Ft Vitamins are substances that your body needs to grow and develop normally.

There are 13 vitamins your body needs.

Vitamins are classified solubility contents

1. FAT SOLUBLE VITAMINS ( A, ,D, E, K vitamins)

2. WATER SOLUBLE VITAMINS

Vitamin C and the B vitamins (thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid,

biotin, vitamin B-6, vitamin B-12 and folate).

A. FAT SOLUBLE VITAMINS

1. Vitamin A is an antioxidant. Antioxidants are substances that may protect your

cells against the effects of free radicals. Free radicals are molecules produced when
your body breaks down food, or by environmental exposures like tobacco smoke
and radiation. Vitamin A also plays a role in your

•Vision

•Bone growth

•Reproduction

•Cell functions

•Immune system

Vitamin A can come from plant or animal sources. Plant sources include colorful
fruits and vegetables. Animal sources include liver and whole milk. Vitamin A is also
added to foods like cereals.

Vegetarians, young children, and alcoholics may need extra Vitamin A. You might
also need more if you have certain conditions, such as liver diseases, cystic fibrosis,
and Crohn’s disease. Check with your health care provider to see if you need to take
vitamin A supplements.

2.Vitamin D helps your body absorb calcium, which your bones need to grow. A
lack of vitamin D can lead to bone diseases such as osteoporosis or rickets. Vitamin
D also has a role in your nerve, muscle, and immune systems.

You can get vitamin D in three ways: through your skin, from your diet, and from
supplements. Your body forms Vitamin D naturally after exposure to sunlight.
However, too much sun exposure can lead to skin aging and skin cancer. So many
people try to get their vitamin D from other sources.

Vitamin D-rich foods include egg yolks, saltwater fish, and liver. Some other foods,
like milk and cereal, often have added vitamin D.
3.Vitamin E is an antioxidant. Antioxidants are substances that may protect your
cells against the effects of free radicals. Free radicals are molecules produced when
your body breaks down food, or by environmental exposures like tobacco smoke
and radiation. Vitamin E also plays a role in your immune system and metabolic
processes. Good sources of vitamin E are vegetable oils, margarine, nuts, seeds,
and leafy greens. Vitamin E is also added to foods like cereals

4.Vitamin K helps your body by making proteins for healthy bones and tissues. It
also makes proteins for blood clotting. If you don’t have enough vitamin K, you may
bleed too much. Most people get their vitamin K from plants such as green
vegetables, and dark berries.

B. WATER SOLUBLE VITAMINS

1. Vitamin C is an antioxidant. Antioxidants are substances that may protect your

cells against the effects of free radicals. Free radicals are molecules produced when
your body breaks down food, or by environmental exposures like tobacco smoke
and radiation. Vitamin C is important for your skin, bones, and connective tissue. It
promotes healing and helps the body absorb iron.

Vitamin C comes from fruits and vegetables. Good sources include citrus, red and
green peppers, tomatoes, broccoli, and greens. Some juices and cereals have added
vitamin C.

2. Vitamin B complex

a. VITAMIN B1 Thiamine is one of the B vitamins, a group of water-soluble

vitamins that participate in many of the chemical reactions in the body.

Function

Thiamine (vitamin B1) helps the body cells convert carbohydrates into energy. It is
also essential for the functioning of the heart, muscles, and nervous system.

Food Sources

Thiamine is found in fortified breads, cereals, pasta, whole grains (especially wheat
germ), lean meats (especially pork), fish, dried beans, peas, and soybeans.

Dairy products, fruits, and vegetables are not very high in thiamine, but when
consumed in large amounts, they become a significant source.

Deficiency: BERI-BERI

b. Vitamin B2 Riboflavin is a type of B vitamin. It is water soluble, which means it

is not stored in the body. You must replenish the vitamin every day.

Function
Riboflavin (vitamin B2) works with the other B vitamins. It is important for body
growth and red blood cell production and helps in releasing energy from
carbohydrates.

