Every day, your body produces skin, muscle, and bone. It churns out rich red blood that carries nutrients and oxygen to remote outposts, and it sends nerve signals skipping along thousands of miles of brain and body pathways. It also formulates chemical messengers that shuttle from one organ to another, issuing the instructions to sustain life. But to do all this, the body requires some raw materials. These include at least 30 vitamins, minerals, and dietary components that the body needs but cannot manufacture on its own in sufficient amounts. Vitamins and minerals are as essential for living as air and water. Not only do they keep the body healthy and functional, but they are also protecting from a variety of diseases. Vitamins are organic substances produced by plants or animals. They often are called "essential" because they are not synthesized in the body (except for vitamin D) and therefore must come from food.
Vitamins are divided into: water-soluble, which means the body expels what it does not absorb, and fat-soluble, where excess amounts are stored in the liver and fat tissues as reserves.

Vitamin Sources

Water-soluble vitamins

• B1: It is found in meat, especially pork and fish, whole grains, and some fortified slices of bread, cereals, portions of pasta, soymilk, and watermelon.

• B2: Vitamin B2 is found in eggs and organ meat, such as liver and kidneys, and lean meat. It also is found in green vegetables, like asparagus and broccoli.

• B3: Vitamin B3 is found in some types of nuts, legumes, and grains. It can also be found in poultry, beef, and fish.

• B5: It is found in chicken, whole grains, broccoli, avocados, and mushrooms.

• B6: Vitamin B6 is found in a wide variety of foods. The richest sources of vitamin B6 include fish, beef liver, potatoes, and other starchy vegetables, and fruit (other than citrus).

• B7: Whole grains, eggs, soybeans, and fish have vitamin B7.

• B9: Folate is found in vegetables and fruit, such as broccoli, Brussels sprouts, spinach, and oranges. It can also be found in nuts, beans, and peas.

• B12: Vitamin B12 is found in meat, fish, poultry, milk, and fortified breakfast cereals.

• Vitamin C: Fruits and vegetables such as citrus fruit, potatoes, broccoli, bell peppers, spinach, strawberries, tomatoes, and Brussels sprouts are some of the best sources vitamin C.

Fat-soluble vitamins

• Vitamin D: Vitamin D is found in fatty fish, fish liver oils, fortified milk and milk products, and fortified cereals.

• Vitamin E: Vitamin E is found in nuts like peanuts and almonds and can be found in vegetable oils. It can also be found in green vegetables, like broccoli and spinach.

• Vitamin A: Vitamin A is found in products such as eggs and milk. It can also be found in vegetables and fruits, like carrots and mangoes.

• Vitamin K: Vitamin K is found in many foods, including green leafy vegetables, like spinach and kale, and in some fruits, such as blueberries and figs. It can also be found in cheese, eggs, and different meats.