The school bell rings. It's lunchtime! After grabbing some grub, you sit down
with two of your friends. You glance at what they're eating. Other than the
brownie they both picked for dessert, their choices differ like night and day.
Your friend Amy is munching on chips and a pickle, drinking a soda. Desiree has
a sandwich - turkey and Swiss cheese on wheat bread with lettuce and tomato -
plus a banana and milk.
By the end of the day, you notice that Amy is dragging but Desiree still has
lots of energy. What's the deal? The difference is partly the vitamins and
minerals and other nutrients found in their lunches.
What Are Vitamins and Minerals?
Vitamins and minerals make people's bodies
work properly. Although you get vitamins and minerals from the foods you eat
every day, some foods have more vitamins and minerals than others.
Vitamins fall into two categories: fat-soluble and water-soluble. The
fat-soluble vitamins - A, D, E, and K - dissolve in fat and can be stored in
your body. The water-soluble vitamins - C and the B-complex vitamins (such as
vitamins B6, B12, niacin, riboflavin, and folate) - need to dissolve in
water before your body can absorb them. Because of this, your body can't store
these vitamins. Any vitamin C or B that your body doesn't use as it passes
through your system is lost mostly through urination, so you need a fresh supply
of these vitamins every day.
Whereas vitamins are organic substances (made by plants or animals), minerals
are inorganic elements that come from the soil and water and are absorbed by
plants or eaten by animals. Your body needs larger amounts of some minerals,
such as calcium, to grow and stay healthy. Other minerals like chromium, copper,
iodine, iron, selenium, and zinc are called trace minerals because you only need
very small amounts of them each day.
 
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