Vitamin

Function

Food Sources

Recommended Dietary Allowance
(ages 25-50 years)

Vitamin A

Promotes growth and repair of body tissues, bone formation, healthy skin and hair. Essential for night vision, immune system integrity.

Liver, milk and dairy products fortified with vitamin A.

3330 IU (men)
2664 IU (women)

Beta-carotene (Converted to Vitamin A in the body)

Serves as an antioxidant, may help protect against certain cancers, cataracts, heart disease.

Carrots, sweet potatoes, spinach, greens, pumpkin, apricots, watermelon, broccoli.

No RDA exists for beta-carotene.

Aids in absorption of calcium, helps build bone mass and prevent bone loss. Helps maintain blood levels of calcium, phosphorus.

Sunlight, vitamin D- fortified dairy products, fish oils, tuna, salmon.

Helps protect cells from free radical injury. Serves as an antioxidant and may help protect against heart disease, cataracts, certain cancers. Needed for normal growth and development.

Nuts, seeds, wheat germ, margarine, vegetable oils, salad dressings made with vegetable oils.

Necessary for normal blood clotting, bone health.

Green, leafy vegetables, liver.

Thiamin (B₁)

Essential for converting carbohydrates to energy. Needed for normal functioning of the nervous system and muscles, including heart muscle.

Pork, whole and enriched grains, dried beans and peas, brewer’s yeast, sunflower seeds.

Riboflavin (B₂)

Helps in red blood cell formation, nervous system functioning and release of energy from foods. Needed for vision and may help protect against cataracts.

Liver, milk, yogurt, mushrooms, enriched grains, whole grains.

Niacin

Promotes release of energy from foods and proper nervous system functioning.

Enriched grains, whole grains, mushrooms, bran, tuna, salmon, chicken, beef, liver, peanuts.

Pyridoxine (B₆)

Essential for protein metabolism, nervous system and immune function. Involved in synthesis of hormones and red blood cells.

Liver, tuna, beef, pork, spinach, bananas, soybeans, sunflower seeds.

Folic acid

Needed for normal growth and development and red blood cell formation. Reduced risk of neural tube birth defects. May reduce risk of heart disease.

Green leafy vegetables, orange juice, organ meats, sprouts, sunflower seeds.

Vitamin B₁₂

Vital for blood formation and healthy nervous system.

Foods from animal organs, oysters, clams, eggs.

Biotin

Assists in metabolism of fatty acids and utilization of B vitamins.

Cheese, egg yolks, cauliflower, peanut butter, liver.

Pantothenic acid

Aids in normal growth and development.

Mushrooms, liver, broccoli, eggs. (Most foods contain some of this nutrient.)

Promotes healthy cell development, wound healing, resistance to infection. Serves as an antioxidant and may help protect against certain cancers, cataracts and heart disease. Promotes iron absorption.

Citrus fruits, strawberries, cantaloupe, tomatoes, broccoli, mustard greens, cauliflower, green pepper, cabbage, asparagus, potatoes.

* For vitamin D, biotin and pantothenic acid, RDAs have not been set. Instead, recommendations for daily intake are based on a value known as "Adequate Intake." Sources: Dietary Reference Intakes: Calcium, Phosphorus, Magnesium, Vitamin D and Fluoride, National Academy Press, Washington, D.C. 1997; Dietary Reference Intakes for Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Vitamin B12, Pantothenic Acid, Biotin and Choline. National Academy Press, Washington, D.C. 1998.


Your body depends on minerals for practically every process necessary for life. These all-important nutrients fall into two classes: the major minerals and the trace minerals.

Major Minerals

The major minerals are calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, sodium, potassium and chloride. These are the ones that are present in your body in the largest amounts.

The trace minerals are iron, zinc, iodine, copper, manganese, fluoride, chromium, selenium and molybdenum. These are required in much smaller amounts.

The chart below lists the roles specific minerals play in health and the best food sources of each one.

Mineral

Function

Food Sources

Recommended Dietary Allowance
(ages 25-50 years)

Calcium

Essential for developing and maintaining healthy bones and teeth. Assists in blood clotting, muscle contraction, nerve transmission. Reduces risk of osteoporosis.

