9781422280522

The Basics

getting enough vitamin K overall. Lots of other animals make their own vitamin C, but humans do not. The primates we descended from lost that ability around 60 million years ago. Since then, we’ve been relying on fruit to get our necessary dosage.

T wo K inds of S oluble Vitamins can be broken down into two categories: water soluble or fat soluble. Water-soluble vitamins dissolve in water before the bloodstream absorbs them. They circulate freely throughout the body, and they cannot be stored. Unused water-soluble vitamins are eliminated through the urine, which is why you need to keep replenishing them every few days. Water-soluble vitamins are found in many different food sources, including fruits, vegetables, grains, and milk and dairy products. They include vitamin C plus the eight B-complex vitamins. Fat-soluble vitamins include A, D, E, and K. They dissolve in fat and are absorbed into the bloodstream through the wall of the small intestine. Unlike water-soluble

Eggs are a source of fat-soluble vitamins such as A and D.

13