Vitamins, Minerals,

Antioxidants,
Phytonutrients,
Functional Foods
By Melissa Bess, Nutrition and Health
Education Specialist

FNEP STAFF TRAINING ONLY, DO NOT

USE WITH FNEP PARTICIPANTS

05/2007
 Overview

 What are vitamins?

 Categories of vitamins
 Functions
 Food sources
 Deficiencies
 What are minerals?
 Categories of minerals
 Antioxidants
 Overview (continued)

 Phytonutrients
 Functional Foods
 Food Labels
 Activity
 What are vitamins?

 Complex substances that regulate body

processes
 Coenzymes (partners) with enzymes in
reactions
 No calories, thus no energy
 Categories
Fat-soluble Water-soluble
Dissolve in fat Dissolve in water
Can be stored Carried in
bloodstream, not
stored
A, D, E, K C and B-complex
vitamins

A and D excess can be Excess amounts may

harmful cause extra work on
E and K usually not kidneys
 Vitamin A (and carotenoids)

 Functions:  Food sources:

 Normal vision  Liver
 Protects from  Fish oil
infections  Eggs
 Regulates immune  Fortified milk or
system other foods
 Antioxidant  Red, yellow, orange,
(carotenoids) and dark green
veggies
(carotenoids)
Vitamin D (the sunshine vitamin)

 Functions:  Sources:
 Promotes absorption  Sunlight (10 – 15
of calcium and mins 2x a week)
phosphorus  Salmon with bones
 Helps deposit those  Milk
in bones/teeth  Orange juice
 Regulates cell (fortified)
growth  Fortified cereals
 Plays role in
immunity
 Vitamin E

 Functions:  Sources:
 Antioxidant, may  Vegetable oils
lower risk for heart  Foods made from oil
disease and stroke, (salad dressing,
some types of margarine)
cancers  Nuts
 Protects fatty acids  Seeds
and vitamin A
 Wheat germ
 Green, leafy veggies
 Vitamin K

 Functions:  Sources:
 Helps blood clot  Body can produce
 Helps body make on its own (from
some other proteins bacteria in
intestines)
 Green, leafy veggies
 Some fruits, other
veggies, and nuts
 Thiamin (B1)

 Functions:  Sources:
 Helps produce  Whole-grain and
energy from carbs enriched grain
products
 Pork
 Liver
 Riboflavin (B2)

 Functions:  Sources:
 Produce energy  Liver
 Changes tryptophan  Yogurt and milk
(amino acid) into  Enriched grains
niacin  Eggs
 Green, leafy veggies
 Niacin

 Functions:  Sources:
 Helps body use  Foods high in
sugars/fatty acids protein typically
 Helps enzymes (poultry, fish, beef,
function normally peanut butter,
 Produces energy legumes)
 Enriched and
fortified grains
 Pyridoxine (B6)

 Functions:  Sources:
 Helps body make  Chicken
non-essential amino  Fish
acids  Pork
 Helps turn  Liver
tryptophan into
niacin and serotonin
 Whole grains
 Help produce body
 Nuts
chemicals (insulin,  Legumes
hemoglobin, etc)
 Folate (folic acid)
 Functions:  Controls plasma
homocystine levels
 Produces DNA and (related to heart
RNA, making new disease)
body cells  Sources:
 Works with vitamin  Fortified and
B12 to form enriched grains and
hemoglobin breakfast cereals
 Orange juice
 May protect against  Legumes
heart disease
 Green, leafy veggies
 Lowers risk of neural  Peanuts
tube defects in  Avacados
babies
 Vitamin B12 (cobalamin)

 Functions:  Sources:
 Works with folate to  Animal products
make RBC’s  Meat
 In many body  Fish
chemicals and cells  Poultry
 Helps body use fatty  Eggs
acids/amino acids
 Milk, other dairy
 Biotin

 Functions:  Sources:
 Produces energy  Wide variety of
 Helps body use foods
proteins, carbs, and  Eggs
fats from foods  Liver
 Wheat germ
 Peanuts
 Cottage cheese
 Whole grain bread
 Pantothenic Acid

 Helps produce  Sources:

energy  Found in almost all
 Helps the body use foods
proteins, fat, and  Meat, poultry, fish
carbs from food  Whole grain cereals
 Legumes
 Milk
 Fruits, veggies
 Vitamin C

 Functions:  Heals cuts and

 Helps produce wounds
collagen (connective  Protects from
tissue in bones, infection, boosts
muscles, etc) immunity
 Keeps capillary  Antioxidant
walls, blood vessels  Sources
firm  Citrus fruits
 Helps body absorb  Other fruits, veggies
iron and folate
 Healthy gums
 Deficiencies

 Rickets (children and vitamin D)

 Osteoporosis/osteomalacia (vitamin D)
 Scurvy (vitamin C)
 Night blindness (vitamin A)
 Beriberi (thiamin)
 What are minerals?

 Regulate body processes

 Give structure to things in the body
 No calories (energy)
 Cannot be destroyed by heat
 Categories of minerals

 Major minerals  Trace minerals

 Calcium  Chromium
 Phosphorus  Copper
 Magnesium  Flouride
 Electrolytes (sodium,  Iodine
chloride, potassium)  Iron
 Manganese
 Selenium
 Zinc
 Calcium

 Bone building
 Muscle contraction
 Heart rate
 Nerve function
 Helps blood clot
 Phosphorus

 Generates energy
 Regulate energy metabolism
 Component of bones, teeth
 Part of DNA, RNA (cell growth, repair)
 Almost all foods, especially protein-rich
foods, contain phosphorus
 Magnesium

 Part of 300 enzymes (regulates body

functions)
 Maintains cells in nerves, muscles
 Component of bones
 Best sources are legumes, nuts, and
whole grains
 Electrolytes

 Chloride:
 Fluid balance
 Digestion of food, transmits nerve impulses
 Potassium
 Maintains blood pressure
 Nerve impulses and muscle contraction
 Sodium
 Fluid balance
 Muscles relax, transmit nerve impulses
 Regulates blood pressure
 Electrolytes

 Sources:
 Salt (sodium chloride)
 Fruits, veggies, milk, beans, fish, chicken,
nuts (potassium)
 Iron

 Part of hemoglobin, carries oxygen

 Brain development
 Healthy immune system
 Sources:
 Animals (heme) vs. plants (non-heme)
 Better absorbed from heme
 Consume vitamin C with non-heme
 Fortified cereals, beans, eggs, etc.
 Antioxidants

 Slow or prevent damage to body cells

 May improve immune function and
lower risk for infection and cancer
 Carotenoids – beta carotene (familiar)
 Vitamin C
 Vitamin E
 Found in colorful fruits/veggies and
grains
 Phytonutrients
 Phyto – plant
 “Spark” body processes that may fight, or
reduce risk for some diseases
 Fruits/veggies
 Examples: For more information: see
 Carotenoids page 109 in the ADA
 Lutein Complete Food and
 Lycopene Nutrition Guide
 Flavanols
 Prebiotics/probiotics
 Soybeans
 Functional Foods

 Foods that provide benefits beyond

basic nutrition
 Phytonutrients
 Prebiotics/probiotics
 Fatty fish/omega 3’s
 Soy protein
 Oats (heart-healthy)
 Flaxseed
 Food Labels

 Must list vitamins A, C, calcium, iron

 May list others (potassium, folate,
riboflavin, etc.)