Vitamins and Minerals

This area documents the many vitamins and minerals that are essential to your body. Metally check your eating habits while reading through this list to see which vitamins you may be deficient in. Although some of the functions of the vitamins listed may seem cryptic or strange, they are all important to maintaining your body's health.
Although the body needs only small amounts of minerals, they are necessary for it to produce certain compounds, and the resources must be in usable forms. (You can't get the iron your body needs by eating rusty nails, for instance.) Calcium must also be consumed in order to take full advantage of the benefits of other minerals and vitamins.

Vitamin	Benefits	Sources
Vitamin A	Vitamin A assists in the production of bone tissue, hair, teeth, and skin. It also maintains the immune system.	Eggs, butter, carrots, yellow and green vegetables, fortified milk.
Vitamin D	Absorbs calcium from intestines to assist in growth.	Egg yolk, fortified milk, butter, margarine.
Vitamin E	Vitamin E helps the development of red blood cells and muscles.	Green leafy vegetables, fiber-rich whole-grain breads, vegetable oils.
Vitamin K	Involved in forming prothrombin for blood clotting.	Spinach, cauliflower, cabbage, and liver.
Vitamin B1 (Thiamine)	Harnesses the energy released by carbohydrates and prepares it for use.	Eggs, nuts, whole-grain cereals, yeast, green leafy veggies.
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin)	Used in digestion of carbohydrates and protiens, especially in eyes, skin, and blood.	Liver, cheese, milk, eggs, asparagus, peas, beets.
Niacin	Essential in cellular respiration.	Liver, meat, fish, cereals, breads, peas, beans, nuts.
B6 (Pyridoxine)	Assists the nervous system and maintains the immune system.	Salmon, meat, cereals, legumes, tomatoes, spinach, yogurt.
B12 (cyanocobalamine)	Aids in the formation of red blood cells, helps the nervous system function.	Meat, fish, milk, eggs, cheese.
Pantothenic Acid	This vitamin is important in the metabolism of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats, along with the formation of hormones and nerve-regulating substances.	Kidney, liver, yeast, green vegetables, cereals.
Folic Acid	Forms DNA, RNA, and red blood cells.	Green leafy vegetables, cereals; also produced by bacteria in large intestine.
Biotin	Coenzyme in cellular metabolism.	Liver and egg yolk; also produced by bacteria in large intestine.

Mineral	Benefits	Sources
Calcium	Major part of bones and teeth. Necessary for blook-clot formation, nerve cell functions and muscle operation.	Dairy products, egg yolk, green leafy veggies.
Phosphorus	Important part of bones and teeth; part of ATP, DNA, RNA, and some protiens.	Dairy products, meat, fish, poultry, nuts.
Iron	Iron makes up an important part of hemoglobin and many enzymes	Meat, egg yolk, beans, peas, dried fruits, nuts, cereals.
Iodine	Part of hormone from thyroid gland.	Iodized salt, seafoods, codliver oil, vegetables grown in iodine-rich soils.
Copper	Involved in formation of skin pigment.	Eggs, whole-wheat bread, beans, fish, spinach, asparagus.
Sodium	Important in fluid balance and nerve cell function. Many American diets include too much of this mineral, which can lead to high blood pressure.	Table salt, meat, seafoods, poultry, milk, cheese.
Potassium	Regulator of muscle contraction and nerve cell function.	Avocados, bananas, dried apricots, meats, nuts, potatoes.
Chlorine	Important in fluid balance and acid-base balance.	Same as Sodium.
Magnesium	Needed for muscle and nerve cell functions; involved in bone formation; part of many coenzymes.	Nuts, legumes, dairy products, green leafy vegetables.