Why Vitamin A is one of your Most Important Emergency Supplies

I hope you don't forget when your mother used to advise you to eat your carrots to make sure you can see properly. The main reason was due to vitamin A. Now as you'll notice, her generous advice was a little misguided, but the concept still applies. Without Vitamin A, you will have a a lot harder time surviving a disaster.

Why vitamin A is one of your most important emergency supplies

Using mom's advice, Vitamin A is important for maintaining eye-sight. The scientific term for Vitamin A is retinol, that is associated with retina, the layer at the back of your eye responsible for letting you see. Without retinol, your retina can't function effectively. This actually starts to be noticed in the form of night blindness, but eventually can lead to blindness.

It's especially necessary for the children under the age of five, who require it for their developing bodies. Vitamin A deficit affects 1/3rd of kids worldwide and results in approximately 670,000 deaths and the blindness of up to 500,000 more. If you are planning to live with children, it is definitely essential that vitamin A is among your emergency supplies.

In addition to vision, Vitamin A plays several functions in the body. It performs a major part in cellular health, which has an effect on immune function, bone metabolism, and also the creation of blood cells. The fact that it was one of the primary vitamins found is a testament to the visible impact on overall health.

The variety of forms, and sources

Prepare yourself, this part is going to include some biochemistry. As we discussed earlier, the natural form of Vitamin A is retinol, that is basically an alcohol. This is not a reliable form found in nature so the form you would probably take in originates from a plant or animal source. The primary animal source is retinyl palmate, present in fatty tissues and the major form found in plants is among four types of carotene (derived from carrots, get it?).

The problem with carotene is it is not easily converted into retinol within the body. Vitamin A is a fat soluble vitamin, meaning it is stored in fat. The fatty retinyl palmate is a lot closer to retinol than the carotenes one can find in plants. Without fats, the absorption of carotenes will be as little as 1 to 12, below 10%!

The ideal way to supplement vitamin A, in the field as well as at home

Bearing this in mind, there is a very easy method to supplement Vitamin A both at home and in survival situations. Additionally it is, in my humble opinion, quite a delicious choice. The perfect source of Vitamin A available to a lot of people is eating liver.

Since Vitamin A is fat soluble, there is the ability for the body to store it in the fat and use it as required. Because of this, it doesn't need to be taken every day. While there is a suggested regular allowance of 3,000IU, this can quickly be converted into a weekly allowance of 20,000IU. This is equal to around 300 grams of liver weekly, or half a pound. I am basing these numbers from beef liver however, there is Vitamin A is the liver of any animal you could think of; including fish (think cod liver oil).

This gels perfectly with a bugout strategy of surviving in the wild. Vitamin A supplementation is difficult from a pantry survival viewpoint because lots of the plant sources just are not absorbed as effectively as animal sources. As you understand by now, all nutrients were not created equal. Thus if you intend on staying in one place, be sure you keep hunting in mind, until you intend on being a post-collapse Ray Charles.

Why Vitamin A is one of your Most Important Emergency Supplies

I hope you don't forget when your mother used to advise you to eat your carrots to make sure you can see properly. The main reason was due to vitamin A. Now as you'll notice, her generous advice was a little misguided, but the concept still applies. Without Vitamin A, you will have a a lot harder time surviving a disaster.

Why vitamin A is one of your most important emergency supplies

Using mom's advice, Vitamin A is important for maintaining eye-sight. The scientific term for Vitamin A is retinol, that is associated with retina, the layer at the back of your eye responsible for letting you see. Without retinol, your retina can't function effectively. This actually starts to be noticed in the form of night blindness, but eventually can lead to blindness.

It's especially necessary for the children under the age of five, who require it for their developing bodies. Vitamin A deficit affects 1/3rd of kids worldwide and results in approximately 670,000 deaths and the blindness of up to 500,000 more. If you are planning to live with children, it is definitely essential that vitamin A is among your emergency supplies.

In addition to vision, Vitamin A plays several functions in the body. It performs a major part in cellular health, which has an effect on immune function, bone metabolism, and also the creation of blood cells. The fact that it was one of the primary vitamins found is a testament to the visible impact on overall health.

The variety of forms, and sources

Prepare yourself, this part is going to include some biochemistry. As we discussed earlier, the natural form of Vitamin A is retinol, that is basically an alcohol. This is not a reliable form found in nature so the form you would probably take in originates from a plant or animal source. The primary animal source is retinyl palmate, present in fatty tissues and the major form found in plants is among four types of carotene (derived from carrots, get it?).

