Food Sources of Vitamin D

Food sources of vitamin D

Vitamin C

A lack of this vitamin results in brittle walls of blood vessels, brittle bones, painful joints, easy bruising, unhealthy teeth and bleeding gums, duodenal ulcers, frequent colds through lowered resistance to ‘cold’ germs, susceptibility to other germs, and many other disorders. A lack of vitamin C is also thought to be a contributory cause of cancer. Richest sources of vitamin C are blackcurrants, rose-hips, oranges, lemons, tomatoes, carrots, swedes, cabbage, sprouts, English walnuts, fish roe, etc. Vitamin C in tablet form (made of dried rose-hips) will keep colds (and other infections) at bay. If you feel a cold coming on, take one 100 milligram tablet every hour until the symptoms disappear. You cannot overdoes yourself with vitamin C. The body excretes what it does not need.

Vitamin D

Without this vitamin the body cannot absorb calcium from foods such as milk and cheese, and poor bones and teeth are the result, also poor circulation and chilblains. Vitamin D is relatively scanty in foods. The chief food sources of vitamin D are fish-live oils, herrings, liver, kidneys, butter, yolk of egg, and bananas. The body is endowed with the capacity to manufacture vitamin D. This is accomplished by exposure of the body to the ultra-violet rays of the sun which act upon an oily substance in the skin provided it hasn’t all been washed away by too much soap (and water) to form vitamin D; but, unless done very gradually, exposure of the body to the sun is dangerous.

In the winter, when we are not able to sun-bathe we do not, of course, manufacture any vitamin D, so then it is wise to take one halibut-liver oil capsule a day. This contains 500 mgs of vitamin D, and about 5000 mgs of vitamin A.

Vitamin E

The most important function of vitamin E is to prevent the destruction of vitamin A. Vitamin E is the ‘energy’ vitamin, closely concerned in the efficiency of the reproductive system. Deficiency of it results in sterility. The best sources are seeds and nuts, wheatgerm, and soya-bean oil. Minor sources are eggs, milk, lettuce, watercress and royal jelly (this is produced by bees for their queen).

Vitamin K

This vitamin (also calcium), enables the blood to clot properly; otherwise, when you are cut or undergo surgical treatment, if you are deficient in vitamin D, your blood will not clot. It is one of the vitamins which the body can make itself (a little of it is made by intestinal bacteria).

The chief source of supply is milk soya-bean oil, nuts, tomatoes, green vegetables (especially carrot tops), and peanuts. Intestinal bacteria, which produce it, can be encouraged to multiply by eating yoghurt and butter-milk.

Vitamin P

You  need vitamin P for healthy veins and arteries, prevention of strokes, etc. Best sources are lemons and oranges, especially the peel. This can be soaked in water overnight, and the water drunk, though it is not advised in these days when poisonous sprays are used on fruit. Vitamins are manufactured in small amounts by our intestinal bacteria, the amounts produced depending on the state of our intestines; e.g. if drugs such as antibiotics have been taken they destroy intestinal bacteria which manufacture the vitamins, so these drugs not only kill the harmful bacteria, they kill the beneficial ones also.