The Vitamin & Mineral Guide

Vitamin A helps form and maintain healthy teeth, skeletal and soft tissue, mucus membranes, and skin. It is also known as retinol because it produces the pigments in the retina of the eye. Vitamin A promotes good eyesight, especially in low light. It also has a role in healthy pregnancy and breastfeeding.

Primary Function: It is essential for eye health.

Deficiency: This may cause night blindness and keratomalacia, which causes the clear front layer of the eye to grow dry and cloudy.

Retinol Food Resources: Cod liver oil, halibut fish oil, liver, kidney, egg yolk, whole milk, cream, butter,

Carotenoid Food Resources: red , yellow and orange fruits/vegetables, carrots, sweet potatoes, yams, squash, mangoes, dark green leafy vegetables.

Recommended Daily Intake:

Men: 10,800 mg/day (6,000 IU)

Women: 8,400 mg/day (5,000 IU)

(Expressed as beta-carotene)

Vitamin B1, or thiamin, helps prevent complications in the nervous system, brain, muscles, heart, stomach, and intestines. It is also involved in the flow of electrolytes into and out of muscle and nerve cells.

It helps prevent diseases such as beriberi, which involves disorders of the heart, nerves, and digestive system.

Primary Function: It is essential for producing various enzymes that help break down blood sugar.

Deficiency: This may cause beriberi and Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome.

Food Resources: Beef, chicken, liver, fish, wheat germ, whole grains, beans, peas, dairy, brewer’s yeast.

Recommended Daily Intake:

Men: 1.2 mg/day

Women: 1.1 mg/day

Vitamin B2, or riboflavin, is one of eight B vitamins that are essential for human health. It can be found in grains, plants, and dairy products. It is crucial for breaking down food components, absorbing other nutrients, and maintaining tissues.

People need to consume vitamin B2 every day, because the body can only store small amounts, and supplies go down rapidly.

Riboflavin occurs naturally in some foods, added to others, and it can be taken as supplements. Most of it is absorbed Trusted Source in the small intestine.

Primary Function: It is essential for the growth and development of body cells and helps metabolize food.

Deficiency: Symptoms include inflammation of the lips and fissures in the mouth.

Food Resources: Yeast, almonds, whole grains, mushrooms, organ meats (liver, kidney), green leafy vegetables, soybeans.

Recommended Daily Intake:

Men: 1.3 mg/day

Women: 1.1 mg/day

Vitamin B3 is one of 8 B vitamins. It is also known as niacin (nicotinic acid) and has 2 other forms, niacinamide (nicotinamide) and inositol hexanicotinate, which have different effects from niacin.

All B vitamins help the body convert food (carbohydrates) into fuel (glucose), which the body uses to produce energy. These B vitamins, often referred to as B-complex vitamins, also help the body use fats and protein. B-complex vitamins are needed for a healthy liver, healthy skin, hair, and eyes, and to help the nervous system function properly.

Primary Function: The body needs niacin for the cells to grow and work correctly

Deficiency: Low levels result in a health issue called pellagra, which causes diarrhea, skin changes, and intestinal upset.

Food Resources: Organ meats, fish, peanuts, legumes, whole grains (except corn).

Recommended Daily Intake:

Men: 16 mg/day

Women: 14 mg/day

Vitamin B5 helps produce energy by breaking down fats and carbohydrates. It also promotes healthy skin, hair, eyes, and liver.We need B5 to synthesize and metabolize fats, proteins, and coenzyme A.B5 is one of the less known vitamins, possibly because deficiencies of it are rare.

Primary Function: It is necessary for producing energy and hormones.

Deficiency: Symptoms include paresthesia, or “pins and needles.”

Food Resources: Whole grains, royal jelly, beans, vegetables, yeast extract, meats, nuts,

Recommended Daily Intake:

5 mg/day

Vitamin B6 is a vitamin that benefits the central nervous system and metabolism. Its roles include turning food into energy and helping to create neurotransmitters, such as serotonin and dopamine.

Primary Function: It is vital for the formation of red blood cells.

Deficiency: Low levels may lead to anemia and peripheral neuropathy.

Food Resources: Whole grains, meat, oily fish, liver, bananas, soy products, green leafy vegetables, nuts (particularly walnuts), avocados, eggs.

Recommended Daily Intake:

1.3 mg/day

51+ yrs:

Men: 1.7 mg/day

Women: 1.5 mg/day

Folate is an essential B vitamin necessary for producing red and white blood cells in bone marrow, producing DNA and RNA, and transforming carbohydrates into energy. Having an adequate amount of folate is especially important during periods of rapid growth, such as pregnancy, infancy, and adolescence.

