VITAMINS
Vitamins for menopausal years. Lists are arranged thusly: most important sources, in decreasing order, are first. Other excellent sources follow the semicolon.
Vitamin A: Vitamin A is formed in the liver from ingested carotenes and carotenoids. No plants contain it. Liver, milk, and eggs do. In pill form, vitamin A can cause birth defects, hair loss, and liver stress.
Depleted by: Coffee, alcohol, cortisone, mineral oil, fluorescent lights, liver "cleansing," excessive intake of iron, lack of protein.
Vitamin B complex: For healthy digestion, good liver function, emotional flexibility, less anxiety, sound sleep, milder hot flashes with less sweating, steady heart beat.
Depleted by: Coffee, alcohol, tobacco, refined sugar, raw oysters, hormone replacement, birth control pills (deplete B6 especially).
Food Sources of B vitamins: Whole grains, well-cooked greens, organ meat (liver, kidneys, heart), sweet potatoes, carrots, molasses, nuts, bananas, avocados, grapes, pears; egg yolks, sardines, herring, salmon, crab, oysters, whey.
Herbal Sources of B vitamins: Red clover blossoms, parsley leaf, oatstraw. See also specific factors, following.
Vitamin B1, Thiamine: For emotional ease, strong nerves.
Food Sources of B1, Thiamine: Asparagus, cauliflower, cabbage, kale, barley grass, seaweeds, citrus fruits.
Herbal Sources of B1, Thiamine: Peppermint, burdock, sage, yellow dock, alfalfa, red clover, fenugreek seeds, raspberry leaves, nettle, catnip, watercress, yarrow leaf/flower, rose buds and hips.
Vitamin B2, Riboflavin: For more energy, healthy skin, less cancer.
Depleted by: Hot flashes, crying jags, antibiotics, tranquilizers.
Food Sources of B2, Riboflavin: Beans, greens, onions, seaweeds, yogurt, cheese, milk, mushrooms.
Herbal Sources of B2, Riboflavin: Peppermint, alfalfa greens, parsley, echinacea, yellow dock, hops; dandelion root, ginseng, dulse, kelp, fenugreek seed, rose hips, nettles.
Vitamin B6, Pyridoxine: For improved immune functioning; especially needed by women using hormone replacement.
Food Sources of B6: Baked potato with skin, broccoli, prunes, bananas, dried beans, lentils; meat, poultry, fish.
Vitamin B factor, Folic acid: For strong, flexible bones, easy nerves.
Food Sources of folic acid (folate): Leafy greens, liver, kidney, lentils, whole grains, seeds, nuts, fruits, vegetables.
