Vitamins & Minerals

Why do we need vitamins and minerals?

Vitamins and minerals often get lumped into the same category, but they are actually quite different.²

Vitamins are organic compounds found in different foods.^2,4 They are considered to be an ‘essential’ part of your diet because your body either cannot make enough of them or doesn’t make them at all.^2,4 Except for vitamin D, which is synthesised when it is exposed to sunlight.^2,4  While each vitamin has its own unique function in your body, overall they can help:^3,6–11

• Keep your bones strong
• Support your eyesight
• Keep your skin healthy
• Protect your cells from environmental damage
• Support your energy levels

Minerals are inorganic elements that are found in the earth (rocks, soil, water) as well as different foods and are essential to life.^2,5 Minerals help:^5,12–15

• Support your heart and brain function
• Keep your bones and muscles strong
• Synthesise your hormones
• Your body make red blood cells
• Turn the food you eat into energy

People who don’t get enough vitamins and minerals may be at greater risk of:³

• Heart problems
• Certain cancers
• Cognitive decline
• Immune disorders
• Poor bone health
• Teeth issues

Vitamins

The different vitamins are:^4,6–11

• Vitamin A (retinol)
• Vitamin B1 (thiamin)
• Vitamin B2 (riboflavin)
• Vitamin B3 (niacin)
• Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid)
• Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine)
• Vitamin B7 (biotin)
• Vitamin B9 (folate or folic acid)
• Vitamin B12 (cyanocobalamin)
• Vitamin C
• Vitamin D
• Vitamin E
• Vitamin K

There are 2 types of vitamins, fat-soluble and water-soluble.¹⁶

Fat-soluble

Fat-soluble vitamins (vitamins A, D, E and K) are mainly found in foods that are high in natural fat – such as dairy, eggs and oily fish.¹⁶ Every time you eat these foods your body stores them in your liver and body fat for future use, meaning you don’t need to get these vitamins every day for your body to have enough.¹⁶

Water-soluble

Water-soluble vitamins (B vitamins and vitamin C) are found in fruits and vegetables, grains and dairy.¹⁶ You need to consume these more often as your body can’t store them for future use and gets rid of any excess when you pass urine.¹⁶ These vitamins can be destroyed through heating, dissolving or exposure to air, so you should steam or grill these foods instead of boiling them (unless you’re cooking them in water to make soups or stews).¹⁶

Vitamin A

Vitamin A helps:^6,16

• Your immune system work properly
• You see in dim light
• Keep your skin healthy

Good sources of vitamin A include:^6,16

• Cheese
• Eggs
• Oily fish (salmon, sardines, trout, herring and mackerel)
• Fortified low-fat spreads
• Milk and yoghurt
• Liver (avoid liver if you are pregnant)

Or you can take multivitamin tablets or liquid with cod liver oil, or cod liver oil tablets with vitamin A.

B vitamins

Vitamin B1 (thiamin)

Vitamin B1 helps:^7,16

• Your body release energy from food
• Keep your nervous system healthy

Good sources of vitamin B1 include: ^7,16

• Some fresh fruits (bananas and oranges)
• Some vegetables (peas, asparagus and squash)
• Nuts
• Wholegrain breads
• Eggs
• Some fortified breakfast cereals
• Liver (avoid liver if you are pregnant)

Or you can take vitamin B1 tablets with co-enzyme Q10.

Vitamin B2 (riboflavin)

Vitamin B2 helps: ^7,16

• Keep your skin, eyes and nervous system healthy
• Your body release energy from food

Good sources of vitamin B2 include: ^7,16

• Milk
• Eggs
• Fortified breakfast cereals
• Mushrooms
• Plain yoghurt

Or you can use a vitamin B-complex liquid formula.

Vitamin B3 (niacin)

Vitamin B3 helps: ^7,16

• Your body release energy from food
• Keep your nervous system and skin healthy

There are two forms of niacin: nicotinic acid and nicotinamide.^7,16 Both can be found in: ^7,16

• Meat
• Fish
• Wheat flour
• Eggs
• Milk

Or you can also use a vitamin B-complex liquid formula or multivitamin tablets.

Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid)

Vitamin B5 helps your body release energy from the food you eat. ^7,16

Good sources of vitamin B5 include: ^7,16

• Chicken
• Beef
• Potatoes
• Liver and kidney (avoid liver if you are pregnant)
• Eggs
• Some vegetables (mushrooms, tomatoes and broccoli)
• Avocado
• Brown rice
• Wholemeal bread

Or you can also use a vitamin B-complex liquid formula or multivitamin tablets.

Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine)

Vitamin B6 helps: ^7,16

• Your body use and store the energy from protein and carbohydrates in your food
• Your body make haemoglobin, which carries oxygen around your body via your red blood cells

Good sources of vitamin B6 include: ^7,16

• Pork
• Poultry (chicken or turkey)
• Fish
• Peanuts
• Soya beans
• Oats
• Bananas
• Milk
• Some fortified breakfast cereals
• Potatoes

Or you can also use a vitamin B-complex liquid formula or multivitamin tablets.

Vitamin B7 (biotin)

Vitamin B7 is only needed in small amounts to help your body process (metabolise) fat.^7,16 As the bacteria in your bowel make biotin naturally, it’s unclear whether you need to get additional biotin from your diet.^7,16 However, biotin is found in a wide range of foods, though only at low levels, so it’s important to eat a healthy and varied diet.^7,16

You can also use a vitamin B-complex liquid formula or multivitamin tablets.

