ESPVitamins and minerals are organic compounds that our bodies use in very small amounts for a variety of metabolic processes. Basically, they keep us healthy and help our bodies to function.
We get vitamins and minerals from the foods we eat. For most of us, a healthy and varied diet (that includes all 5 food groups) is all we need to stay healthy. It is best to get vitamins and minerals from eating a variety of healthy unprocessed foods.
Eating plenty of fruits, vegetables, wholegrains and cereals, lean meats and reduced fat dairy products will give your body the vitamins and minerals it needs, at the right level and in the right balance. Here is a list of a few vital minerals and how to incorporate them into your diet:
• Vitamin A: Plant sources include orange and yellow fruit and vegetables – such as carrots, red capsicum, mangoes, sweet potatoes, apricots, pumpkin and cantaloupe or leafy green vegetables – such as spinach, peas and broccoli. Animal sources include liver, eggs, some fortified milk and milk products (with added vitamin A).
• Vitamin C: fruits such as oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruits, blackcurrants, mangoes, kiwifruits, rock melon, tomatoes and strawberries or vegetables such as cabbage, capsicum, spinach, Brussels sprouts, lettuce and broccoli, cauliflower and potatoes.
• Vitamin D: Only a small amount (around 5-10%) of Vitamin D is sourced from our diet. Sources include fatty fish (such as salmon), eggs.
• Vitamin E: Vitamin E is best obtained from a healthy diet that contains plenty of fresh minimally processed foods. Vitamin E is also vulnerable to heat (especially cooking methods such as deep frying. Dietary sources include meats (e.g. liver), egg yolks, leafy green vegetables – spinach, broccoli, nuts and seeds – such as almonds, sunflower seeds, peanuts and hazelnuts, healthy oils – such as extra virgin, sunflower, soybean
