Vitamins are classified according to where they dissolve in the body. The bone health vitamins A, D, and K are fat-soluble vitamins. They need to dissolve in fat before they are absorbed into the blood stream and then stored in the liver. These vitamin reserves can stay in the liver for months.
The best way to take a fat-soluble vitamin is with food so your body can dissolve and absorb the vitamin. Consider taking these vitamins with dairy products and you will get an added calcium boost.
Water-soluble vitamins-B12 and vitamin C-dissolve in water. Your body absorbs what it can and then sends the rest out through the urine. You may even notice that water soluble vitamins cause a change in the color of your urine shortly after you take it.
It’s easy to destroy water-soluble vitamins through exposure to heat, light, and water, which can happen during cooking or storage. We recommend that you refrigerate fresh produce until you use it and make sure that milk and grains are stored in light-proof (opaque) packaging. Because it’s almost impossible to prevent vitamin loss completely, you may want to consider using the water you cook vegetables in to make soup. Not only do you preserve valuable vitamins, you also make a tastier dish.
Remember that we need to get these essential vitamins from our diets or from supplements. If you have a busy life or don’t consistently eat a balanced diet, talk with your healthcare provider about the benefits of taking a multivitamin.
