‘Essential substances that enable your body to do the jobs it needs to do, for you to stay alive and thrive'
Author: Chandy Rodgers
Vitamins and minerals are nutrients that your body needs in small amounts (micronutrients) in order to work properly. On the whole, your body can’t make them which means you have to get them from the food you eat.
The first part of this two part blog post series will introduce you to:
the different vitamins and minerals
why you need them
where you can find them
In our next post we will look at the importance of getting the right balance of these essential nutrients.
What are Vitamins?
Vitamins are organic compounds, which means they come from living things like plants and animal products. There are 13 different vitamins and they are all essential for the healthy growth, repair and functioning of your body. Each vitamin plays a unique role, and a deficiency in any one can lead to health problems.
The 13 Essential Vitamins
With the exception of Vitamin D, the 13 essential vitamins can only be obtained from the food you eat. They act as important cofactors that enable many physiological functions in the body (i.e. put simply this means that they are essential substances that enable your body to do the jobs it needs to do, for you to stay alive and thrive. ). The 13 vitamins are divided into two sub-types; water-soluble and fat-soluble.
Water-soluble Vitamins
These include Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) and the B Vitamins which are all absorbed directly into the bloodstream during digestion and are quickly available for your body to use. You can’t store large amounts, so any not used are excreted in the urine. This means they need to be consumed regularly and that deficiencies can happen quite quickly if you aren’t getting enough from your diet. B12 is the only water-soluble vitamin that the body can store, which it creates a reserve of within the liver. This means that it can take up to 7 years before you may notice signs of B12 deficiency.
Vitamin C is probably the most infamous of all vitamins - the deficiency of which was recognised way back in 1753 as sailors were dying in large numbers at sea, from a disease called Scurvy. The medical community eventually recognised that a dietary deficiency was causing the disease, and that citrus fruit (containing Vitamin C) rapidly solved the problem.
B vitamins are a group of vitamins often found together in foods and have similar roles, working synergistically (supporting one another). Each of the B vitamins has a number and a name: B1 (Thiamine), B2 (Riboflavin), B3 (Niacin), B5 (Pantothenic Acid), B6 (Pyridoxine), B7/B8/H (Biotin), B9 (Folate) and B12 (Cobalamin).
HELPFUL VITAMIN TIP!
To increase your water-soluble nutrient intake steam your vegetables, add them to soups/stews or use the water that you boil them in to make a gravy (or simply drink the water). This is because B vitamins and Vitamin C dissolve in water and can therefore easily leach out into your cooking water. By using the water you can help to retain some of these health supportive nutrients.
The Fat-Soluble Vitamins
Vitamin A, D, E and K are dissolved in, and transported around the body, in fat. The healthy fats in your diet help you to absorb these important nutrients. Unlike the water-soluble vitamins, fat-soluble vitamins are stored in the liver and fatty tissues in your body, providing reserves for when you don’t have enough in your diet. However it is important to have the correct balance. Having too much, either in your diet or from supplements, can be harmful. If you would like to learn more about this, check out previous blog posts HERE where we look at everything you should know before you buy or take a supplement and who is most at risk from nutrient deficiency and excess.
HELPFUL VITAMIN TIP!
Fat-soluble vitamins can be damaged by heat, light, and air exposure so how you store and cook them is important. Steam or sauté foods instead of high heat frying and store your food in airtight containers away from light.
What are vitamins and where can you find them?
Vitamins are substances that are naturally present in a variety of foods and some foods provide a rich source of several, such as, fruits, vegetables and whole grains. They are vital for numerous bodily functions and often work together (synergistically), supporting other nutrients to do their jobs. In other words if one vitamin is missing, other vitamins or minerals won’t be able to function efficiently.
Vitamin A helps maintain good vision, supports the immune system and promotes healthy skin. You can find it in carrots, sweet potatoes, spinach, and liver.
B vitamins help turn the food we eat into energy, support the brain and nervous system and are involved in making red blood cells. You can find them in whole grains, meats, eggs, dairy products, legumes, seeds, and leafy green vegetables.
