Vitamins and minerals are substances found in foods that contain important elements and components for the body’s overall growth. Fats, proteins, vitamins, carbs, and minerals are examples of vital nutrients. Vitamins and minerals, for example, play an important part in bodily maintenance, immunity, and a variety of other functions. There are a variety of food sources from which to obtain various minerals and vitamins.
Vitamins
Vitamins are naturally occurring chemical substances that are essential for optimal health. Vitamins, unlike macronutrients, are required in smaller quantities by the body. They play a critical part in daily functioning as well as energy processing in cells. Vitamins are found in a variety of foods and can be obtained without the use of additional supplements.
Vitamins aid in the production of energy by ensuring that carbohydrates and lipids are appropriately used. Vitamins are essential for human survival, yet the human body cannot create them on its own (except vitamin D and also Vitamin B3). As a result, it should be obtained in sufficient quantities from other sources, like the foods we eat, vitamin capsules, and so on. Vitamins can be present in a variety of foods, including meat, leafy green vegetables, and fruits.
Sources of Vitamins
Vitamins are necessary nutrients obtained from food, and they aid in the proper functioning of other nutrients. Vitamin D, for example, aids calcium absorption, whereas Vitamin C is required for iron absorption, and Vitamin B acts in tandem in cells. As a result, incorporating them into our normal diet is critical. Vitamins are abundant in four major food groups.
There are many sources of vitamins some of which are given here,
- Fruits and Vegetables
- Grain foods
- Milk as well as milk products
- Legumes, seeds, fish, nuts, and other seafood, eggs, poultry, red meat without fat.
Types of Vitamins
There are two types of vitamins which are given as
- Fat-Soluble Vitamins
- Water-Soluble Vitamins
Fat-Soluble Vitamins
This category includes vitamins that are greasy and hydrophobic. These vitamins are not eliminated by the body and are retained in the liver and fat cells over many days. They are broken down further when needed, but a build-up can be harmful. Bile salts and lipids were necessary for vitamin absorption. Vitamin A, D, E, and K are just a few examples.
Water-Soluble Vitamins
Vitamin B complex, Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12, Vitamin C, and folic acid are water-soluble vitamins. These vitamins do not last long in the body and are eliminated in the urine.
Minerals
can be found in bread, cereals, fish, meat, milk, nuts, and other foods. The body does not require all minerals. Calcium, phosphorus, sodium, magnesium, and potassium, for example, are required by the body in greater amounts than iron and zinc.
Vitamins and minerals have different biological functions and chemical compositions. To keep a healthy physique, one should eat a well-balanced diet that includes enough vitamins and minerals every day.
Source of Minerals
Minerals can be found in a variety of foods which we eat daily. Dairy items such as milk, yoghurt, and cheese, as well as green leafy vegetables, fish such as salmon and sardines, meats, eggs, dry fruits, and fortified goods such as soy milk or orange juice, are all examples.
Vitamins and Minerals List and Functions
Vitamins
|
Vitamins |
Solubility |
Sources |
Deficiency Disorder |
Symptoms |
|
Vitamin A |
Fat |
Green leafy vegetables, ripe yellow fruits, Watermelon, guava, carrots, tomatoes, milk, liver. |
Loss of vision |
Vision loss, either partial or complete, and vision loss at night |
|
Vitamin B1 |
water |
fresh fruits, sweet potatoes, potatoes, peas, dates, corn, black beans. |
Beri-Beri |
Muscle weakness and a lack of energy to work. |
|
Vitamin C |
water |
Broccoli, black currant, goat milk, Fresh fruits, chestnuts |
Scurvy |
Wounds take longer to heal, and gums bleed. |
|
Vitamin D |
fat |
Chicken breast, Fish, egg, cod, liver, beef |
Rickets |
Bones are Soft and bent |
|
Vitamin E |
fat |
Peanuts, Almonds, pumpkin, vegetable oil |
Neuropathy as well as a breakdown of RBCs |
Weakness of Muscles and also vision problems |
|
Vitamin K |
fat |
Kale, collard greens, spinach, cabbage. |
Blood clotting and also building the bones |
Symptoms are Internal bleeding as well as internal clot formation |
Minerals
|
Mineral |
Sources |
Deficiency Disorder |
Symptoms |
|
Iodine |
Milk, Seafoods, foods grown in the iodine-rich field and iodised salt |
Goitre |
Mental retardation in a child, enlarged neck glands |
|
Phosphorous |
Dates, Passion fruit, pomegranate, tuna, oats, beef |
Hypophosphatemia, Rickets in kids |
Anxiety, bone pain, weakness, fatigue, loss of appetite |
|
Iron |
Beans, Lentils, spinach, dried fruits (prunes, apricots, raisins), tofu, enriched bread, prune juice, nuts, broccoli |
Anaemia |
Weakness |
|
Calcium |
Milk, Blackberries, soybeans, almonds, egg, pomegranate, dates, wheat |
Decay of bone as well as teeth |
Decaying of Teeth, weakness of bones |
|
Cobalt |
green leafy vegetables, meat |
dementia, depression |
heart damage, vomiting |
|
Boron |
almonds, oranges, red grapes |
osteoporosis, tooth decay. |
dermatitis, diarrhea, nausea, poor appetite |
|
potassium |
bananas, scallops, spinach |
diarrhea, nausea, and stomach pain |
dry skin, muscle cramps |
|
CHLORIDE |
water |
hypochloremia |
Dehydration Fatigue or weakness, and Fluid loss |
Types of Minerals
There are two types of minerals:
- Macrominerals
- microminerals
Microminerals
The microminerals are a group of 17 minerals which our body needs in minute amounts (thus the name). They’re a type of nutrient known as a micronutrient (a group of nutrients that involves minerals as well as vitamins). Micronutrients differ from macronutrients in that they have no calories and are needed in much smaller quantities.
Microminerals involve Boron, Cobalt, iron, iodine and more.
Macrominerals
Macro minerals present in considerably higher concentrations in the body and are needed in greater quantities. Sodium, calcium boron, chloride, potassium, phosphorus, and magnesium are macro minerals.
Conclusion
Vitamins and minerals are micronutrients that the body requires. These nutrients have a variety of functions in the body. Because the body does not generate them in large quantities, they must be obtained from meals.
These nutrients aid in the strengthening of bones, the healing of wounds, and the enhancement of the immune system. They aid in the conversion of food into energy as well as the repair of damaged cells. Scurvy, rickets, blindness, and other disorders are caused by a lack of any of these nutrients.