There’s no question that vitamins are essential to live a healthy and disease-free lifestyle; vitamins and minerals are key constiuents in healthy foods, and our bodies use them to perform optimally, for everything from cell building and repair to organ function.

Eating a healthy, balanced diet is the best way to get your essential vitamins, however vitamin supplements may be necessary to round out your vitamin intake. The majority of us, even if eating organic vegetables and juicing, etc., still may not be able to take in all the necessary vitamins and nutrients our bodies require. Add in our busy schedules, nutrient-deficient soils and foods, the pervasive use of pesticides and hormones and possible dietary restrictions and it becomes all too obvious why vitamin supplements may be necessary.

Too Much or Too Little?

But if some vitamins are good, are more vitamins better? Is it possible to get even healthier by doubling your vitamin intake? The simple answer is: no!

Depending on the vitamin, it can actually be dangerous to have too many of these chemicals in your body. We cover vitamin deficiencies and toxicity issues in individual vitamin articles. Your body has certain dietary needs and while it can manufacture some vitamins and minerals, amino acids, proteins, etc., it relies on your food intake to provide the proper balance for healthy functioning. Health includes building and repairing of tissues, ridding your body of toxins and disease forming entities, preventing harmful inflammation, disease and infection, and ensuring peak function of all parts.

While vitamins they do exist in nature and your body does need them, your body functions best in a balanced moderation, rather than taking in too much of one thing. Two of the most dangerous of vitamins with respect to toxicity (too much) vitamin A and vitamin D. Believe it or not, too much of either one of these vitamins can actually lead to vitamin poisoning!

Excessive amounts of vitamin A can lead to weak bones and even osteoporosis, birth defects, hair loss, and excessively dry skin, while excessive amounts of vitamin D can lead to higher than normal amounts of calcium in the blood, which can damage bones and kidneys and even lead to kidney stones.

It is not easy to be poisoned through vitamins, but it is not unheard of either. You can experience vitamin A poisoning by eating too much liver (which might not be a problem for very many people!) and you can experience vitamin D poisoning usually through taking too many vitamin D supplements (since most foods do not carry a large amount of vitamin D). Generally, this type of toxicity builds gradually, and rarely happens immediately from an overdose.

So how do you know if you are accidentally poisoning yourself? As mentioned, our bodies work best with moderation so when something is “out of whack” our bodies have ways of alerting us. If you experience such symptoms as inexplicable headaches, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, constipation, or blurred vision, you should talk to your doctor about the possibility of vitamin poisoning. Dehydration is also a cause for many of these things; drinking plenty of water and other healthy fluids (green tea, herbal teas, lemon water, green juices) will help stave off many health problems, and help ensure oyu do not experience toxicity of any kind. Water (H2O) is almost a miracle fluid; it dissolves more solids than any other liquid known to man, and helps rid your cells, blood and organs of toxins absorbed from many different sources.

How can you avoid vitamin poisoning and ensure you are receiving the best balance of vitmains for your needs? First, you can be clear that small amounts of excess vitamins and minerals are acceptable, and also uncommon; your body will usually excrete the excess, and vitamin deficiency is far more common. By eating a balanced diet consisting of mostly organically grown plants, and by supplementing it with a multivitamin and other vitamin supplements to fill in any gaps (have blood tests at your doctor’s if you are not sure, and pay attention to any signs your body may be giving you), you are likely in a healthy state. However, if you find yourself eating only a small range specific foods and taking a lot of specific vitamins, for instance if you are on a body building diet or other restricted diet, you may be at greater risk of imbalances.

Want to see better, especially at night? Eat lots of liver, and don’t forget your carrots!

Vitamin A supplements are the modern-day equivelant to what ancient Egyptians considered the cure for “night blindness.” In those times, patients were fed large quantities of liver, and like many old customs, the individual drug or vitamin may not have been identified, but the folklore had its basis in scientific fact. For the same reasons, the carrot has become a symbol of good eyesight, but it is actually said ot be an immune booster and offers many benefits.

Vitamin A and one of the main precursors to Vitamin A (beta carotene) are found in many food sources, and of course as supplements as well. If you eat a food high in beta carotene such as carrots, squash, peaches, apricots, cantaloupe, mangos, sweet potatoes, etc., this provides your body with the nutrients to manufacture Vitamin A. In turn, your body rewards you with stronger, healthier membranes such as hair, skin, nails, and yes, eyes. According to some experts, having enough Vitamin A in your body can even help stave off dreaded diseases such as cancer, and at the very least smaller infections.

Vitamin A can also be found in animal livers, many dairy products, egg yolks, some fish and other animal products, but most especially liver. You may enjoy a more thorough covering of this subject at such sites as wikipedia. Other great sources of vitamin A are dark green vegetables, such as Swiss chard, broccoli, spinach and beet greens.

Vitamin A Toxicity

While we absorb all the Vitamin A we ingest directly through food, our body’s regulatory system works better when we manufacture it, as in from beta-carotene in carrots. In the latter case, we make only what we need and do not suffer Vitamin A overdose. Excess Vitamin A, because it is involved in cell growth, and may affect our hormone functions, can actually lead to many problems, including but not limited to brittle and breaking bones, skin problems, fetal development issues and fatigue and vomiting. It is advisable not to take a vitamin A supplement except under the supervision of a physician, as most people get enough if not more htan enough, according to our reserach (as always, do your research and consult with your doctor if Vitamin A toxicity or deficiency if this is a concern for you).