Vitamin C boosts the immune system, helps heal wounds and is important for healthy skin and connective tissue e.g. bone, joints, ligaments, tendons and cartilage. You can find it in citrus fruits e.g. lemons and limes, strawberries, bell peppers, and broccoli.
Vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium which is crucial for bone health. It also supports the immune system. You can find small amounts in fatty fish e.g. salmon, mackerel and sardines, fortified dairy products, egg yolks and mushrooms that have been exposed to sunlight for 10 minutes before eating them. Vitamin D is unique in that your body can produce it when your skin is exposed to sunlight.
Vitamin E acts as an antioxidant, protecting cells from damage and also supports the immune system. You can find it in nuts, seeds, and green leafy vegetables.
Vitamin K is essential for blood clotting and helps keep your bones strong. You can find it in leafy green vegetables, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts.
What are minerals and where can you find them?
Minerals are elements that come from the earth (e.g. soil) - they are essential for the healthy growth of plants. You can therefore get the majority of the minerals your body needs for healthy growth, either directly from plant based foods or indirectly from animal sources (where the animal has eaten the plant first). As a result, mineral levels in your diet are directly impacted by the mineral content of the soil where the plants you or the animals you eat are grown.
The way you prepare foods generally doesn’t affect the mineral content as much as it does vitamins, because minerals are more stable. However, some can still be lost during cooking, especially if they dissolve into your cooking water.
Minerals can be broken down into two categories macro or trace minerals. Just because a mineral is trace, it doesn’t mean it is less important than those that are macros.
Macros include: Calcium, Phosphorous, Magnesium, Potassium, Sodium, Chloride and Sulphur.
Trace elements include: Iron, Zinc, Iodine, Selenium, Manganese, Molybdenum, Copper, Chromium, Boron, Fluoride and Silicon.
Minerals play critical roles in your body and like vitamins, work synergistically with other nutrients. They are naturally found in a variety of plant and animal based foods, and can also be found in drinking water depending on where it comes from.
Some of the most commonly known minerals include:
Calcium is essential for bone and teeth formation, muscle function, and nerve signalling. You can find it in leafy green vegetables, cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, bok choy), legumes, nuts & seeds, dairy products (milk, cheese, yoghurt), and fortified foods.
Iodine is essential for making thyroid hormones which control your metabolism. It is most abundant in seafood, seaweed, dairy and eggs.
Iron is necessary for the production of haemoglobin, which carries oxygen in the blood. Red meat, poultry, fish, lentils, beans and blackstrap molasses provide rich sources of iron.
Magnesium is involved in over 300 biochemical reactions in the body, including energy production and muscle function. You can find it in nuts, seeds, whole grains, and leafy green vegetables.
Potassium is vital for maintaining fluid balance, nerve function, and muscle contractions. Bananas, oranges, potatoes, and spinach are the best sources of potassium.
Sodium regulates the amount of fluid retained in the body, helps with muscle contractions and is important for nerve function. It can be found in meat, seafood and vegetables but take care with unhealthy sodium sources, such as table salt and ultra processed foods which can be harmful.
Zinc is important for immune function, wound healing, and DNA synthesis. You can find it in meat, shellfish, legumes, and seeds.
Conclusion
As you can see consuming vitamin and mineral rich whole foods throughout the day is vital for growth, repair and the normal functioning of your body. Taking the time to learn about optimal nutrition is one of the greatest things that you can do for your mind and body. If you would like to learn more about optimal nutrition check out our online course 'Nutrition: The Corner Pieces'. This course covers all of the macro (big) nutrients that you need for optimal health, including hydration, carbohdyrates, fats and protein.
Don’t miss the second Blog Post in this series; 'Vitamins and Minerals, a Fine Balance'. Here we will look at the importance of getting the right balance of vitamins and minerals, early warning signs that things aren't quite right, as well as lifestyle and environmental factors that may be tipping the balance.
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