Dairy products, green leafy vegetables, canned fish, tofu.

1000 mg (ages 19-50)*
1200 mg (ages 51+)*

Phosphorus

Works with calcium to develop and maintain strong bones and teeth. Enhances use of other nutrients. Essential for energy metabolism, DNA structure and cell membranes.

Dairy products, meats, poultry, fish, eggs, whole grains, nuts and seeds, processed foods.

700 mg (age 19+)

Magnesium

Activates nearly 100 enzymes and helps nerves and muscles function.

Green vegetables, legumes, cereal, fish, and whole bran.

Men:
420 mg (ages 31-70)
Women:
320 mg (ages 31-70)

Necessary for maintaining fluid balance. Transports nutrients across cell membranes.

Table salt, milk, processed meats (luncheon meats, ham, bacon), snack chips, crackers.

Maintaining fluid balance.

Spinach, brussels sprouts, bananas, potatoes, tomatoes, orange juice, cantaloupe.

Necessary for maintaining normal acidity in the stomach. Helps carry carbon dioxide to the lungs.

Table salt.

Needed for red blood cell formation and function.

Liver, meats, green leafy vegetables, enriched breads and cereals.

Essential part of more than 100 enzymes involved in digestion, metabolism, reproduction and wound healing.

Meat, liver, poultry, fish, oysters, other seafood, whole grains, eggs.

Helps regulate, growth, development, metabolism. Necessary for normal thyroid function.

Iodized salt, salt-water fish, dairy products, white bread.

Necessary for normal growth, development, use of iodine in thyroid function. May reduce risk of certain cancers.

Whole grains, fish, seafood, liver, meats, eggs.

Involved in iron metabolism, nervous system function, bone health, synthesis of proteins. Plays a role in pigmentation of skin, hair, eyes.

Liver, seafood, nuts, seeds.

Necessary for normal development of skeletal and connective tissues. Involved in metabolism of carbohydrates.

Whole grains, cereals.

Dental health, incorporation into bones and teeth.

Most plants and animals, fluoride-fortified toothpaste, some water supplies.

Normal glucose metabolism.

Egg yolks, whole grains, pork.

Needed for metabolism of DNA and RNA.

Milk, beans, breads, cereals.

*

†

‡

§

||

The best way to obtain the vitamins and minerals your body requires is from food – specifically from a balanced diet. In fact, a well-balanced diet should meet most of your nutritional needs. However, if you are pregnant or do not eat a well-balanced diet or have special nutritional needs, your physician may recommend that you take a vitamin/mineral supplement. 

If you decide to supplement, with individual nutrients in particular, be aware that some vitamins and minerals at many times the RDA can be toxic. As with food choices, balance is an important concept when it comes to vitamin and mineral supplements, too. For example, if you take too much of a particular vitamin, mineral or even some other type of dietary supplement, it could interfere with your body’s ability to absorb or use other critical nutrients.

Although much is known about nutrition and how the body utilizes it, much remains to be discovered about the intricate ways in which nutrients work together. In that respect, balance becomes an important safeguard against consuming excessive amounts of individual nutrients for which the effects at high doses are unknown. 

On average, the quantity of water in an adult body could fill 12 one-gallon cartons. Why so much water? Because water is absolutely critical to life. In fact, most cells in the human body are composed of more than 75% water. Without it, none of them would be able to function.

• Delivers to each cell the nutrients needed to carry on the processes of life.
• Dissolves vitamins, minerals, amino acids, glucose and other nutrients.
• Provides a medium for chemical reactions.
• Is involved in the production of energy.
• Lubricates joints.
• Acts as a shock absorber inside eyes, spinal cord and joints.
• Helps the body flush out waste materials.
• Helps maintain the body’s temperature.

Although you get about 4 cups daily of water from the foods you eat, this is not enough. Most adults should drink between 8 and 10 cups (8 fl oz per cup) of ordinary water each day. If you are physically active, live in a hot climate, or have an illness that produces vomiting or diarrhea, you may need to drink more than 10 cups of water daily.