When we think prepping we think water, food, and fuel, usually in that order. Then as time goes on and we start gathering our supplies and we pick up other things here and there. My new focus right now is going through my supplies, medicine kits and bug out bags and seeing where I am as far as vitamins go.
The best way to get these vitamins and minerals is
through your food which is what your body is best at absorbing but in a
survival situation nutrition isn’t always what it should be, we aren’t eating
the right things, or enough of the right things, or we aren’t getting enough calories
or even being under a lot of stress can cause major deficiencies. Having the right supplements can save your
life. I have researched, studied and
cross referenced a lot of vitamins and supplements and have chosen the ones I
felt would be most beneficial in a SHTF scenario.
Please if you feel I have left any out leave a
comment with the name of the vitamin and what it is helpful for and hopefully we can all learn a new thing or two.
Vitamins are described as: Any of a group of organic compounds that are
essential for normal growth and nutrition and are required in small quantities
in the diet because they cannot be synthesized by the body.
Vitamin B-1 or Thiamin
This
is the first of the B vitamins which I feel are the most important in the
vitamin world. All B vitamins help the
body produce energy, metabolize fats and proteins and are needed for good brain
function. A deficiency in Vitamin B-1 can lead to mental confusion, muscle
weakness and wasting (described as a progressive involuntary weight loss).
As you can see a deficiency in this in a SHTF type scenario can’t be
good. If you are already not taking in
enough calories needing this vitamin can make it much worse. B-1 can be found in such foods as pork,
liver, whole grains and peas.
Vitamin B-6
This is an especially
important one for myself and I actually take this regularly anyway. B-6 is very important for protein metabolism
and in the making of red blood cells.
Effects of a B-6 deficiency can be dermatitis, irritability, anemia and
kidney stones. Foods that have this vitamin in them are meats, whole grains,
cereal and green leafy veggies. If you know you are prone to anemia or have a
history of kidney stones make sure you put this vitamin in your stockpile.
Vitamin B-12
One of those vitamins
that are good to have if you are prone to anemia. It is essential in the development of red
blood cells and taking care of your nervous system. A deficiency in this can
lead to anemia and possible Alzheimer’s like dementia. This vitamin is only in
animal foods like meats, fish, oysters, shellfish, egss and milk. If you are vegetarian or vegan this
deficiency could be a real problem for you.
Vitamin B-3 or Niacin
Another B class vitamin
used for energy production, promoting an appetite (helpful in wasting situation
I can see) and healthy skin and nerves a deficiency can lead to weakness,
diarrhea and mental confusion. I
recently also seen a study on a larger dose of Niacin helping in depression
that Andrew W. Saul ,Ph.D. and Therapeutic
Nutrition Specialist talk about on the movie Food Matters. Our body does not make Niacin by itself so we
need to make sure our diets supply us with it or we supplement it with a
vitamin. B-3 can be found in liver,
fish, poultry, meat, peanuts and whole grains.
Again vegetarians and vegans need to be especially on the the
lookout for these symptoms.
Vitamin C
Everyone knows how
great vitamin C is for keeping their immune system boosted. We all make sure we get more of it during the
cold and flu season because it works. That’s a great vitamin to have just for a
healthy immune system, but a severe deficiency in this vitamin could lead to
scurvy, defined as a disease marked by inanition, debility, anemia, and edema
of the dependent parts; a spongy condition sometimes with ulceration of the
gums and loss of teeth, hemorrhages into the skin from the mucous membranes and
internal organs, and poor wound healing; due to a diet lacking vitamin C.
Vegetarians probably won’t have as much of a problem unless they can’t get to a
supply of veggies but if your prepping and living a sustainable lifestyle you
won’t have this problem. Vitamin C can
be found naturally many fruits and
vegetables such as citrus fruits, strawberries, bell peppers, tomatoes and
broccoli. You can find tables, capsules and cough drop style Vitamin C. You can buy up what’s on sale and be okay.
Folic Acid
Folic Acid is another B
type vitamin making it very important in the break down, use and the
making new proteins. It also helps with
the formation of red blood cells and even helps produce DNA which is why it is
important for women who are pregnant or trying to get pregnant. A deficiency in
this vitamin can cause fatigue, gray hair, mouth sores, poor growth and swollen
tongue. You can get folic acid by
eating green leafy vegetables and liver.
Zinc
Another immune booster,
zinc, is an important mineral we don’t want to be deficient on. Zinc has wonderful immune enhancing
properties and powerful anti-oxidant boosting properties as well. It is an important part of more that 300
enzymes that our body uses to repair wounds, synthesize protein, cell
reproduction, and protects against free radicals. A deficiency in this mineral can lead to
growth retardation, impaired immunity, weight loss, and mental lethargy. So with all those good things it does it
makes sense to keep that around. Some
good sources of zinc are meat, eggs, seafood, wheat germ and tofu. Vegetarians need to be especially careful of a
deficiency in zinc. Zinc performs better when taken with selenium.
All in all a good
multivitamin should be able to handle everything but the extreme
deficiency. If however you are anemic
you should carry extra B vitamins.
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