V For Vitamins

As days go by, more and more conflicting information keeps coming up about Ms. Rona aka Covid-19. The worst part is that this information is so confusing that sometimes the confusion itself can give you symptoms of the disease .e.g. a headache. 

I don't know about you but to be honest, I’m so fed up of hearing the havoc Ms. Rona has brought to the world. I wish I could just go on vacation. Speaking of vacation, a time like this last year I was thinking of doing a road trip to Zambia for a much-needed break or vacation if you may call it. I was actually going to drive all the way to Lusaka, and by the way that dream is still there. I believe one day I will accomplish this though right now am not sure when this is going be now that Ms. Rona has been messing up people’s plans. Hopefully, by the time the adventure bug bites me again they will have found a vaccine for covid-19, then we can be free to cross boarders with bothers. 

In the meantime as we wait for the vaccine, we continue taking care of our bodies by exercising, sleeping enough, feeding our minds the right nutriments, eating healthy and taking the necessary essential oils and vitamins our bodies need.

Speaking of vitamins, what vitamins do our bodies need to keep Ms. Rona at bay? I know I’ve heard the powers that be speaking about Vitamin C and E, but what about Vitamin A, the complex group of Vitamin Bs, vitamin E and Vitamin K? Are those not needed?

Well, in my quest to answer that question, I decided that my word for today is going to be Vitamins. V for Vitamins.

If you’ve been following the survival alphabet series on this blog or on my podcast since the very fast day I started, then you know for sure there’s definitely going to be a twist somewhere. Why not stick around with me to find out where the twist is?

So, according to doctors and scientists and biologists and nutritionists and all those people who fall in this category, they say our bodies need about types of 13 vitamins. The bulk of the vitamins are in Vitamin B group which has a total of eight vitamins including their mother. 

In this article, I will not only share with you the importance and sources of the vitamins you know, but I will also introduce another set of vitamins you never thought about before.

1. VITAMIN A

GOOD FOR: Healthy eyes and general growth and development, including healthy teeth and skin.

NATURAL SOURCE: Carrots and other orange foods including sweet potato and cantaloupe melons – all of which get their hue from the carotene pigment.

While you eat your vitamin A in order to develop and grow healthfy teeth and skin, how about we look at Vitamin A for Ambition.

Ambition is the strong desire to do or achieve something. 

How does Vitamin Ambition help you? It will push you to keep going even when your body is tired. It encourages you to continue even when the facts on the ground discourage you from following your vision. It reminds you why you need to achieve your goal when you get to a point of whanting to give up. For you to ever achieve anything in life, you will need to eat many servings of ambition daily. 

What is the source for Ambition? It starts with having a healthy imagination – you imagine getting what you are desiring. Then you invest time and energy into your goal, while being careful to remove negative thoughts from your mind. Ambition requires that you focus on attaining knowledge because the more knowledge you acquire, the more you will be inspired to put it to practice. Taking risks increases your level of ambition because once you take a calculated risk, you will definitely want to ensure you see the results of that risk.

2. B VITAMINS

GOOD FOR: Energy production, immune function and iron absorption.

• Vitamin B1 is important for maintaining a healthy metabolism. It alsohelps maintain normal digestion, appetite and proper nerve function.

• Why you need Vitamin B2: Vitamin B2 is essential for energy metabolism. It also aids adrenal function, supports normal vision and helps maintain healthy skin.

• Vitamin B3 is important for the body. It's used to metabolize energy and promote normal growth. In large doses, Vitamin B3 can also lower cholesterol.

• Why you need Vitamin B5: Aids energy metabolism and normalizes blood sugar levels.

• Vitamin B6 is an essential vitamin for good health. It promotes protein metabolism, metabolism of carbohydrates and the release of energy. It alsoplays a role in proper nerve function and the synthesis of red blood cells.

• Vitamin B7 (also known as biotin) is an essential vitamin that plays an important role in maintaining a healthy metabolism.

• Vitamin B9 is an essential vitamin, and is especially important for pregnant women. To make DNA, RNA, red blood cells, and synthesize certain amino acids. Vitamin B9 is also important for pregnant women, as it helps prevent birth defects.

• Why you need Vitamin B12: To make red blood cells, DNA, RNA, and myelin for nerve fibres.

NATURAL SOURCE: This crucial group of nutrients can be found in whole unprocessed foods, specifically whole grains, potatoes, bananas, lentils, chili peppers, beans, yeast and molasses.

While you are busy munching on your bananas, how about we add a little B for Vitamin Brave.

Brave: This is the state of being ready to face and endure danger or pain; showing courage in the face of danger. It is the ability to endure or face (unpleasant conditions or behaviour) without showing fear.

