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Lifestyle |
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Vitamins |
Best Sources |
Health Benefits |
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Vitamin A |
Animal sources
such Milk, eggs, cheese, butter, chicken, liver |
Antioxidant, essential for
growth and development, maintains healthy vision, skin, and mucous
membranes. |
| Vitamin D |
Fortified Milk |
Essential for formation of
bones and teeth; helps the body absorb and use calcium. |
| Vitamin E |
Vegetable oils,
whole grains, wheat germs, nuts leafy green vegetables |
Antioxidant, helps protect
blood cells, muscles, and lung and nerve tissue;boosts the immune system |
| Vitamin K |
Dark green leafy
vegetables, liver, egg yolk |
Essential for blood clotting |
| Beta Carotene |
Orange and deep
yellow vegetables and fruit (carrot, sweet potatoes, winter squash,
cantaloupe, pumpkins, mangoes); the body converts beta carotene in yellow
and orange vegetables and fruits and some dark green leafy vegetables
(spinach, brocoli) into Vitamin A. |
Antioxidant used
by the body to make Vitamin A. |
| Vitamin C |
Citrus fruits, vegetables
(tomatoes, green papers, cabbage), leafy green vegetables |
Antioxidant, necessary for
healthy bones, teeth, and skin, helps in wound healing |
| Thiamin
(Vitamin B1) |
Whole grains, enriched breads
and cereals, pork, liver, peas |
Helps convert
food into energy |
| Riboflavin
(Vitamin B2) |
Meats, fish, whole
grains, milk products, dark green veggies, enriched breads and cereals,
enriched pasta |
Helps in energy
production and other chemical processes in the body; helps maintain
healthy eyes, skin, and nerve function |
| Niacin
(Nicotinic Acid) |
Whole grains, enriched breads,
and cereals, meat, poultry, fish, nuts |
Helps convert food
into energy; helps maintain proper brain function |
| Vitamin B6 |
Rice, fortified corn flakes,
meat, fish, nuts, bananas, watermelon, potatoes |
Helps produce
essential proteins, helps convert protein into energy |
| Vitamin 12 |
Dairy products,
eggs, liver |
Helps produce the genetic
material of cells, helps convert carbohydrates into energy; helps with
formation of red blood cells and maintenance of central nervous system;
helps make amino acids (the building blocks of proteins) |
| Folic Acid (folate) |
Dark green leafy vegetables,
fruits, dried beans and peas, liver |
Necessary to
produce the genetic material of cells; essential in first 3
months of pregnancy for preventing birth defects; helps in red blood cells
formation; protects gain heart disease |
|
Minerals |
Best Sources |
Health Benefits |
|
Calcium |
Dairy Products, sardines (with bones), salmon, dark green
leafy veggies |
Essential for building bones and teeth and maintaining
bone-strength; important in muscle function |
| Chromium |
Whole grains, brewer's yeast,
nuts, cheese |
Works with insulin
to convert carbohydrates and fat into energy |
| Copper |
Whole grains, nuts, liver,
oysters, legumes |
Essential for
making hemoglobin (oxygen carrying protein in red blood cells) and
collagen (a protein in connective tissue); essential for healthy
functioning of the heart; helps in energy production; helps in absorption
of iron from digestive tract |
| Iron |
Meat, poultry, fish, dried
beans, nuts, dried fruits, whole-grain and enriched grain products, eggs |
Helps in energy
production; helps to carry oxygen in the bloodstream and to transfer
oxygen to muscles |
| Magnesium |
Leafy green vegetables, nuts,
whole grains, dried peas and beans, dairy products, fish, meat, poultry |
Essential for
healthy nerves and muscle function and bone formation; may help
premenstrual syndrome (PMS) |
| Phosphorus |
Meat, dairy products, poultry,
fish, grain products |
Essential for
building strong bones and teeth; helps in formation of genetic material;
helps in energy production and storage |
| Potassium |
Fruits, vegetables, nuts,
legumes, seeds |
Essential for
maintaining balance of body fluids, transmitting nerve signals, and muscle
contraction |
| Selenium |
Fish, meat, whole-grain breads
and cereals, milk |
Antioxidant;
essential for healthy functioning of the heart muscle |
| Sodium |
Table salt, canned vegetables,
animal foods, some bottled waters, processed foods |
Essential for
maintaining normal blood pressure and balance of body fluids and for
transmitting nerve signals and muscle contraction |
|
Zinc |
Meats, poultry, oysters, eggs, legumes,
nuts, milk, yogurt, whole-grain cereals |
Essential for cell reproduction; normal
growth and development in children, wound healing (tissue repair and
growth), and production of sperm and the male hormone testoterone |