Vitamin B9 (folate or folic acid)

Folate helps:⁷

• Your body form healthy red blood cells
• Reduce the risk of birth defects, such as spina bifida, in unborn babies

Good sources of folate include:⁷

• Broccoli
• Brussels sprouts
• Leafy green vegetables (cabbage, kale and spinach)
• Peas
• Chickpeas and kidney beans
• Liver (avoid liver if you are pregnant)
• Breakfast cereals fortified with folic acid (the manmade form of folate)

Or you can take folic acid tablets.

Vitamin B12 (cyanocobalamin)

Vitamin B12 helps:^7,16

• Your body make red blood cells
• Keep your nervous system healthy
• Your body release energy from food
• Your body use folate

Good sources of vitamin B12 include:^7,16

• Meat
• Fish (salmon and cod)
• Shellfish
• Milk
• Cheese
• Eggs
• Some fortified breakfast cereals

Vitamin B12 is not found naturally in plants and grains.^7,16 So, if you follow a vegan diet, you should consider taking vitamin B12 tablets with iron and folic acid, B12 vitamin pills or B12 oral spray.^7,16

Vitamin C

Vitamin C helps:^8,16

• Protect and keep your cells healthy
• Your body maintain healthy connective tissue (skin, blood vessels, bones and cartilage)
• Wounds to heal

Good sources of vitamin C include:^8,16

• Citrus fruit (oranges and grapefruit)
• Red and green peppers
• Potatoes
• Strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and blackcurrants
• Green leafy vegetables (broccoli and brussels sprouts)

Or you can take vitamin C tablets.

Vitamin D

Vitamin D helps regulate the amount of calcium and phosphate in your body to keep your bones, teeth and muscles healthy.^9,16

Good sources of vitamin D include:^9,16

• Oily fish (salmon, sardines, trout, herring and mackerel)
• Red meat
• Egg yolks
• Fortified cereals, soya products and spreads
• Liver and kidney (avoid liver if you're pregnant)

Or you can take vitamin D tablets, use vitamin D spray or vitamin D drops for babies.

Vitamin E

Vitamin E helps:^10,16

• Your body maintain healthy skin and eyes
• Strengthen your immune system

Good sources of vitamin E include:^10,16

• Plant oils (rapeseed, sunflower, soya, corn and olive oil)
• Nuts and seeds
• Cereals and cereal products

Or you can take vitamin E caplets, vitamin E capsules, vitamin E oil or multivitamin tablets.

Vitamin K

Vitamin K is a group of vitamins your body needs for:^11,16

• Healthy bones
• Blood clotting, to help wounds heal

Good sources of vitamin K include:^11,16

• Green leafy vegetables (broccoli and spinach)
• Plant oils
• Nuts and seeds
• Meat
• Dairy products
• Soya beans
• Cereal grains

Or you can take multivitamin tablets containing vitamin K.

Minerals

There are many minerals that your body needs to function, including:^12–15,17

• Calcium
• Iodine
• Iron
• Beta-carotene
• Chromium
• Copper
• Magnesium
• Manganese
• Molybdenum
• Phosphorus
• Potassium
• Selenium
• Sodium chloride (salt)
• Zinc

However, this article will focus on calcium, iodine and iron.

Calcium

Your body needs calcium to: ^12,17

• Keep your bones strong
• Keep your teeth healthy
• Make sure your blood clots normally
• Regulate your heartbeat and other muscle contractions

Good sources of calcium include:^12,17

• Dairy products (milk and cheese)
• Green leafy vegetables (curly kale, okra, broccoli and cabbage)
• Fortified soya products
• Bread and anything else made with fortified flour
• Fish where you eat the bones (sardines and pilchards)

Or you can take D vitamin pills with calcium or calcium carbonate tablets.

Iodine

Iodine helps your body make thyroid hormones, which help keep your cells and metabolic rate (the speed at which chemical reactions take place in the body) healthy.^13,17

Good sources of iodine include:^13,17

• Fish
• Shellfish
• Eggs
• Dairy products (milk and cheese)

Or you can take iodine tablets.

Iron

Iron helps your body make red blood cells, which carry oxygen around your body.^14,17

 Good sources of iron include: ^14,17

• Liver (avoid liver if you're pregnant)
• Red meat
• Beans (kidney beans, edamame beans, chickpeas)
• Nuts
• Dried fruit (dried apricots)
• Wholegrains (brown rice)
• Fortified breakfast cereals
• Dark-green leafy vegetables (watercress and curly kale)

Or you can take multivitamins with iron or iron with folic acid and vitamin B12. 

Sources

1. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/#:~:text=Vitamins%20and%20minerals%20are%20nutrients,need%20to%20take%20extra%20supplements.
2. https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/the-best-foods-for-vitamins-and-minerals
3. https://www.bupa.co.uk/newsroom/ourviews/vitamins-minerals-benefits
4. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/195878
5. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/foods-with-minerals
6. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/vitamin-a/
7. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/vitamin-b/
8. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/vitamin-c/
9. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/vitamin-d/
10. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/vitamin-e/
11. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/vitamin-k/
12. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/calcium/
13. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/iodine/
14. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/iron/
15. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/others/
16. https://www.nhsinform.scot/healthy-living/food-and-nutrition/eating-well/vitamins-and-minerals/#vitamins
17. https://www.nhsinform.scot/healthy-living/food-and-nutrition/eating-well/vitamins-and-minerals/#minerals