Vitamins are organic compounds made by animals and plants that your body uses for many essential functions, while minerals are elements found in the earth. Absorbed by plants as they grow, minerals are found in many different foods and necessary to support the health of your tissues and organs. According to the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, the best source of vitamins and minerals is a well-balanced diet containing a variety of fresh foods.
Vitamins and Minerals
Important minerals include calcium, used to build and maintain your bones and teeth; potassium, which helps keep your blood pressure in the healthy range and benefits your kidneys; iron, critical for hemoglobin production; and magnesium, which helps you produce energy from your food and supports your muscles and cardiovascular system. Essential vitamins include vitamin A, important during development and for proper vision; vitamin C, a necessary part of collagen production in your skin and supporting tissues; and vitamin D, which helps calcium maintain your bones. Finally, eight different vitamins make up the B-complex family, essential for hundreds of biochemical reactions in your cells.
Because plants absorb minerals from the ground in which they grow, consuming several vegetable servings daily is an excellent strategy to increase your intake of these nutrients. Leafy green vegetables such as spinach, cabbage and kale provide calcium, magnesium and iron, as do legumes, which include beans, lentils and soybeans. Sweet potatoes and beans are high in potassium, as are tomatoes and tomato-based foods. Vegetables are also good choices to increase your intake of many vitamins. Vitamin A is found in sweet potatoes, carrots, red peppers and tomatoes, while spinach, tomatoes, broccoli and plant-derived oils contain vitamin E. Green leafy vegetables are good sources of both vitamin C and the B-complex vitamins, as are peas, beans and other legumes.
You can also increase your consumption of vitamins and minerals by adding regular servings of fresh fruits to your daily meal plan. Citrus fruits are rich in vitamin C, as are cantaloupe and strawberries. To increase vitamin E in your diet, choose mangoes or kiwifruit; mangoes are also high in vitamin A, along with cantaloupe and apricots. Some fruits are also rich in certain minerals. For example, bananas are high in potassium and, along with grapes and raisins, also provide magnesium. Finally, although fruits are not generally rich in calcium, many fruit-derived products such as citrus juices are available fortified with added calcium.
Meat, Fish and Dairy Products
For a healthy strategy to increase your intake of iron, add lean, low-fat cuts of beef, turkey, chicken or liver to your meals. Fish and seafood, which are naturally low in saturated fats, are also good sources of iron and potassium, and can provide calcium when canned varieties of fish are served with bones included. Fish such as tuna, herring and salmon provide vitamins A and D, as do beef and chicken liver. Finally, to increase your consumption of calcium, add dairy products such as milk, yogurt or cheese to your meals often, opting for low-fat or nonfat versions whenever possible.
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