Why is it important? Because in pursuit of your dreams, you will need to be brave to face all the unpleasant conditions that you will encounter along the way. People will disappoint you in a million different ways and levels. Others will literally block your progress either directly or by proxy. At times you might lose everything and be forced to start again - like I did. When stuff like that happens, unless you are brave, you will just give up and forget your dream. Like Lana del Rey said, “Being brave means knowing that when you fail, you don’t fail forever”.

You need to be brave enough to pick yourself up and continue moving when things do go as planned. 

What is the source of Vitamin Brave? From within you. Recognize your fear for what it is; false evidence appearing real.Think of the worst possible scenario and how you would handle it if it happened, and this will decrease some of your fear. Think about the great rewards you will get by overcoming your fear, and this will give you courage to do it afraid. Be ready to embrace change in strategy where change is necessary, but don’t change your dream of goal. Think of how good you will feel when you achieve your goal, knowing you achieved it by being brave.

3. VITAMIN C

GOOD FOR: Strengthening blood vessels and giving skin its elasticity, anti-oxidant function and iron absorption.  
NATURAL SOURCE: Everyone knows this one – oranges! But they're not the only source – other fruits and veggies packed with Vitamin C include guava, red and green peppers, kiwi, grapefruits, strawberries, Brussels sprouts and cantaloupe.

While you are savouring the taste of berries, how about we add you a plateful of Vitamin C for Confidence to go with your berries.

Confidence: this is the feeling or belief that one can have faith in or rely on someone or something. 

Where does it come from? It comes from having a feeling of self-assurance that comes from appreciating your abilities, your qualities, your skills and your uniqueness. It comes from having a positive self-image no matter what is going on in your life. It comes from knowing there is a difference between your “who” and your “do”, meaning you know that your failures don’t define you. It comes from being solution oriented at all times instead of being part of the problem. It comes from the knowledge that you have been spending hours on end sharpening your skills.

Like Robert Staubach said, “Confidence comes from hours and days and weeks and years of constant work and dedication.” 

Know your stuff, and your confidence will shoot up.

4. VITAMIN D

GOOD FOR: Strong healthy bones.
NATURAL SOURCE: Apart from sunning yourself, which stimulates Vitamin D production, you can get this nutritional must from eggs, fish and mushrooms.

And while basking in the sun, how about we serve you a cool glass of Vitamin D for Direction?

Direction: this is a general aim or purpose. It can also be defined as the course, path or route which must be taken in order to reach a specific destination. 

Question now becomes, do you know where you are going? Do you know which course or path you need to follow in order to get to your destination? Do you know where your destination is?

Sources of Vitamin Direction: Your vision. Your goals. your purpose. If you don’t have any of those, then you are clearly vitamin direction deficient.

5. VITAMIN E

GOOD FOR: Blood circulation, and protection from free radicals.
NATURAL SOURCE: Our favorite Vitamin E-rich food is the mighty almond. You can also fill up on other nuts, sunflower seeds and tomatoes to reap the benefits.

As you go nutty on nuts, how about we throw in an assorted packet of Vitamin E for Energy?

Energy is simply the strength and vitality required for sustained physical or mental activity. Energy is so much needed to accomplish your daily activities. To quote Elaine Seiler, "Energy doesn't communicate in English, French, Chinese or Swahili, but it does speak clearly.​

Where do you get Vitamin Energy from? You get it from having very clear goals of where you want to go, a clear roadmap of how you will get there, a risk management strategy detailing how you will mitigate any challenges that might come your way, and of course constantly reminding yourself how it will feel achieving your goals. You also need to surround yourself with people who generate good energy. 

6. VITAMIN K

GOOD FOR: Blood coagulation – that is, the process by which your blood clots.
NATURAL SOURCE: Leafy greens are the best natural sources of Vitamin K – so make sure you're eating lots of kale, spinach, Brussels sprouts and broccoli.

And as you enjoy your leafy salads, allow me to sprinkle an ounce of Vitamin K for Kindness on your salad.

Kindness: this is the quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate.

And this includes being friendly, generous and considerate to yourself too. Be kind to yourself and it will be easy for you to be kind to others too.

Sources of kindness: give someone a genuine compliment. Look for ways to promote peace wherever you go. Listen to understand not to respond. Smile at people often. Help a needy person without expecting anything in return.

There are many ways you can show kindness. Just be creative.

And there you have it. As you strive to get vitamins A, B, C, D, E & K for your body, also consider getting the new vitamins I have recommended for your soul. The beauty about these vitamins is that they are all within your reach and you don't have to spend money to get them.

Stay healthy, take your vitamins.

To listen to the episode on V for Vitamins click here.

Be ignited. Be inspired. Be influenced to become the best version of yourself you can ever be by being healthy in all areas of your life.