Health: The ABCs of Vitamins for Homeschoolers
By Mimi Rothschild
You will probably be teaching about vitamins during a homeschool class on health or nutrition. Vitamins are essential to our well-being yet few people truly understand the role they play in our health. Too many people seem to think that the more vitamins and supplements in pill form they consume, the healthier they will be.
That's simply not true. In fact, some vitamins can be toxic in large doses, and others may interfere with certain medications. You should discuss with your doctor whether or not you need to supplement your diet with vitamins. We should all be more vigilant in reading food labels and understanding which foods contain what vitamins and what those vitamins do for our bodies. For example, we all know that too much sun can be dangerous, as it can cause skin cancer. Yet not getting any sun at all would be dangerous too, as it is perhaps our greatest source of Vitamin D. An interesting homeschool assignment might be to read several food labels from the pantry or refrigerator so home school students can acquaint themselves with some of the vitamins we consume every day.
If you read food labels, you're used to seeing information about certain vitamins and minerals. Some vitamins seem to be more popular than others. We've all heard of Vitamin D as in Vitamin D milk. You may drink plain or chocolate Vitamin D milk during a home school break. Just what does Vitamin D do for us and can we get enough of it in our diet, or do we need to take extra Vitamin D in the form of a pill?
Because Vitamin D promotes calcium absorption, you could say that it helps to maintain strong bones. Without enough Vitamin D, children can get rickets, and adults are in danger of osteoporosis. Milk is fortified with Vitamin D, as are some cereals. It's not difficult at all to get enough Vitamin D every day. Another interesting homeschool assignment might be to list all the food in your house that contains Vitamin D. Maybe you could even choose a Vitamin D snack during home school hours.
We think about Vitamin C when we get a cold or when we are drinking orange juice. Although Vitamin C doesn't cure the common cold, some people believe that it lessens the symptoms. You and your home school child can do research on this topic. The most important job Vitamin C, or ascorbic acid, does for our bodies is that it helps with the production of collagen. Since we have collagen throughout our bodies, Vitamin C is essential. Rarely seen today, a deficiency of Vitamin C produces Scurvy, which causes many severe problems. Some of these problems are bleeding gums, loosing teeth, and poor healing of wounds. Another interesting point about Vitamin C is since it is sometimes used as a preservative, there is even less chance of a deficiency. Some people believe they can ward off a cold by taking Vitamin C supplements. Of course, we can get all the Vitamin C we need in citrus fruits such as oranges, limes, lemons, and grapefruit. During one of your home school breaks, perhaps you can consume something rich in Vitamin C.
These are just two of the many Vitamins necessary for our general health and well-being. Many people who are concerned about getting the necessary amount of daily vitamins simply take a multi-vitamin that supplies the recommended daily allowance of all the vitamins. Others buy individual vitamins and pop pills all day long. It's interesting reading to learn what vitamins do for us and what foods they can be found in. Just remember to consult your doctor before filling up on vitamins or supplements.
________________________________________________________________
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mimi Rothschild is a homeschooling parent, children's rights activist, author, and Founder and C.E.O. of online education company Learning by Grace, Inc. Rothschild and her husband of twenty-eight years reside in suburban Philadelphia with their eight children.
Feeling that “our current system of education has broken its promise,” Rothschild co-founded Learning By Grace, Inc. to provide families with Internet-based multimedia education to PreK-12 children all over the world.
In addition to her twenty years of experience as a homeschool mother, Rothschild has written a number of books dealing with education published by McGraw Hill and others. Her Home Education Websites Blog consists of helpful online content and activities for Christian homeschooling families.
Electronic reproduction of this article is permitted if content is published unchanged, appropriate credit is given, and the article title links to corresponding article webpage.
