowd of vitamins includes vitamin C and the big group of B vitamins — B1 (thiamin), B2 (riboflavin), niacin, B6 (pyridoxine), folic acid, B12 (cobalamine), biotin, and pantothenic acid. So, we should take those vitamins to maintaining our healthy.

http://kidshealth.org/kid/stay_healthy/food/vitamin.html

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