Vitamins and Minerals Definition - Vitamins and Minerals Information and FAQ

Definition: Vitamins are organic compounds (produced by both animals and vegetables) whose function is to enhance the actions of proteins that cause chemical reactions such as muscle building, fat burning and energy production.

How Many Types of Vitamins Are There?

There are two types of vitamins:

• Fat soluble vitamins-they get stored in fat and therefore if take in excessive amounts will become toxic such as A, D, E, and K.
  
  
• Water soluble vitamins-they are not stored in the body such as the B-Complex and Vitamin C.

Minerals are inorganic compounds (not produced by neither animals nor vegetables) whose main function is to assure that your brain receive the correct signals from the body, balance of fluids, muscular contractions and energy production as well as for the building of muscle and bones.



How Many Types of Minerals Are There?
There are two types of minerals:

• Bulk minerals, which are called this way as the body needs them in great quantities in the order of grams such as Calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium and phosphorus.
  
  
• Trace minerals, which are needed by the body in minute amounts, usually in the order of micrograms such as chromium, copper, cobalt, silicon, selenium, iron and zinc.
  
  Who Needs Vitamins and Minerals?
  
  Everybody needs them but especially those who practice bodybuilding since vitamins and minerals are essential to insure that our body will operate at maximum efficiency. Why? Because on a very simplistic level, without vitamins and minerals it would be impossible to convert the food that we eat into hormones, tissues and energy.
  
  Where Can You Get Them From?
  
  I like simplicity and because of that I tend to get most of my vitamins and minerals from multiple vitamin/mineral packs.