5 Essential Vitamins and How to Get Them from Your Daily Diet
Your daily diet should supply you with the nutrients you need to lead a healthy life. It should have calories for energy, protein for building and repairing cells and essential vitamins to fight off disease effectively.
Your body needs a wide array of essential nutrients to run smoothly. If your daily diet falls short of the ingredients you need, you will either feel weak, less energetic or become sick. Of course, there are some great natural vitamins and supplements, but it’s always better to nourish your body through your diet, if possible.
Below is a list of 3 foods that contain high levels of vitamin A, naturally.
Vitamin C develops and maintains your body’s blood vessels, scar tissues and cartilage. Vitamin C is also necessary for creating ATP, dopamine, peptide hormones, and tyrosine. Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that helps lessen oxidative stress to the body and is important to the functioning of the immune system. It can help to lower the risk of infections and cancer risk.
Vitamin E is an essential vitamin that helps in reducing oxidative stress in your cells. It also helps to boost the immune system, fight against heart disease and aging. Vitamin E deficiency can weaken your immune system and increase risk of cancer as well.
5 essential vitamins from your food
You could get most of the disease-fighting vitamins and antioxidants, to bone-building minerals from the foods you eat daily or the foods you SHOULD be eating daily. Below are five essential vitamins that you can get naturally from food.1. Vitamin A
Vitamin A is very important for your health. It keeps your vision healthy, boosts your immune system and helps your gene transcription. Vitamin A also helps keep your skin healthy. Deficiency of vitamin A can lead to blindness and viral infections.Vitamin A from natural sources
Below is a list of 3 foods that contain high levels of vitamin A, naturally.
- Sweet potatoes
- Carrots
- Dark leafy green kale
2. Vitamin B
Vitamin B is the most complex and has a large family of 8 vitamins. They are Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3, Vitamin B5, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B7, Vitamin B9, and Vitamin B12. Foods containing B Vitamins should be part of your diet every day. They help in converting food into energy, so, these essential vitamins will keep you full of energy throughout the day. They also help you maintain healthy skin and hair. Deficiency of vitamin B can lead to anemia, fatigue, depression, and a long-term deficiency can cause permanent damage to the brain and central nervous system.Natural Sources of Vitamin B
Some of the natural B vitamin rich foods are given below.- Vitamin B1: Whole and enriched grains, potato, dairy products, sunflower seeds, pork dried beans
- Vitamin B2: Eggs, dark green vegetables, fish, grains, lean meat, mushrooms
- Vitamin B3: Sunflower seeds, tuna, poultry, potato, cottage cheese, liver
- Vitamin B5: Organ meats, avocados, broccoli, mushrooms
- Vitamin B6: sunflower seeds, bananas, whole grains, legumes, beans, nuts, meats, fish, eggs, fortified breads
- Vitamin B7: Soy products, egg yolks, fish, organ meats, cheese, sweet potatoes
- Vitamin B9: Green leafy vegetables, citrus juice, legumes, tofu, tomato juice
- Vitamin B12: Poultry, certain algae, shellfish, fortified yeast extract, eggs, meat ,milk, milk products
3. Vitamin C
Vitamin C develops and maintains your body’s blood vessels, scar tissues and cartilage. Vitamin C is also necessary for creating ATP, dopamine, peptide hormones, and tyrosine. Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that helps lessen oxidative stress to the body and is important to the functioning of the immune system. It can help to lower the risk of infections and cancer risk.
Natural Sources of Vitamin C
Vitamin C is found naturally in:- Green peppers
- Dark green leafy vegetables
- Broccoli
- Kale
- Citrus
- Berries
- Most other fruits and green vegetables
4. Vitamin D
Vitamin D is an essential vitamin needed by your body for absorption of calcium. It helps in bone development and also helps with the body’s immune functions. Vitamin D deficiency leads to rickets, poor immune response, and increased cancer risk.Natural Sources of Vitamin D
Include the below foods for getting enough vitamin D naturally from your diet.- Cod liver oil
- Fish
- Tofu
- Cereals
- Eggs
- Dairy products
- Mushrooms
- Nuts
5. Vitamin E
Vitamin E is an essential vitamin that helps in reducing oxidative stress in your cells. It also helps to boost the immune system, fight against heart disease and aging. Vitamin E deficiency can weaken your immune system and increase risk of cancer as well.
Natural Sources of Vitamin E
- Sunflower seeds
- Fish
- Almonds
- Leafy green vegetables