Vitamins & Minerals

Nutrient (Vitamins)

 Needed for

 Key sources

Vitamin A

• maintaining normal reproduction
• good vision
• formation and maintenance of healthy skin, teeth and soft tissues of the body
• immune function (has anti-oxidant properties).

Milk, cheese, eggs, fatty fish, yellow-orange vegetables and fruits such as carrots, pumpkin, mango, apricots, and other vegetables such as spinach, broccoli.

Vitamin B1 (Thiamine)

• supplying energy to tissues
• breaking down and using the energy and nutrients in carbohydrates, proteins and fats
• nerve function

Fortified breakfast cereals, baking flour, wholegrains, wheatgerm, yeast, legumes, nuts, pork.

Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin)

• obtaining energy from food
• making Vitamin B6 active in the body
• reducing a key cardiovascular risk factor
• production of red blood cells and body growth

Milk, cheese, yoghurt, fortified breads and breakfast cereals.

Vitamin B3 (Niacin)

• obtaining energy from food
• breaking down and using carbohydrates, proteins and fats and their building blocks
• maintaining healthy skin and nerves
• releasing calcium from cellular stores

Beef, pork, liver, beans, wholegrain cereals, eggs, cow’s milk.

Pantothenic acid

• making, hormones, vitamin A and D and substances that help make nerves work
• helps make new fats and proteins in the body

Chicken, beef, potatoes, oat-based cereals, tomatoes, egg yolks, whole grains.

Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine)

• breaking down, using and reforming the building blocks of proteins

Muscle and organ meats, fortified breakfast cereals, brussel sprouts, green peas, beans, split peas, and fruit.

Vitamin B12 (Cyano-cobalamin)

• normal nerve function
• normal blood function

Beef, lamb, fish, veal, chicken, eggs, milk and other dairy products.

Folate

• breaking down and using the building blocks of proteins
• the processes of tissue growth and cell function
• maintaining good heart health
• preventing neural tube defects in newborns

Cereals, cereal products, vegetables e.g. broccoli, legumes and fruit e.g. oranges.

Biotin

• breaking down and using the building blocks of fats and proteins

Meats and cereals.

Note: eating raw egg whites prevents absorption of biotin.

Choline

• making nerve cell transmitters and cell membranes
• inflammatory and allergic response
• healthy kidneys and liver
• reducing the risk of heart disease
• fat and cholesterol transport and break down in the body

Milk, eggs, peanuts, wheat germ, dried soybeans.

Vitamin C (Ascorbic acid)

• protects against oxidative damage
• aiding absorption of iron and copper
• formation of collagen
• healthy bones
• helps fight infection
• helps regenerate and stabilise other vitamins such as vitamin E or folate

Blackcurrants, orange, grapefruit, guava, kiwi fruit, raspberries, sweet peppers (Capsicum), broccoli, sprouts.

Vitamin D

• absorption of calcium and phosphorus
• maintenance of calcium levels in blood
• immune function
• healthy skin
• muscle strength

Sunlight on skin allows the body to produce Vitamin D. Few foods contain significant amounts however main dietary sources are fortified margarine, salmon, herring, mackerel, and eggs.

Vitamin E (Tocopherol)

• acts as antioxidant particularly for fats
• keeping heart, circulation, skin and nervous system in good condition

Oils and margarines, fats of meats, chicken, fish, wheat germ, spinach, cashews, peanuts, almonds, sunflower seeds.

Vitamin K (phylloquinone)

• normal blood clotting

Spinach, salad greens, cabbage, broccoli, brussel sprouts, soybean oil, canola oil, margarines

Calcium

• development and maintenance of bones and teeth
• good functioning muscles and nerves
• heart function

Milk, cheese, yoghurt, bony fish, legumes, fortified soy beverages and fortified breakfast cereals.

Note: the body excretes calcium with salt in urine, so eat less salt to retain your calcium.

Chromium

• enhancing the action of insulin to regulate blood sugar

Widely found in foods such as yeast, eggs, meat, whole grains, cheese.

Copper

• the functioning of several enzymes
• formation of connective tissue
• iron metabolism and blood cell formation
• nervous system, immune system and cardiovascular system function

Organ meats, seafood, nuts, seeds, wheat bran cereals, whole grains.

Fluoride

• healthy teeth and bones

Fluoridated water, fish, tea.

Iodine

• normal thyroid function (important in the growth and development of central nervous system)
• energy production
• oxygen consumption in cells

Salt water fish, shellfish, seaweed, iodised salt, vegetables (if there is iodine in the soil where they are grown).

Note: Severe deficiencies can cause miscarriage, stillbirth, infant mortality, congenital abnormalities etc.

Iron

• Haemoglobin in red blood cells (important for transport of oxygen to tissues)
• component of myoglobin (muscle protein)

Red meats – beef, lamb, veal, pork, fish, chicken and wholegrain cereals.

Note: Iron absorption from plant sources eg cereals or green leafy vegetables is much lower than from animal sources so 80% more is required in the food to get the same amount absorbed. Vitamin C helps with absorption.

Magnesium

• the functioning of more than 300 enzyme systems
• energy production
• regulating potassium levels
• the use of calcium
• healthy bones

Green vegetables, legumes, peas, beans, lentils, nuts, wholegrains and cereals

Manganese

• healthy bones
• carbohydrate, cholesterol and protein metabolism

Cereal products, tea, vegetables.

Molybdenum

• breakdown of proteins

Legumes, wholegrain products, nuts.

Phosphorus

• forms part of DNA and RNA
• buffers the acidity of urine
• protection of acid/base balance of blood
• storage and transport of energy
• helps activate some proteins

Widely distributed in natural foods eg dairy, meat, dried fruit, eggs, cereals.

Potassium

• nerve impulses
• muscle contraction
• regulates blood pressure

Leafy green vegetables, tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, eggplant, pumpkin, root vegetables. Also moderately abundant in beans, peas, bananas, avocados, milk, yoghurt  

Note: Potassium has a beneficial effect in offsetting the effects of sodium (salt) on blood pressure.

Selenium

• antioxidant
• thyroid metabolism
• part of several functional proteins in body

Seafood, poultry, eggs and to a lesser extent other muscle meats and cereal foods (content varies widely with soil condition).

Sodium

• maintain water balance throughout the body
• nerve impulses
• transport of molecules across cell walls

Found in most take-away and processed foods e.g. bread, butter, margarine, deli meats, cheese, cereals.

It is also a major component of table salt and baking soda

Note: It is important to use only moderate amounts of salt as recommended in the Dietary Guidelines.

Zinc

• component of enzymes that help maintain structure of proteins and regulate gene expression
• needed for growth, immunity appetite and skin integrity

Meats, fish, poultry, cereals, dairy foods.

Note: availability from animal sources is greater than that from plant sources so vegetarians need 50% higher intakes.