Vitamins are important for health. Information on vitamins is found in cook books. Caribbean Cookery by Winifred Grey gives information in concise form:-
“Vitamins protect us against deficiency diseases. The body only needs small amounts of each vitamin, and they are only present in foods in small amounts.
“When scientists first discovered vitamins they were named A, B, C, and so on, but as research continued more and more was found about each one. Now chemical names have been allotted to some of them. These can at times be confusing as scientists working in the Americas use one name and scientists in Europe another, eg aneurin, called thiamin in the States, and nicotinic acid, which is called niacin in the States to prevent confusion with the nicotine of tobacco.
“Vitamin A keeps the mucous membranes in good condition, and protects against a serious eye complaint called exophthalmia, which can cause blindness. Night blindness is an early sign of this deficiency. Vitamin A is associated with fats in food and is said to be ‘fat-soluble.’ It is found in liver, fish oils, animal fats, milk, butter, cheese, vitamised margarine and eggs.
“It is also found in vegetables containing ‘carotene,’ a yellow pigment in carrots, yellow sweet potato, yellow and red fruits, green vegetables and avocado pear.
“Vitamin B complex: As research on vitamins developed the original vitamin B was found to be a mixture of several different vitamins, which were at first numbered B1, B2, etc. Now most of them have chemical names and the whole collection of 8 vitamins is called the ‘vitamin B complex,’ all of which are soluble in water.
“Thiamin (B1) protects against a disease known as beri-beri, and also helps the work of carbohydrates. It is especially found in the following foods: yeast, liver, eggs, milk, beans, peas, lentils, wholemeal cereals.
“Niacin (B2) protects us against a disease called ‘pellagra.’ It is found in yeast, meat, fish and wheat.
“Riboflavin (B2) plays a part in many bodily functions. It is found in yeast, liver, eggs, and milk.
“Both riboflavin and niacin are water-soluble, although they are not affected by heat.
“Ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) protects against scurvy. It is water soluble, and it is also destroyed by heat in cooking, drying, or exposure to sunlight. It is found in fresh salads, tomatoes, guavas, citrus fruits and uncooked cabbage.
“Vitamin D helps the body to use its calcium and phosphorus and so is essential to formation of good teeth, and bones.
“Sunshine will counteract the lack of vitamin D. It is found in oily fish, fish liver oils and egg yolk.
“Vitamin E is important for expectant mothers and young babies. It is found in green leaves and the embryos, or growing part, of cereals.”
Now that you have read something of the nutritional value of foods you will realize how important it is to plan balanced meals for yourself and the family. In choosing food for each day, something from each of the following groups should be used.
1. Milk
2. Meat, fish, chicken, eggs, cheese, peas, beans,
lentils
3. Green vegetables
4. Fresh fruits
5. Bread, cake, preserves, honey, ice cream, sweet dessert, cereals, root vegetables such as yam, potato, tannia