Primary Function: It is essential for making DNA and RNA.

Deficiency: During pregnancy, this can affect the fetus’s nervous system. Doctors recommend folic acid supplements before and during pregnancy.

Food Resources: Green leafy vegetables, legumes, whole grains, broccoli, asparagus, cabbage.

Recommended Daily Intake:

400 mcg/day

Vitamin B12 is an important B vitamin. It is crucial for nerve tissue health, brain function, and the production of red blood cells. Cobalamin is another name for vitamin B12.

Primary Function: It is essential for a healthy nervous system.

Deficiency: Low levels may lead to neurological problems and some types of anemia.

Food Resources: Liver, kidney, red meats, oily fish (particularly sardines), white fish, dairy, eggs, blue-green algae.

Recommended Daily Intake:

2.4 mcg/day

Vitamin C is a vital nutrient for health. It helps form and maintain bones, skin, and blood vessels. It is also an antioxidant.

Primary Function: It contributes to collagen production, wound healing, and bone formation. It also strengthens blood vessels, supports the immune system, helps the body absorb iron, and acts as an antioxidant.

Deficiency: This may result in scurvy, which causes bleeding gums, a loss of teeth, and poor tissue growth and wound healing.

Food Resources: Citrus, acerola cherries, cantaloupe, papaya, strawberries, rosehips, peppers, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, sprouted grains & beans.

Recommended Daily Intake:

Men: 90 mg/day

Women: 75 mg/day

The human body produces vitamin D as a response to sun exposure. A person can also boost their vitamin D intake through certain foods or supplements.

Vitamin D is essential for maintaining healthy bones and teeth. It also plays many other important roles in the body, including regulating inflammation and immune function.

Despite its name, vitamin D is not a vitamin but a hormone or ‘prohormone’.

Primary Function: It is necessary for the healthy mineralization of bone.

Deficiency: This may cause rickets and osteomalacia, or softening of the bones.

Food Resources: Cod liver oil, egg yolks, butter, oily fish, salmon, mackerel, sardines, herring, fortified foods, sun-dried mushrooms, sensible exposure to sunlight (preferred source).

Recommended Daily Intake:

19-70 yrs:

15 mcg/day

71+ yrs:

20 mcg/day

The body needs vitamin E to function, making it an essential vitamin. It is fat-soluble, meaning that it requires fat from the diet to be properly absorbed. Vitamin E is mainly stored in the liver before being released into the blood stream for use.

Primary Function: Its antioxidant activity helps prevent oxidative stress, an issue that increases the risk of widespread inflammation and various diseases.

Deficiency: Nerve and muscle damage is common with vitamin E deficiency, resulting in loss of feeling in the arms and legs, loss of body movement control, muscle weakness, vision problems, and a weakened immune system.

Food Resources: Cold-extracted vegetable oils, avocados, nuts, fish, poultry, meat fat, egg yolks, dairy, dark green leafy vegetables, asparagus, sweet potatoes, wheat germ.

Recommended Daily Intake:

15 mcg/day

The amount of Vitamin E is dependent on the amount of polyunsaturated fats consumed. Higher fat consumption requires higher Vitamin E consumption to protect against oxidative damage.

Vitamin K refers to a group of fat-soluble vitamins that play a role in blood clotting, bone metabolism, and regulating blood calcium levels.

The body needs vitamin K to produce prothrombin, a protein and clotting factor that is important in blood clotting and bone metabolism.

Primary Function: It is necessary for blood clotting.

Deficiency: Low levels may cause an unusual susceptibility to bleeding, or bleeding diathesis.

K1 Food Resources: Dark leafy green vegetables, mushrooms, kelp.

K2 Food Resources: Meat, dairy, eggs, fermented foods like cheese, yogurt, natto.

Recommended Daily Intake:

Men: 120 mcg/day

Women: 90 mcg/day

Your body needs calcium to build and maintain strong bones. Your heart, muscles and nerves also need calcium to function properly. Some studies suggest that calcium, along with vitamin D, may have benefits beyond bone health: perhaps protecting against cancer, diabetes and high blood pressure.

Over-supplementation of calcium can weaken your bones, create kidney stones, and interfere with heart and brain functions.

Food Resources: Fish with edible bones like salmon and sardines, dark leafy green vegetables, broccoli, beans, cauliflower, peas, almonds, hazelnuts, Brazil nuts, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds.