The problem with carotene is it is not easily converted into retinol within the body. Vitamin A is a fat soluble vitamin, meaning it is stored in fat. The fatty retinyl palmate is a lot closer to retinol than the carotenes one can find in plants. Without fats, the absorption of carotenes will be as little as 1 to 12, below 10%!

The ideal way to supplement vitamin A, in the field as well as at home

Bearing this in mind, there is a very easy method to supplement Vitamin A both at home and in survival situations. Additionally it is, in my humble opinion, quite a delicious choice. The perfect source of Vitamin A available to a lot of people is eating liver.

Since Vitamin A is fat soluble, there is the ability for the body to store it in the fat and use it as required. Because of this, it doesn't need to be taken every day. While there is a suggested regular allowance of 3,000IU, this can quickly be converted into a weekly allowance of 20,000IU. This is equal to around 300 grams of liver weekly, or half a pound. I am basing these numbers from beef liver however, there is Vitamin A is the liver of any animal you could think of; including fish (think cod liver oil).

This gels perfectly with a bugout strategy of surviving in the wild. Vitamin A supplementation is difficult from a pantry survival viewpoint because lots of the plant sources just are not absorbed as effectively as animal sources. As you understand by now, all nutrients were not created equal. Thus if you intend on staying in one place, be sure you keep hunting in mind, until you intend on being a post-collapse Ray Charles.

Vitamin B and Survival: Essential Emergency Supplies

The story behind the finding of vitamin b is a cautionary tale to any would-be prepper expecting to live for years on their trusty box of ramen noodles, and one of the great mysteries of contemporary research. Everything started from the case of sailors in the Japanese Navy who were dying on long journeys on the ocean. Beriberi was the name of the disorder, and along with it came the signs and symptoms of tremor, paralysis and at last death.

The reason B vitamins are a part of your crucial emergency supplies

B vitamins are necessary to a number of different functions in the body linked to metabolism and cell formation. This includes everything from maintaining muscle tone, to performing immune system functions, to stabilizing the nervous system. Without B Vitamins, muscles will wither, nerves will fade and also the person will ultimately die. This is exactly what was taking place on the Japanese ships.

A theory was created by two doctors, Christiaan Eijkman and Sir Frederick Hopkins, who explained that the disease was caused by a deficiency in the diet. The soldiers who were found to have been most susceptible to beriberi were those of the lower ranks who were subsisting mainly on white rice. Officers who consumed a richer diet were far less susceptible to the infection. By testing on chicken populations with brown rice (containing the husk) instead of refined white rice, Eijkmann could lessen the number of cases of beriberi in chickens significantly. Hopkins discovered that there had been 'accessory factors' along with proteins, carbohydrates and fats known during the time that contributed to human health and fitness. These accessory factors turned out to be what we know nowadays as vitamins and Eijkman and Hopkins were honored the 1929 Nobel Prize in Medicine for their breakthrough.

Different sources, numerous forms

B Vitamins were earlier termed as a single vitamin due to their coexistence in a number of foods. It was just after the growth of organic chemistry and imaging that scientists were able to detect several different molecules that gave these types of food their boosting properties. These days, there are eight commonly accepted B vitamins B1, B2,B3,B5,B6,B7,B9, as well as B12.

The ideal way to supplement B vitamins, in home and in the field

B vitamins are usually water soluble, which has bad and good significance. The great news is that it is almost impossible to have a dose of B vitamins which is too high, excess vitamins are flushed out in urine. If you have ever taken a multivitamin pill and observed the color of your urine change, that's because of B vitamins.

The not so great news is that B vitamins must be consumed very often since the body cannot store them in body fat. Which means that B vitamins must be worked into the diet plan. As the research of Eijkman suggested, polished grains like white rice have most of the vitamins taken out in the polishing procedure. Usually, the closer a plant is to its natural form the more vitamins it will have, which is true with B vitamins as it is with anything else. The most effective plant sources of B vitamins comprise of asparagus, broccoli, spinach, beans as well as nuts.

But, plants must not be depended upon as the sole supply of B vitamins. B12 is only available in animal sources and lots of vegetarians have problems with B12 insufficiency. Nearly any supply of meat has the full spectrum of B vitamins, which includes B12.

What does this mean for you, modern prepper? Do not plan your survival around a sparse diet of easy to store, refined grains. If you do, be sure to supplement with meat, the vegetables stated earlier, or health supplements. B vitamin supplements are extremely simple to store and can keep you alive, strong as well as lively in a post apocalyptic world. Don't leave home without them!