The Famous Five: Vital Vitamins and Where to Find Them

You need a range of vitamins and minerals in your diet in order to maintain your well-being, but there are so many different foods that contain so many different nutrients, where do you find the best sources? We’ve rounded up the best, wellness-boosting wonders that will get your diet overflowing with the good stuff.

Vitamin A – This vitamin is especially important to your immune system, reproduction and vision. While beef liver, spinach, fish, milk, eggs, and carrots are good sources of vitamin A, you can’t go wrong with a sweet potato, as a medium-sized spud with give you 561% of your recommended daily value (DV).

B Vitamins – For vitamin B6, get your hands on chickpeas, fish, beef liver, and poultry, while animal products and oily fish are your best bet for vitamin B12. These vitamins metabolise foods, help form haemoglobin, stabilise your blood sugar, make antibodies that fight disease, improve your nerve function and ward of anaemia. If you’re pregnant, another B vitamin you’ll need is folate, which is found in dark leafy green vegetables, fruit, nuts, and dairy products.

Vitamin C – While you may think you’ve got this one covered with that orange juice sitting in the fridge, the Mac-Daddy of vitamin C content is the sweet red pepper. Aside from that, kiwi fruit, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and cantaloupe can give you the vitamin C you need to metabolise protein and synthesis your neurotransmitters.

Vitamin D – Your body generates its own vitamin D when your skin is exposed to sunlight, but as you don’t get much sunshine in this country, you might want to stock up on fatty fishes – such as salmon and mackerel – or vitamin D-fortified foods such as milk, breakfast cereals, yogurt, and orange juice. This vitamin is vital for calcium absorption and bone growth, cell growth, immunity, and the reduction of inflammation.

Vitamin E – You need this powerful antioxidant in order to protect your cells from the harmful molecules known as free radicals. Vitamin E is important in immunity, healthy blood vessel function and clotting, so amp up your intake of wheat germ oil, sunflower seeds or almonds.