Vitamins are Important to the Body

Vitamins are found in foods we eat.  They help the body grow and stay healthy.  There are two main types of vitamins:  water-soluble and fat-soluble. 

Water –soluble vitamins don’t get stored by the body.  You need to eat foods with these vitamins often.  The water-soluble vitamins are:

• Vitamin C:  Helps the body  heal and is important for teeth, gums, and muscles.  It is found in oranges, grapefruit, strawberries, broccoli, tomatoes and many other fruits and vegetables. 
• B-Vitamins:  (thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, B-6, B-12, folic acid, biotin, and pantothenic acid).  The B-vitamins help the body make and use energy and keep the blood healthy.  They are found in whole grains, meat, chicken, fish, milk, dark green vegetables, and dried beans such as kidney, pinto, black beans.

Fat-soluble vitamins are stored in fatty tissue in the body.  The Fat soluble vitamins are:

• Vitamin A:  Helps keep hair, skin, and eyes healthy.  It is found in orange colored fruits and vegetables such as carrots, apricots, sweet potatoes and enriched milk
• Vitamin D:  Helps keep bones and teeth strong. It is found in enriched milk products, eggs, and fish.  The body can make vitamin D if you are in the sun a lot.
• Vitamin E:  Helps keep the blood, skin, lungs, and eyes healthy.  It is found in whole grains, leafy green vegetables, nuts, seeds, egg yolks. 
• Vitamin K:  Helps the blood clot when you get a cut.  It is found in dark green leafy vegetables, milk, eggs, and yogurt.

It is best to get vitamins from the foods you eat, because there may be other components in the whole foods that have added health benefits.  Eat a variety of foods every day, especially from the whole grains, lean meats, fruits, vegetables, and dairy.  This will help you get the vitamins your body needs to stay healthy.