Vitamins are chemicals that are necessary to sustain life. The body needs vitamins in order to stay healthy and to perform its functions. Without the proper amount of the right vitamins, people can develop various kinds of disorders and diseases. Proper amount means that there can be too little or too much of a vitamin. Vitamin intake is so important that the Food and Drug Administration’s recommended daily requirement is mandatory on labels on food products.

Vitamins are not all the same. Some are fat soluble, like vitamins A, D, E and K. The body stores these vitamins in fatty tissue and the liver. When it needs them it takes what it needs from these storage places. The body does not expel them. If the body takes in more than it needs, it stores them and they can build up and cause health problems. The water soluble vitamins are vitamin C, B1, B2, B6, B12, niacin, folic acid, biotin and pantothenic acid. The intake of these vitamins results in the body taking what it needs and expelling the remainder so there is no chance of a build-up. People who take a multitude of vitamins need to know which are fat soluble and which are water soluble or it is possible that the vitamins that they take to stay healthy may end up making them sick.

If people eat well balanced meals each day from each of the basic food groups, their bodies should receive enough vitamins. But in today’s world we know many people do not eat well-balanced meals. They grab something to munch on in the morning on the way to work. At lunch they gulp down something while they are running errands. Dinner may or may not consist of a balanced meal. Are people in this category taking in the required amount of vitamins? Probably not. They are probably taking vitamin supplements. These are usually the multiple vitamin tablets that can be purchased in grocery stores, drug stores, health food stores, vitamin stores, online, etc. Usually, the one pill contains the required amount of all vitamins, but be sure to read the label to see what vitamins are contained in the pill. They are not always the same. You can also buy individual vitamins, like C, A, D, the B-complex, etc. This is where it is important to know which are and aren’t water soluble. You can take all you want of vitamin C but not of vitamin A.