What does Vit A and Iron do?

[momma-rawma]

I'm asking b/c in the land of my green juice and green smoothie experiments....

Spinach seems to be my secret weapon to alertness and concentration...it is super high in Vit A and has the Iron.

I also used Kale last week, but the grocery store didn't have it this week--I don't have the package to see what Kale has in it.

I am curious as to what these particular minerals and vitamins are doing for me.,

[Cabosun]

Iron is an essential mineral and an important component of proteins involved in oxygen transport and metabolism. Iron is also an essential cofactor in the synthesis of neurotransmitters such as dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin. About 15 percent of the body's iron is stored for future needs and mobilized when dietary intake is inadequate. The body usually maintains normal iron status by controlling the amount of iron absorbed from food.

There are two forms of dietary iron: heme and non-heme. Sources of heme iron include meat fish and poultry:eek: . Sources of non-heme iron, which is not absorbed as well as heme iron, include beans, lentils, flours, cereals, and grain products. Other sources of iron include dried fruit, peas, asparagus, leafy greens, strawberries, and nuts.

Vitamin A, a fat soluble vitamin, helps with many important body functions in addition to helping with vision, including helping to keep your teeth in good condition, helping to keep your skin healthy, and helping with bone growth. In addition, vitamin A helps to control the immune system, helps with reproduction, and assists in cell division. Vitamin A might also serve as an antioxidant, at least under laboratory conditions, although studies have not completely confirmed that this vitamin actually works as an antioxidant for people.

Vitamin A is a very talented vitamin.

Vitamin A Sources
The vitamin A that is found in carrots and other vegetables is called provitamin A carotenoid. Other fruits and vegetables that contain provitamin A carotenoid include:

Raw spinach
Cantaloupe
Tomatoes
Sweet potatoes
Papayas
Apricots
Romaine lettuce
The vitamin A that is found in animal products is called preformed vitamin A and is found in foods such liver, eggs, and whole milk. :eek:




Vitamin A Deficiencies
What can happen to you if you do not get enough vitamin A? Vitamin A deficiencies can lead to:

Night blindness
Blindness
Difficulties in fighting infections
Most people in the United States are not at risk of developing vitamin A deficiencies unless they are on a severely restricted diet or drink alcohol excessively. However, people who have celiac disease, or sprue, Crohn’s disease, and certain pancreatic disorders may have trouble keeping enough vitamin A in their systems over time.

Vitamin A Overdose
It is possible to consume too much vitamin A since vitamin A is fat soluble and is stored in the body. Hypervitaminosis A, a condition where the body has stored too much vitamin A, can cause birth defects, central nervous system disorders, problems with the liver, and loss of bone density. Loss of bone density can ultimately lead to osteoporosis.

You can also get sick if you eat a lot of animal vitamin A in a short period of time. Symptoms include vomiting, dizziness, headache, and loss of muscle coordination.

Most people, however, overdose on vitamin A because they are taking supplements that their body cannot use, resulting in too much vitamin A in storage. Eating a balanced RAWfood diet is the best way to ensure that you are getting adequate vitamin A.

And, don’t forget to eat your carrots!

[mountaintop]

It is almost shocking to find out how good Kale is for your body.
Check out
http://whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=38

[momma-rawma]

Holy Moses---it is the Iron...thanks!!!!

[Crissy Snow]

I noticed after I eat spinach in large amounts, I can smell bleach through my nostrils. Bleach isn't present in the house and it's right under my nose. Does the iron have some kind of effect on the blood and smell when you take too much iron? I eat loads of spinach which has loads of iron.

[Nurse in the Raw]

I am curious as to what these particular minerals and vitamins are doing for me.,

Iron carries oxygen in the blood to your vital organs and vitamin A releases stored iron in the organs, into the blood stream.

[Nurse in the Raw]

I noticed after I eat spinach in large amounts, I can smell bleach through my nostrils. Bleach isn't present in the house and it's right under my nose. Does the iron have some kind of effect on the blood and smell when you take too much iron? I eat loads of spinach which has loads of iron.

Spinach isn't a very good source of iron because it also contains oxalates, which prevents a good amount of the iron from being absorbed. This is a common mistake people make (eating a lot of spinach) thinking they are getting an abundance of iron when in fact they are not. Kale and your other lettuces provide more usable iron than spinach does.

As for the bleach, are you eating organic spinach? If not, it could be a pesticide that smells like bleach.