Recommended Daily Intake:

19-50 yrs:

1,000 mg/day

51-70 yrs:

Men: 1,000 mg/day

Women: 1,200 mg/day

71+ yrs:

1,200 mg/day

Due to the fact that vitamin D enhances the absorption of calcium, a lower intake of calcium on its own may suffice if vitamin D status is adequate.

Iodine regulates metabolism and the conversion of energy from food to the resources needed for cell function and growth. Iodine helps make certain thyroid hormones which help regulate cellular function in the body, particularly in the way of hormone functions.

Iodine is commonly over-supplemented and can cause problems like thyroid inflammation and thyroid cancer. A single high dose of iodine (several grams) can burn the mouth, throat, and stomach, cause fever, stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, weak pulse, and even coma.

Food Resources: Kelp, dulse, seafoods (clams), iodized salt.

Recommended Daily Intake:

150 mcg/day

Iron is the most important mineral for your body. Major functions of iron include oxygen transport, regulation of cell growth and differentiation.

Over-supplementation of iron stores in the organs, especially the liver, heart, and pancreas. Too much can even lead to life-threatening conditions like liver disease, heart problems, and diabetes.

Heme (Blood-related) Food Resources: Organ meats like liver, beef, fish, shellfish.

Non-Heme Food Resources: Poultry in particular, dried apricots & prunes, blackstrap molasses, kelp, nori, dulse, figs, cocoa powder.

Recommended Daily Intake:

Men: 8 mg/day

Women: 18 mg/day

51+ yrs:

8 mg/day

Magnesium is a cofactor in more than 300 enzyme systems that regulate diverse biochemical reactions in the body, including protein synthesis, muscle and nerve function, blood glucose control, and blood pressure regulation.

High doses of magnesium supplements can cause nausea, abdominal cramping, and diarrhea. Some magnesium supplements can interactive negatively with some types of antibiotics and other medications.

Food Resources: Dark leafy green vegetables, brewer’s yeast, almonds, cashews, pecans, buckwheat, legumes, seeds, soy beans, soy products, avocados, brown rice, cacao, dried apricots.

Recommended Daily Intake:

Men: 400 mg/day

Women: 310 mg/day

30+ years:

Men: 420 mg/day

Women: 320 mg/day

Potassium is mainly involved in building proteins and muscles, controlling acid-base balance and electrical activity of the heart.

Over-supplementation of potassium can cause heart palpitations, shortness fo breath, chest pain, nausea, and vomiting. This is a life-threatening state and requires immediate, emergency medical care.

Food Resources: Bananas, avocados, prunes, lentils, lima beans, white beans, potatoes (with skins), green leafy vegetables, broccoli, peas, citrus fruits, apples, raisins, peaches, apricots, nuts, seeds, whole grains.

Adequate Daily Intake:

4,700 mg/day

Selenium is essential for a healthy body, particularly for reproduction, thyroid gland function, DNA production, and protecting the body from damage caused by free radicals and infection.

Over-supplementation of selenium can cause severe problems like difficulty breathing, tremors, kidney failure, heart attacks, and heart failure. Daily upper limits should include all food, beverage, and supplement intake.

Food Resources: Brazil nuts, fish (particularly shellfish), offal, meats, eggs, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, garlic, kale, collards, cauliflower, onions, whole grains, oats, brown rice (if grown in selenium-rich soil).

Recommended Daily Intake:

55 mcg/day

Silica is essential for bone formation and healthy connective tissue. Healthy hair, skin, nails, and flexible arteries rely upon silica. However, as critical as silica is, it’s difficult to assimilate from a ‘normal’ diet, and should be paid special attention to helpful food sources.

Silica is a water-soluble mineral and excess therefore passed in the urine, causing it to be considered generally safe.

Food Resources: Hulls of wheat, oat and rice, avocado, lettuce, cucumbers, onions, strawberries, dark leafy green vegetables, potatoes, beer.

Optimum Intake:

20-50 mg/day

Safe limits:

No more than 700 mg/day

Zinc is a trace mineral, meaning that the body only needs small amounts to enable almost 100 enzymes to carry out chemical reactions. It is a major contributor to creation of DNA, cellular growth, protein assimilation, tissue repair, and immune support.

Zinc is frequently over-supplemented, causing symptoms like nausea, dizziness, headaches, upset stomach, vomiting, and loss of appetite. Long term abuse could lower immunity, reduce ‘good’ cholesterol (HDL), and deplete coper levels.

Food Resources: Shellfish (particularly oysters), fish, red meats, beans, peas, lentils, poultry, eggs, whole grains.

Adequate Daily Intake:

Men: 11 mg/day

Women: 8 mg/day