Food Sources

Lean meats, eggs, legumes, nuts, green leafy vegetables, dairy products, and milk
provide riboflavin in the diet. Breads and cereals are often fortified with riboflavin.

Because riboflavin is destroyed by exposure to light, foods with riboflavin should not
be stored in glass containers that are exposed to light.

Deficiency: ARIVIFLAVIN

c. Vitamin B3 Niacin is a type of B vitamin. It is water-soluble, which means it is

not stored in the body. Water-soluble vitamins dissolve in water. Leftover amounts
of the vitamin leave the body through the urine. That means you need a continuous
supply of such vitamins in your diet.

Function

Niacin assists in the functioning of the digestive system, skin, and nerves. It is also
important for the conversion of food to energy.

Food Sources

Niacin (also known as vitamin B3) is found in dairy products, poultry, fish, lean
meats, nuts, and eggs. Legumes and enriched breads and cereals also supply some
niacin.

Deficiency: PELLAGRA

d. Pantothenic acid is types of B vitamins. Water-soluble, which means that the

body can't store them. If the body can't use all of the vitamin, the extra leaves the
body through the urine. Therefore, these vitamins must be replaced every day.

Function

Pantothenic acid is essential to growth.Help the body break down and use food. This
is called metabolism.

Pathothenic acid is also called vitamin B5. It helps break down carbohydrates,
proteins, and fats.

Food Sources
Pantothenic acid and biotin are found in foods that are good sources of B vitamins,
including the following:

•Eggs

•Fish

•Milk and milk products

•Whole-grain cereals

•Legumes

•Yeast

•Broccoli and other vegetables in the cabbage family

•White and sweet potatoes

•Lean beef

Deficiency: ACNE

e. Vitamin B6 Pyridoxine is a water-soluble vitamin. Water-soluble vitamins

dissolve in water. The body cannot store them. Leftover amounts of the vitamin
leave the body through the urine. That means you need a continuous supply of such
vitamins in your diet.

Function

Vitamin B6 Pyridoxine helps the immune system produce antibodies antibodies.

Antibodies are needed to fight many diseases. Vitamin B6 helps maintain normal
nerve function and form red blood cells. The body uses it to help break down
proteins. The more protein you eat, the more vitamin B6 you need.

Food Sources

Vitamin B6 is found in beans, nuts, legumes, eggs, meats, fish, whole grains, and
fortified breads and cereals.

Deficiency: Mycrocytic anemia

f. Vitamin B7 (biotin) helps break down protein and carbohydrates and helps the
body make hormones

Function

Biotin also helps break down proteins and carbohydrates.

Food Sources

B7 is made by intestinal bacteria and is also in peanuts, liver, egg yolks, bananas,
mushrooms, watermelon, and grapefruit.

No deficiency but symptoms in adult lead to impaired growth

g. Vitamin B9 Folic acid is a type of B vitamin. It is water-soluble. Water-soluble

vitamins dissolve in water. Leftover amounts of the vitamin leave the body through
the urine. That means you need a continuous supply of the vitamin in your diet.

Function

Folic acid works along with vitamin B12vitamin B12 and vitamin C to help the body
break down, use, and create new proteins. The vitamin helps form red blood cells
and helps produce DNA, the building block of the human body, which carries genetic
information.

B9 is in green leafy vegetables, liver, citrus fruits, mushrooms, nuts, peas, dried
beans, and wheat bread.

Deficiency: Pregnant women may lead to birth defects.

g. Vitamin B12 Cobalamin is a water-soluble vitamin. Water-soluble vitamins

dissolve in water. After the body uses these vitamins, leftover amounts leave the
body through the urine.

Typically, water-soluble vitamins cannot be stored by the body. Vitamin B12 is

special, because the body can store it for years in the liver.

Function

Vitamin B12, like the other B vitamins, is important for metabolism . It helps in the
formation of red blood cells and in the maintenance of the central nervous system.

Food Sources

Vitamin B12 is found in eggs, meat, poultry, shellfish, milk, and milk products

Deficiency: PERNICIOUS ANEMIA

Minerals are important for your body to stay healthy. Your body uses minerals for
many different jobs, including building bones, making hormones and regulating your
heartbeat.

