Vitamins and Minerals

Water soluble - meaning they dissolve well in water

• Vitamin B1 (Thiamine)
  • asparagus, lettuce, mushrooms, spinach, tuna, peas, tomatoes, whole grains
• Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin)
  • mushrooms, asparagus, lettuce, spinach, eggs, yogurt, almonds
• Vitamin B3 (Niacin)
  • mushrooms, tuna, halibut, sea vegetables, salmon, whole grains, peanuts
• Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic Acid)
  • mushrooms, cauliflower, broccoli, tomatoes, berries, eggs, yogurt, corn, sweet potato
• Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine)
  • potatoes, bananas, beans, oats, seeds, spinach, trout, avocado, tuna, salmon
• Vitamin B7 (Biotin)
  • green leafy vegetables, whole grains, salmon, avocado, lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, eggs
• Vitamin B9 (Folic Acid)
  • citrus fruits, whole grains, beets, cauliflower, lettuce, asparagus
• Vitamin B12 (Cobalamin)
  • trout, salmon, beef, yogurt, tuna, eggs, crab
• Vitamin C
  • green leafy vegetables, broccoli, potatoes, peas, citrus fruits, kiwi, mango, bell peppers

Fat soluble - meaning they dissolve well in lipids (fats)

• Vitamin A
  • red, orange, and yellow fruits and vegetables
• Vitamin D
  • egg yolk, salmon, sardines, mackerel
• Vitamin E
  • vegetable oils, nuts, green leafy vegetables, avocado, seeds, whole grains
• Vitamin K
  • green leafy vegetables, vegetable oils, kelp, peas, lentils, lettuce

What Are Minerals?

Much like vitamins, are only required in small amounts and do no provide a direct source of energy. However, they are essential and the majority should come from your nutrition/diet rather then through supplementation, though exception to this can occur. The list of minerals detailed below and the sources from which they can be found should give you a pretty good idea on how to ensure that you are getting an ample supply of the minerals your body needs to perform optimally. You may notice that several food sources supply a wide range of minerals and you should try to include these food items whenever possible.

• Macrominerals - minerals your body needs in larger amounts. They include calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, sodium, potassium, chloride and sulfur.
• Microminerals - often referred to as trace minerals, meaning they are present at low levels in the body or required in smaller amounts in the animals diet. Micro minerals include chromium, cobalt, copper, fluorine, iodine, iron, manganese, molybdenum, selenium, and zinc.

Sources of macrominerals and microminerals:

• Calcium
  • beans, green leafy veggies, broccoli, almonds, turnips, tofu, dairy
• Chloride
  • whole grains, whole fruits, lean meats, legumes and nuts/seeds
• Chromium
  • broccoli, potatoes, whole grains, meet apples, green beans, bananas, onions, tomatoes, lettuce
• Copper
  • cashews, crab, sunflower seeds, lentils, hazelnuts, mushrooms, almonds, chocolate, cocoa powder, nut butters, whole wheat
• Fluorine
  • water, tea, canned fish with bones
• Iodine
  • iodized salt, seaweed, seafood, potatoes, navy beans, eggs, milk, yogurt, strawberries
• Iron
  • dairy, spinach, kidney beans, potatoes, cashews, navy beans, tuna
• Magnesium
  • whole grains, almonds, peanuts, green leafy vegetables, avocados, bananas, apples, cashews, salmon, black beans
• Potassium
  • swiss chard, yams, squash, potatoes, prunes, raisins, bananas, spinach, almonds, avocado
• Selenium
  • brazil nuts, seafood, brown rice, quinoa, whole wheat, walnuts, milk, mushrooms
• Sodium
  • whole grains, whole fruits, vegetables, lean meats, legumes, nuts/seeds
• Zinc
  • sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, wild game, crab, poultry, cashews, almonds, yogurt, mushrooms

Should I Take a Multi-Vitamin?

While multivitamins are helpful, they should not replace food, since food contains countless beneficial compounds that a multivitamin can never match. If you are suffering from a known deficiency, a multivitamin should likely not be used to treat this deficiency. In this situation, you should focus on including foods that contain the vitamin or mineral where the deficiency occur first and only fall back to supplementation if this deficiency is not resolved.

Vitamins and Minerals - An Infographic

I think that we are all aware that our bodies need a certain amount of vitamins and minerals...right?

There are so many - which are the most important?

The answer to that question can vary from person to person, not everyone has the same specific needs.  A vitamin deficiency can usually be traced back to your nutrition - the food you are actually eating. Eating JUNK? You probably are deficient in several areas, so your needs would be different than say a person who is drinking Shakeology everyday.

Every vitamin and mineral serves a primary benefit to your body and while most are of those benefits are unknown to the average person, the image below does give you some of the most common vitamins and minerals and the benefits that they offer.