What are Vitamins?
1. Vitamins are organic compounds which are needed in small quantities to strengthen life.
2. They are vital nutrient required by living things.
3. We get vitamins from food, because the human body either does not produce enough of them, or does not produce at all.
Vitamins can be divided into 2 types:
Fat soluble vitamins
Fat-soluble vitamins are stored in the fat tissues of our bodies, as well as the liver. Fat-soluble vitamins are easier to store than water-soluble ones, and can stay in the body as reserves for days, some of them for months.
Vitamins A, D, E and K are fat-soluble.
Water Soluble vitamins
Water-soluble vitamins do not get stored in the body for long – they soon get expelled through urine. Water-soluble vitamins need to be replaced more often than fat-soluble ones.
Vitamins C and all the B vitamins are water-soluble
List of vitamins
Vitamin A
Vitamin B, B2, B3, B5, B6,B7, B9, B12
Vitamin C
Vitamin D
Vitamin E
Vitamin K
Vitamin A:
Food Sources:
Liver, orange, ripe yellow fruits, leafy vegetables, carrots, pumpkin, squash, spinach, fish, soya milk, milk.
Vitamin B1:
Pork, oatmeal, brown rice, vegetables, potatoes, liver, eggs
Vitamin B2:
Dairy products, bananas, popcorn, green beans, asparagus
Vitamin B3:
Meat, fish, eggs, many vegetables, mushrooms, tree nuts
Vitamin B5:
Meat, broccoli, avocados
Vitamin B6:
Meat, vegetables, tree nuts, bananas
Vitamin B7:
Raw egg yolk, liver, peanuts, leafy green vegetables
Vitamin B9:
Leafy vegetables, pasta, bread, cereal, liver
Vitamin B12:
Meat, poultry, fish, eggs, milk
Vitamin C
Many fruits and vegetables, liver
Vitamin D
Fish, eggs, liver, mushrooms
Vitamin E
Many fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds
Vitamin K
Leafy green vegetables such as spinach, egg yolks, liver
Many vitamins are found in fruit and vegetables. Ideally, these food sources should be eaten raw, as vitamins can be partially lost during the cooking process. However, just as the right amount of vitamins is essential for good health, the intake of too many vitamins can also be harmful.
