What Do Vitamins Do?
How much do you know about your daily essential vitamins?
At Bodē Pro, we talk a lot about the importance of vitamins for the human body. You might have a general idea that vitamins are good for you, but what exactly do different vitamins do in the body? Check out this handy guide for a vitamin cheat sheet to get you up to speed!
Vitamin A (retinoids and carotene)
• What it does: Vitamin A is really important for maintaining vision. Additionally, it keeps tissues and skin healthy while also playing an important role in bone growth and in the immune system.
• Where you can get it: Carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkins, squash, spinach, mangoes, turnip greens, beef liver, eggs, shrimp, fish, butter, and some types of cheese.
Vitamin B1 (thiamin)
• What it does: This vitamin helps to convert food into energy and it is needed for healthy skin, hair, muscles, brain, and proper nerve function.
• Where you can get it: Pork chops, brown rice, ham, watermelons, and acorn squash.
Vitamin B2 (riboflavin)
• What it does: Like the other B vitamins, it helps to convert food into energy and is needed for healthy skin, hair, blood, and brain function.
• Where you can get it: Milk, eggs, yogurt, cheese, meats, green leafy vegetables, and whole and enriched grains and cereals.
Vitamin B3 (niacin)
• What it does: Like the other B vitamins, it helps to convert food into energy and is essential for healthy skin, blood cells, brain, and nervous system.
• Where you can get it: Meat, poultry, fish, fortified and whole grains, mushrooms, potatoes, and peanut butter.
Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid)
• What it does: Like the other B vitamins, it helps to convert food into energy and this vitamin helps make lipids (fats), neurotransmitters, steroid hormones, and hemoglobin.
• Where you can get it: Chicken, egg yolks, whole grains, broccoli, mushrooms, avocados, and tomatoes.
Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine)
• What it does: This vitamin helps convert tryptophan to niacin and serotonin, a neurotransmitter that plays key roles in sleep, appetite, and moods. It also helps make red blood cells and influences cognitive abilities and immune function.
• Where you can get it: Meat, fish, poultry, legumes, potatoes, and non-citrus fruits such as bananas and watermelons.
Vitamin B9 (folic acid, folate)
• What it does: Folic acid is vital for new cell creation.
• Where you can get it: Fortified grains and cereals, asparagus, okra, spinach, turnip greens, broccoli, orange juice, tomato juice, and legumes such as black-eyed peas and chickpeas.
Vitamin B12 (cobalamin)
• What it does: This vitamin assists in making new cells and breaking down some fatty and amino acids. It protects nerve cells and encourages their normal growth while also helping to make red blood cells and DNA.
• Where you can get it: Meat, poultry, fish, milk, cheese, eggs, and fortified cereals.
Vitamin C
• What it does: Vitamin C helps make collagen and the neurotransmitters serotonin and norepinephrine while also acting as an antioxidant, neutralizing unstable molecules that can damage cells, and bolstering the immune system.
• Where you can get it: Fruits, especially citrus, potatoes, broccoli, bell peppers, spinach, strawberries, tomatoes, and Brussels sprouts.
Vitamin D (calciferol)
• What it does: Vitamin D helps maintain normal blood levels of calcium and phosphorus, which strengthens bones. It also helps to form teeth and bones.
• Where you can get it: Fortified milk and cereals, fatty fish.
Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol)
• What it does: Vitamin E acts as an antioxidant and protects vitamin A and certain lipids from damage.
• Where you can get it: This vitamin is widely available, including foods like vegetable oils, salad dressings, wheat germ, leafy green vegetables, whole grains, and nuts.
Vitamin K (phylloquinone, menadione)
• What it does: Vitamin K activates proteins and calcium that are essential to blood clotting.
• Where you can get it: Cabbage, liver, eggs, milk, spinach, broccoli, sprouts, kale, collards, and other green vegetables.[1]
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[1] “Listing of Vitamins.” Harvard Health, Harvard University, www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/listing_of_vitamins.