There are two kinds of minerals:

 1. MACROMINERALS are minerals your body needs in larger amounts. They
include calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, sodium, potassium, chloride and
sulfur.

2. MICROMINERALS are minerals your body needs just small amounts. These
include iron, manganese, copper, iodine, zinc, cobalt, fluoride and selenium

A. MACROMINERALS

Calcium has many important jobs. The body stores more than 99 percent of its
calcium in the bones and teeth to help make and keep them strong.

It is important to get plenty of calcium in the foods you eat. Foods rich in calcium
include dietary products such as milk, cheese and yogurt, and leafy, green
vegetables.

Phosphorus is a mineral that makes up 1% of a person's total body weight. It is

present in every cell of the body, but most of the phosphorus in the body is found in
the bones and teeth.

Function

The main function of phosphorus is in the formation of bones and teeth. It plays an
important role in the body's utilization of carbohydrates and fats and in the
synthesis of protein for the growth, maintenance, and repair of cells and tissues. It
is also crucial

The main food sources are the protein food groups of meat and milk. A meal plan
that provides adequate amounts of calcium and protein also provides an adequate
amount of phosphorus.

Although whole-grain breads and cereals contain more phosphorus than cereals and
breads made from refined flour, this is a storage form of phosphorus called phytin,
which is not absorbed by humans.

Fruits and vegetables contain only small amounts of phosphorus.

Magnesium is an essential mineral for human nutrition.

Function

Magnesium in the body serves several important functions:

•Contraction and relaxation of muscles

•Function of certain enzymes in the body

•Production and transport of energy

•Production of protein

Food Sources

Most dietary magnesium comes from vegetables, such as dark green, leafy
vegetables. Other foods that are good sources of magnesium:

•Fruits or vegetables (such as bananas, dried apricots, and avocados)

•Nuts (such as almonds and cashews)

•Peas and beans (legumes), seeds

•Soy products (such as soy flour and tofu)

•Whole grains (such as brown rice and millet)

Sodium is an element that the body needs to function properly.

Function

The body uses sodium to regulate blood pressure and blood volume. Sodium is also
critical for the functioning of muscles and nerves.

Food Sources

Sodium occurs naturally in most foods. The most common form of sodium is sodium
chloride, which is table salt. Milk, beets, and celery also naturally contain sodium, as
does drinking water, although the amount varies depending on the source.

Potassium is a mineral involved in electrical and cellular body functions. In the

body, potassium is classified as an electrolyte.

Function

Potassium is a very important mineral to the human body. It has various roles in
metabolism and body functions and is essential for the proper function of all cells,
tissues, and organs:

•It assists in the regulation of the acid-base balance.

•It assists in protein synthesis from amino acids amino acids and in carbohydrate
metabolism.

•It is necessary for the building of muscle and for normal body growth.
•It is essential for the normal electrical activity of the heart.

Food Sources

Many foods contain potassium. All meats (red meat and chicken) and fish such as
salmon, cod, flounder, and sardines are good sources of potassium. Soy products
and veggie burgers are also good sources of potassium.

Vegetables including broccoli, peas, lima beans, tomatoes, potatoes (especially

their skins), sweet potatoes, and winter squashes are all good sources of potassium.

Fruits that contain significant sources of potassium include citrus fruits, cantaloupe,
bananas, kiwi, prunes, and apricots. Dried apricots contain more potassium than
fresh apricots.

Milk and yogurt, as well as nuts, are also excellent sources of potassium

Chloride is a salt consisting of two elements, one of which is chlorine. Chloride

makes up about 0.15% of the body weight and is found in the fluid outside cells.

Function

Chloride is needed to keep the proper balance of body fluids. It is an essential part
of digestive (stomach) juices.

Food Sources

Chloride is can be found in table salt or sea salt as sodium chloride. It is also found
in many vegetables. Foods with higher amounts of chloride include seaweed, rye,
tomatoes, lettuce, celery, and olives. Potassium chloride is found in most foods and
is usually the main ingredient of salt substitutes.

