Strong Bones, Teeth, and Muscles: A Guide to Vitamins

Vitamin D

Vitamin D helps your bones to grow stronger. It helps your body to absorb calcium, another important thing that helps keep your bones strong. Many people have taken to calling vitamin D "the wonder vitamin." Unfortunately, many people don't get enough of it in their daily diet. A lack of vitamin D could keep you from having strong bones and teeth. It could also cause problems with your immune system, which is the part of your body that helps fight off infections and illness. The best way to ensure that your body gets plenty of vitamin D is by eating eggs and fish, like salmon, mackerel, and cod, as well as drinking plenty of milk.

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Vitamin A

Vitamin A is beneficial to your eyesight. It is what allows you to see at night, like when you are playing outside and the streetlights come on: Your eyes are able to adjust and see properly thanks to vitamin A. This vitamin also aides in your ability to see colors. Like vitamin D, vitamin A also helps your body to fight off sickness by boosting your immune system. You can find vitamin A in oranges, cantaloupe, carrots, sweet potatoes, kale, collard greens, and spinach. Drinking plenty of milk will also boost your body's levels of vitamin A.

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Vitamin C

This is one of the most important vitamins to consume on a daily basis. It is vital in keeping your gums, bones, and blood vessels in good working condition. Vitamin C also helps you heal. When you fall down and get a cut or a scrape, vitamin C helps your wounds feel better and stop hurting faster. In a similar way, vitamin C helps your body resist infections and makes it harder for illnesses, like the flu, to harm your body. To give your body the vitamin C it needs, be sure to eat a lot of citrus fruits, cantaloupe, strawberries, tomatoes, broccoli, kiwi, and sweet red peppers.

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B Vitamins

Unlike Vitamins A, C, and D, there is more than one vitamin B! The list of B vitamins includes B1, B2, B6, B12, as well as niacin, biotin, folic acid, and pantothenic acid. All of these vitamins work together to help your body's metabolic functions, or the way in which your body processes food to make energy for when your body needs it. Whenever you are exerting any kind of energy, from playing a sport to putting your laundry away, you are using the B vitamins you consume. Eating the following foods is a good way to give your body enough vitamin B: whole grains, seafood, chicken, steak, eggs, milk, yogurt, leafy green vegetables, beans, and peas.

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Calcium

Calcium is a mineral that makes our bones and teeth strong. It helps us grow into adults with strong bones and also helps our muscles and nerves to work properly. Dairy products like milk, yogurt, and cheese are the best way to give your body the calcium it needs. You can also find dairy in very small amounts in foods like broccoli, almonds, and sardines, but it is best to stick to dairy foods!

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Iron

Iron is another mineral that helps your body to grow strong. When your body takes in iron, it uses it to make hemoglobin, which is a protein your red blood cells need in order to do their job. Red blood cells are responsible for carrying the oxygen you breathe in through your lungs to all of the other parts of your body that need it. Iron also helps your body make myoglobin, another protein that helps your muscles receive oxygen. To give your body iron, eat foods like red meat, pork, chicken, beans, spinach, raisins, and apricots.

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Create a Healthier You

In order to stay happy and healthy, it's important to eat a well-balanced diet. In addition, it's also important to stay active, whether that's through sports or taking a walk with your family. Have your parents schedule regular visits to your doctor to make sure your body is healthy as well as make appointments for the dentist so that they can check on the health of your mouth. With a healthy body, you can live a happier life!

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