The Essential Vitamins and Where to Find Them in Food

You probably already know that you need vitamins for your wellness to thrive. In a perfect world, everyone would get their vitamin needs sorted through their diet, bolstering their wellbeing with a mixture of healthy fruits, vegetables and low-fat meats. However, in the real world, you know that isn’t the case; most people don’t get the vitamins they need through their diet. We’ve compiled a list of the necessary nutrients and where to find them, although you may want to look at supplements to fill any nutritional gaps you might have. However, before you take on any of our suggestions, you should talk things through with your healthcare provider.

 

First we need to establish the difference between a water-soluble vitamin and a fat-soluble vitamin, although you can probably discern much from their apt names. With water-soluble vitamins – such as vitamin C and B vitamins – it’s easy for your body to eliminate whatever it doesn’t use, as this excess nutrition can be cleared out almost instantly through your bowel movements. Fat-soluble vitamins, on the other hand, are more difficult to get rid of. Fat-soluble vitamins – including vitamin A, D, E, and K – can build up in your lipids and, when built to excess, can cause many different illnesses. So, proceed with caution with fat-soluble vitamins. Now, where can you find all these necessary nutrients?

 

Vitamin B1: Starting with the water-soluble vitamins, thiamin helps your body convert blood sugar into energy, and is found in brown rice, asparagus, cauliflower, oranges, whole grain flour, potatoes, pork, eggs, yeast and fortified cereals.

 

Vitamin B2: Also known as riboflavin, this B vitamin works with others to convert sugar into energy. You can get your B2 from dairy products like milk and cheese, broccoli, spinach and asparagus.

 

Vitamin B3: Niacin – which is found in tuna, green beans, broccoli, mushrooms and fortified breakfast cereals – helps convert sugar into energy and keeps your skin healthy.

 

Vitamin B6: Found in watermelon, bananas, spinach, tomatoes and broccoli, vitamin B6 contributes to red blood cell formation and converts fat and protein into energy.

 

Vitamin B9: You probably are more aware of this vitamin by its other name; folic acid. As well as being an essential component of any pregnant woman’s diet, folic acid helps your body create new cells and ward of heart disease. Get your vitamin B9 from broccoli, green beans, tomatoes, beans, asparagus and fortified breakfast foods.

 

Vitamin B12: This vitamin – appearing in meat, fish, milk, cheese, eggs and poultry – helps your body to produce new cells.

 

Vitamin C: Though vitamin C is among the most well-known of vitamins, you often make the mistake of thinking orange is the best and only source. In fact, vitamin C – which protects your body’s cells from damage and may help with heart disease and preventing cancer – can be found in other citrus fruits such as limes and lemons, as well as strawberries, kiwi, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, peppers and spinach.

 

Vitamin A: Moving on to the fat-soluble vitamins, vitamin A is beneficial for your skin and eyesight, and you’ll find it in liver (from both beef and pork,) fish (such as salmon, mackerel, and tuna) milk, butter, eggs and carrots.

 

Vitamin D: Essential for maintaining healthy bones, you can get vitamin D from milk, egg yolks, liver, and butter, as well as through sunlight on your skin.

 

Vitamin E: This vitamin is found in sunflower seeds, spinach, various nuts, and peanut butter. It’s vital for heart health, preventing pollution damage in your lungs and may protect you against cancer.

 

Vitamin K: Found in eggs, various meats, spinach, lettuce, cabbage and milk, vitamin K helps your body’s blood clotting process.

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Are Your Morning Vitamins Really Good for You?

Studies suggest that one in three people take supplements every day in the UK, and 15 percent of people turn to a high dose supplements as a way of getting a quick fix. But how effective are these pills in boosting our immune system and fighting off disease? New research claims that we take vitamin pills as a form of health insurance, reducing ageing and reducing the risk of chronic disease. But most people take them out of habit, and large quantities of single vitamins can have toxic effects. This is especially the case where vitamin A is concerned, which can accumulate to be damaging to the liver. Vitamins are generally consumed through our diet – they’re what our body can’t produce naturally on its own. Vitamin C builds immunity and helps to develop connective tissues; vitamin A helps the body to grow and enhances the immune system; B vitamins are vital in producing energy so that we can function throughout the day; finally, vitamin D helps the body to absorb calcium for strong bones.

 

Our high speed lifestyles have meant that we now resort to pill forms in order to get the daily dose of vitamins that we need, made worse by the fact that our diets are poorer now. In an ideal world, we would make fresh meals everyday which were rich in nutrients, but reality doesn’t match this. It’s also true that chronic stress can deplete the body’s vitamin supply, as cortisol (the hormone responsible for stress) uses up the supply of vitamin c and B vitamins. Naturally, we should all be opting for the food version of these vitamins rather than relying on supplements. Research shows that over 90 percent of supplements on the market are synthetic, so we aren’t actually getting what we think we are. Furthermore, evidence suggests that these unnatural forms could be more harmful than good for us.

 

There are exceptions to the rule, of course. Vitamin D, for example, is difficult to obtain from our diets and most people are fearful of sitting in natural sunlight due to the dangers of the sun’s rays. So this could be beneficial in a supplement form. Likewise, GPs may advise pregnant women to boost their vitamin intake with a supplement to ensure that they and their baby get all the nutrients that they need. If you do need to take a supplement though, be sure that it isn’t synthetic and that it is of a good grade. For a general boost to your well-being, you may want to take a daily supplement with chlorella, bee pollen or spirulina. Fish and plant oils are also great for your health, as these are rich in omega-3 fatty acids – oily fish such as salmon or mackerel, as well as nuts and seeds, are all ideal places to start. To boost your vitamin C levels, rosehip supplements are fantastic as they are an incredibly rich source of this nutrient. If you’re recovering from an illness, pregnant or breastfeeding, or are training intensively for sport, a supplement may be a good idea in order to ensure you don’t overwork your body’s reserves. However, they shouldn’t be relied upon as a long term solution for getting your vitamins. Abidec drops are a useful way to ensure you get the right dose – they are a multivitamin which contains fat-soluble vitamin A and D2, as well as water-soluble vitamin C, B1 and 2, and B6.

 

Wherever possible, your vitamins should be sourced from fresh foods, such as fruit and vegetables, dairy, and plants or meats. If you’re unsure about how to boost your diet or are worried you’re lacking in a nutrient, you may find it useful to speak to your GP who can advise of ways to improve your diet.

Categories: body, diet, soluble vitamin, supplement, Supplements, vitamin, vitamins