Vitamins are required in very small amounts to enable your body to metabolize carbohydrates, proteins and fats. Without adequate vitamins, you would gain no benefit from these three food types and would suffer from malnutrition.
Vitamin A
Why it’s good for you. Vitamin A is essential for good eyesight. Although it doesn’t kill germs, it does strengthen the mucous (moist) membranes in your nose, throat and chest and enables you to withstand infection by germs that choose that route into your body.[2] Vitamin A is also an antioxidant that reverses the adverse effects of free radicals. Left to their own devices, free radicals damage tissue.
Best food containing Vitamin A. Vitamin A is found in a range of foods including cream and butter. However, for the sake of your waistline and arteries, it may be best to obtain vitamin A from fish oils, egg yolk, liver, and in deep yellow and deep green vegetables.
Warning. Alcohol removes stores of vitamin A from your liver and into your bloodstream[3] so limit your alcohol intake – if you can drink it at all.
Supplement. Your body requires protein to convert vitamin A into usable form so if you’re a vegetarian or vegan, you may need to supplement vitamin A. If you do drink alcohol, then you may also need to top up your vitamin A reserves with a supplement. It’s helpful to discuss this with your health practitioner.
Vitamin B Group[4]
Vitamin B is not one vitamin at all, but rather a group of eight vitamins that all make an important contribution to your ongoing health.
Vitamin B1 (Thiamine)
Why it’s good for you. Vitamin B1 or Thiamine assists your body to derive energy from the carbohydrates you eat. It is also excellent for your nervous system.
Best food containing Vitamin B1. You can get vitamin B1 from liver, fish, leafy green vegetables, seeds, nuts, legumes and whole grains.
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin)
Why it’s good for you. Vitamin B2 plays a very important role in your body’s ability to metabolize carbohydrate, fats and proteins. It also has the equally important task of assisting in the removal of toxins from your liver. Your liver is the organ that scrubs your blood and keeps it healthy. Healthy blood and good circulation are fundamental to life and your energy resources.
Best food containing Vitamin B2. Vitamin B2 is available from milk, kidney, liver, fish, whole grains, wheat germ, broccoli, legumes and leafy green vegetables. Milk and leafy green vegetables are the best sources of this vitamin.
Vitamin B3 (Niacin)
Why it’s good for you. Vitamin B3 is essential to the release energy from carbohydrates and the metabolization of protein and polyunsaturated fatty acids. It is also vital for the formation of red blood cells, which carry oxygen around your body, and sex hormones.
Best food containing Vitamin B3. Vitamin B3 is contained in poultry, fish and meat in particular, also liver, peanuts, whole grains, eggs and milk.
Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic Acid)
Why it’s good for you. Vitamin B5 is vital for the creation of glycogen or energy stores and fatty acids in the body. It is also contributes to the production of neurotransmitter chemicals which transfer nerve impulses from one nerve to the next, and for sex hormones testosterone and oestrogen.
Best food containing Vitamin B5. Many foods contain this vitamin, however, it is best obtained from nuts, legumes, whole grains, fish, egg yolks, kidney and liver.
Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine)
Why it’s good for you. Vitamin B6 enables protein, and the mineral assets, metabolism supports a healthy heart and blood circulation. It also contributes to the production of hemoglobin, the red oxygen carrying pigment in blood.
Best food containing Vitamin B6. This vitamin is found in meat, poultry, fish, bananas, avocados, soybeans, walnuts, oats, wheat germ and seeds.
Vitamin B7 (Biotin)
Why it’s good for you. Vitamin B7 helps enzymes create glycogen and fatty acids and supports the immune system. It is important for normal growth and development of skin, hair, nerves and bone marrow.
Best food containing Vitamin B7. Good sources of this vitamin include the whole grains, nuts, whole grains, egg yolks, soy, sardines and liver.
Vitamin B9 (Folic Acid)
Why it’s good for you. This vitamin assists in the metabolization of amino acids. It is also important to cells which are replaced rapidly, such as red blood cells.
Best food containing Vitamin B9. This vitamin is available from the dark green leafy vegetables such as legumes, egg yolks, asparagus, whole wheat, salmon and wheat germ.
Vitamin B12 (Cyanocobalamin)
Why it’s good for you. Vitamin B12 one of the most important vitamins for ongoing health. It supports every cell in your body, especially those which are rapidly replaced. These include red blood cells and the lining of your gut and blood vessels. It also plays a critical role in the production of the myelin sheath which surrounds your nerves. This vitamin also assists the creation of DNA which is your body’s genetic building block.
Best food containing Vitamin B12 You can get this vitamin from liver, oysters, poultry, fish and fermented foods such as miso or tempeh.
Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid)[5]
Why it’s good for you. Vitamin C is an excellent vitamin. It plays an essential role in the creation of collagen, part of the connective tissue in skin and muscle, tissue repair and skin integrity. It contributes to the ability of white blood cells and antibodies to deal with infection and the immune system, in general. It protects vitamins A and E from free radical damage. It norm alliances, blood cholesterol levels, and assists in the production of some adrenal hormones.
Best food containing Vitamin C. Vitamin C is found in broccoli, cabbage and brussels sprouts, cranberries, blackcurrants, kiwi fruit, mango, peas, cauliflower, tomatoes, strawberries and citrus fruits.
TIP Vitamin C as a supplement is very handy if you are averting a cold or the flu. It may be helpful to take 1000 mg a day as a maintenance dose and 3000-4000 mg a day as a treatment dose. A naturopath once described how to identify a treatment dose of Vitamin C: take enough to give yourself mild diaharrea, then reduce the dosage until the diaharrea ends. This latter quantity is your treatment dose and can vary from person to person.
Vitamin D (Cholecalciferol)[6]
Why it’s good for you. Vitamin D supports bone growth and enables your body to balance mineral levels. It also assists you to absorb calcium and phosphorous from digested food in your intestines.
Best food containing Vitamin D. Vitamin D made in your skin from sunlight so most people will have adequate levels of this nutrient in any case. Good food sources include fish liver oils, fatty fish such as salmon and fortified milk.
Vitamin E (Tocopherol)[7]
Why it’s good for you. Vitamin E is the third antioxidant vitamin. It protects fatty acids and therefore cell membranes and blood vessels from oxidation damage due to free-radical activity. It also supports the reproductive system.
Best food containing Vitamin E. Vitamin E is available from dark leafy green vegetables, egg yolk, liver, nuts especially almonds and walnuts, sunflower seeds, olive oil and wheat germ.
Vitamin K (Phylloquinone)[8]
Why it’s good for you. Vitamin K is essential to your blood’s ability to clot.
Best food containing Vitamin K. Vitamin K is available from green leafy vegetables and raw cauliflower. It is also manufactured in your gut.
Resources online
Some online resources that may interest you.
Strip That Fat contains a very good weight loss program based on fresh food you can buy in the supermarket. The program also includes an excellent online menu generator. Check this post for my review.
The Fitness Model Program and Truth About Abs also cover fat loss diets but have an additional focus: developing noticeable muscle tone. Both programs include comprehensive notes and DVDs.
[1] Mortimer, D., Nutritional Healing, Element Books, 1998, pp 56-61; Marieb, E.N., Human Anatomy and Physiology 3rd ed, Benjamin/Cummings, 1995, pp 852-855
[2] Hall, D The Natural Health Book, Penguin, 1976, p5
[3] ibid p 7
[4] Mortimer op cit, Marieb op cit
[5] Mortimer op cit, Marieb op cit
[6] Mortimer op cit, Marieb op cit
[7] ibid
[8] ibid