B. MICROMINERALS

Iron is a mineral found in every cell of the body. Iron is considered an essential
mineral because it is needed to make part of blood cells.

Function

The human body needs iron to make the oxygen-carrying proteins hemoglobin and
myoglobin. Hemoglobin is found in red blood cells and myoglobin is found in
muscles.

Iron also makes up part of many proteins in the body.

Food Sources

The best sources of iron include:

•Dried beans

•Dried fruits

•Eggs (especially egg yolks)

•Iron-fortified cereals

•Liver

•Lean red meat (especially beef)

•Oysters

•Poultry, dark red meat

•Salmon

•Tuna

•Whole grains

Manganese is a critical component of an important antioxidant enzyme.

Food Sources

Leafy Vegetables, Legumes, soy beans, cereals and whole grains.

Copper is an essential trace mineral present in all body tissues.

Function

Copper, along with iron, helps in the formation of red blood cells. It also helps in
keeping the blood vessels, nerves, immune system, and bones healthy.

Food Sources

Oysters and other shellfish, whole grains, beans, nuts, potatoes, and organ meats
(kidneys, liver) are good sources of copper. Dark leafy greens, dried fruits such as
prunes, cocoa, black pepper, and yeast are also sources of copper in the diet.

Iodine is a trace mineral and an essential nutrient found naturally in the body.

Function

Iodine is needed for the normal metabolism of cells. Metabolism is the process of
converting food into energy. Humans need iodine for normal thyroid function, and
for the production of thyroid hormones.
Food Sources

Iodized salt -- table salt with iodine added -- is the main food source of iodine.
Seafood is naturally rich in iodine. Cod, sea bass, haddock, and perch are good
sources. Kelp is the most common vegetable seafood that is a rich source of iodine.
Dairy products also contain iodine. Other good sources are plants grown in iodine-
rich soil.

Zinc is an important trace mineral. This element is second only to iron in its
concentration in the body.

Function

Zinc is needed for the body's defensive (immune) system to properly work. It plays
a role in cell division, cell growth, wound healing, and the break down of
carbohydrates . Zinc is also needed for the senses of smell and taste.

Food Sources

High-protein foods contain high amounts of zinc. Beef, pork, and lamb contain more
zinc than fish. The dark meat of a chicken has more zinc than the light meat. Other
good sources of zinc are peanuts, peanut butter, and legumes.

Cobalt is a component of vitamin B12, an essential vitamin.

Food Sources

Cobalt is found in eggs, meat, poultry, shellfish, milk, and milk products.

Fluoride occurs naturally in the body as calcium fluoride. Calcium fluoride is mostly
found in the bones and teeth.

Function

Small amounts of fluoride help reduce tooth decay tooth decay. Fluoridation of tap
water helps reduce cavities in children by 50 - 60%. Fluorides also help maintain
bone structure. Low doses of fluoride salts may be used to treat conditions that
cause faster-than-normal bone loss, such as menopause.

Food Sources

Fluoridated water, and food prepared in fluoridated water, contains fluoride. Natural
sodium fluoride is in the ocean, so most seafood contains fluoride. Tea and gelatin
also contain fluoride.

Selenium is an essential trace mineral. Small amounts of selenium are good for
your health.
Function

Selenium has a variety of functions. It helps make special proteins, called

antioxidant enzymes, which play a role in preventing cell damage.

Selenium seems to stimulate antibodies after you receive a vaccination. It also may
help protect the body from the poisonous effects of heavy metals and other harmful
substances.

Selenium may boost fertility, especially among men. The mineral has been shown to
improve the production of sperm and sperm movement.

Food Sources

Plant foods, such as vegetables, are the most common dietary sources of selenium.
How much selenium is the vegetables you eat depends on how much of the mineral
was in the soil where the plants grew.

Fish, shellfish, red meat, grains, eggs, chicken, liver, and garlic are all good sources
of selenium. Meats produced from animals that ate grains or plants found in
selenium-rich soil have higher levels of selenium.