What Do Vitamins Do for the Body?

Have you ever thought about everything your body does to keep you alive? Without even noticing, your heart is beating, your organs are functioning, and your lungs are providing oxygen. Your body’s purpose is to keep you alive, so helping it out and providing proper nourishment is what it needs in return. One of the best ways to give your body the nutrients it requires is through eating a diverse and balanced diet. But, it is rare to get all of the necessary nutrients solely from the food you eat. This is why GEM was created— to fill in the gaps of your everyday diet. The main point is that our bodies don’t function as well when we aren't supplying it with all the nourishment to do its job fully, and so often the average diet is simply not enough.

From healing wounds, protecting against illnesses, and converting food to energy, our body carries out hundreds of jobs with the help of vitamins (1). There are at least 30 vitamins and minerals that our body needs but cannot produce on its own (1).

Vitamins and minerals are rarely differentiated, so have you ever wondered what is the actual difference between them? The main distinction is that vitamins are organic compounds and minerals are inorganic (1). Organic compounds can be broken down by heat, air, and acid (1). Inorganic compounds cannot be broken down and maintain their chemical structure (1). In terms of how they are ingested, this means that minerals are easily transferred to your body from what you consume because their chemical structure is stable. For vitamins though, it is more difficult to receive all of their nutrients from food because their fragile structure might shift when exposed to heat during cooking or lack of air from storage (1).

Here are some of our favorite vitamins and minerals:

Vitamin D

Vitamin D interacts with the body in a variety of ways ranging from bone strength to happiness levels. Because Vitamin D assists with calcium and phosphorus absorption in the gut and is crucial for bone growth and development, it is a major component to healthy bones (2). A sufficient intake of Vitamin D can help prevent thin and brittle bones, specifically rickets in children and osteoporosis in older adults.

In addition, there is evidence suggesting that lower levels of Vitamin D are linked to signs of depression (3). Vitamin D is necessary to the process of synthesizing serotonin, so deficiencies in this vitamin might correlate with low serotonin levels (4). With one GEM bite a day you can receive 100% of the daily value of Vitamin D!

Magnesium

Magnesium is a mineral that is crucial for a functioning body because it is required for more than 300 biochemical reactions (5)! These include converting food into energy, forming proteins, gene maintenance, and muscle and nerve regulation (6). In addition to helping maintain a healthy immune system, magnesium is also known for its ability to control blood sugar and blood pressure levels. Studies have shown that magnesium helps activate the parasympathetic nervous system to relax the body and calm the nervous system for a more quiet mind.

Good thing magnesium is found in many foods, specifically green leafy vegetables, nuts, legumes, and seeds (7). GEM also contains 50% of the daily value of Magnesium, so you can be sure you’re filling in the gaps of your diet.

Riboflavin

Riboflavin is a B vitamin, so one of its main functions is to aid the body during energy production (8). Energy is not the only benefit Riboflavin provides, as there are a plethora of ways it is used by our bodies. These include aiding in the usage of oxygen, regulating levels of homocysteine in the blood, and growth and development (8) (9). Riboflavin also assists with skin function, development of the digestive tract lining, and various other vital organs. GEM contains 40% of the daily value of Riboflavin, along with other B vitamins (8).

Taking care of your body by maintaining a sufficient intake of vitamins and minerals is an amazing way to say thank you to your body for everything it does for you!