VARIOUS DIETS AND TREATMENTS – SERIOUS VITAMIN DEFICIENCY IN THE SPRING

In the past, the consequences of vitamin deficiencies through the winter months and into the spring used to be much more drastic than they are today. The problem was little understood and therefore left without any real solution. People in remote areas often suffered greatly during these months because of an acute lack of food rich in vitamins. Many old people would die in the winter or spring because their strength was at an all-time low for this very reason.

Even today at this time of the year there is a general susceptibility to colds, bronchial catarrh and infectious conditions of the mucous membranes; these are always a result of a deficiency of vitamin A and other substances. By taking food rich in vitamin A you can, as a rule, avoid inflammation of the eyes, eyelids and cornea, and the nuisance known as ‘night-blindness’. A lack of vitamin A in the body is responsible for the stubborn failure of wounds to heal properly.

It is good to know that the varieties of pepper, as well as tomatoes, contain plenty of vitamin A; unfortunately, however, in winter they are not always widely available or are relatively expensive. It is therefore more than welcome that carrots are usually on the market – and somewhat cheaper. Their vitamin A content is, of course, well known. So make it a point to eat fresh carrot salad every day, or to drink fresh carrot juice. Commercially prepared carrot juice with lactic acid is also recommended, and is appreciated by those who have little time to prepare the juice themselves. Health food stores stock concentrated carrot juice, such as Bioca-rottin. This is a good supplement to overcome vitamin deficiency. A word of caution is needed, however, for people who suffer from high blood pressure; try to eat more salads rather than depending on juices alone, since the regular intake of carrot juice can raise the blood pressure.