Vitamin C

You may have heard from your grandma that eating carrots can improve you vision. That may not be exactly true, but carrots do contain something called provitamin A carotenoids. These are pigments in some plants that can be converted by the body into vitamin A, and vitamin A is important to your vision. Vitamin A is also helpful to bone growth and your immune system. As with other vitamins, there are different forms of vitamin A. One of the forms that is most usable to the body is called retinol, which is found in liver, eggs, and milk. One of the most common provitamin A carotenoids that the body converts easily to retinol is beta carotene. Beta carotene is found in yellow and orange fruits and vegetables including carrots, sweet potatoes, spinach, and cantaloupe. Vitamin A is also one of the vitamins often used to fortify breakfast cereals. Vitamin A is fat soluble, which means that the body stores it, mostly in the liver. That also means that it is possible to build up toxic levels of Vitamin A. This rarely happens from food sources because as the body builds up supplies of vitamin A it will slow down the conversion of beta carotene. When people do get vitamin A toxicity, it is usually from taking too much in supplemental or pill form. Toxic levels of vitamin A can cause liver problems, central nervous system problems, deterioration of bone density, and birth defects. True deficiency of vitamin A is rare in the US, but common in countries where malnourishment is widespread. As mentioned earlier, vitamin A is important to the immune system and vision. This is because the body uses vitamin A to make various internal tissues, such as those lining the eye, lungs, and intestinal tract. When these linings are weakened by vitamin A deficiency, it is easier for harmful bacteria to penetrate them and thus, people with vitamin A deficiency are more prone to infections, illness, blindness, and respiratory problems. Aside from the malnourished, other people who may be prone to vitamin A deficiency include those who consume large amounts of alcohol and those with certain metabolic disorders that affect how fat and other nutrients are absorbed by the body. Some recent and ongoing studies involving vitamin A and beta carotene include investigations as to whether high amounts of vitamin A contribute to osteoporosis, and whether beta carotene can lower the risk of some forms of cancer. As of this writing the Recommended Daily Intake for Vitamin A was 2,310 IU for females and 3,000 IU for males.

Gratitude

Friends, one of the biggest problems in the modern world today is the lack of gratitude. We simply don't say “thank you” anymore. We focus on what's wrong. We focus on what's missing. We focus on what's painful. We feel the world “owes” us -- and we suffer because of it. Let me tell you this: We're lucky. You and me? We'reINCREDIBLY lucky. By all rights, we shouldn't even be here. Do you know EXACTLY how lucky you are? Let me ask you two questions. Here's the first one: How many of you woke up this morning? If you did, I'm happy for you! You know why? It's no small matter. Because today, 232,000 people died all over the world. It's true. All over the world, 232,000 people were alive yesterday... but are NOT alive today. Everybody, breathe in. Breathe out. Isn't it great to be alive? Now here's my second question: How many of you are absolutely, completely, 100% CERTAIN... that you'll wake up tomorrow? Are you sure? Are you sure you'll wake up tomorrow morning? Tomorrow morning, when you wake up, when you breathe in, and you put on that goofy smile, and you realize you're alive...THAT is a miracle. And you realize that most of the things around you are evenBIGGER miracles. And you become more thankful just for being alive. But that's not all! It's not just the fact that you woke up this morning! It's also the fact that the people you LOVE woke up this morning. That they weren't part of the 232,000. We're lucky. We're surrounded by miracles. And we should be thankful for that. Thank you very much, my friends, and remember -- positive thinking isn't a technique. It's a lifestyle. So go out there. Look to the future. Take responsibility. Lighten up. Be thankful. And share. Tomorrow, if you see someone without a smile, give him one of yours. That way we'll change the world one smile at a time!