Vitamins, Minerals and a Healthy Diet

According to the USDA, a healthy diet includes fruits, whole grains, vegetables, fat-free and low-fat milk, and other dairy products. The healthy diet also includes lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, eggs and nuts, with a reduction in saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, salt (sodium), and added sugars. 

Minerals and Nutrients Vital to our Health 

When looking to improve health, know and understand your vitamins and minerals intake?

Below is a partial list of foods sources with essential vitamins and minerals – enough to give a head-start at recognizing and understanding what the body needs to maintain proper health.

Vitamin A – for eyesight and the immune system: cod liver oil, dairy, sweet potatoes and dark green leafy vegetables.

Vitamin B1 – (a/k/a Thiamin) for processing carbohydrates: cereals, whole grain breads, and pastas have high amounts of Thiamin.

Vitamin B2 – (a/k/a Riboflavin) produces red blood cells and converts food into energy: almonds, asparagus, eggs, meat and fortified cereals.

Vitamin  B3 – (a/k/a Niacin) aids in digestion and also converts food into energy: lean chicken, salmon, tuna, turkey, peanuts, fortified cereals and enriched flour.
 
Vitamin B6 – vital for a healthy nervous system and helps to break down proteins and stored sugars: light-meat chicken and turkey, eggs, baked potatoes with skin, bananas, spinach, fortified cereals and fortified soy-based meat substitutes.

Vitamin B12 – for creating red blood cells: beef, poultry, salmon, crabs, mussels and soybeans.

Vitamin C – for promoting a healthy immune system: potatoes, tomatoes, broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, red and green peppers, spinach, citrus fruits and berries.  

Vitamin D – for processing calcium to maintain healthy teeth and bones: fortified milk, cheese, egg yolks, salmon, cereals and sunlight.

Vitamin E – for promoting healthy skin; antioxidant: almonds, hazelnuts,  leafy green vegetables; Canola, sunflower, soybean and olive oils.