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Food Sources for Vitamins
by Alexandra Haller
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Overview
Vitamins are essential for the body's processes to function. There are four fat-soluble vitamins and nine water-soluble vitamins. If you eat a variety of foods at mealtime and throughout the week, you can easily meet the daily required amounts of all the vitamins. When you meet your nutritional needs, your body is well prepared to operate at optimal levels. For example, Vitamin C prevents scurvy. Vitamin K helps in blood-clotting. Vitamin D regulates calcium levels in your bones. Vitamin A helps with clear vision. Eat colorful foods and try new, diverse foods to give your body its life-affirming vitamins.
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Fruit
If all you ate in one day was a variety of fruit, you could possibly meet the Recommended Daily Allowances of every vitamin. Apricots have 420 mg of Vitamin A. Blackberries have 150 mg of Vitamin C. Avocados pack more Vitamin E than any other fruit with 3.2 mg and also provide nearly 2 mg of pantothenic acid.
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Eggs
Eggs are wobbly, palm-sized nutritional powerhouses. They might have a bad reputation for their association with cholesterol, but as long as you don't consume more than a few a week, you are in the safe zone. They contain 100 mg of Vitamin A, nearly 30 mg of folate and 10 mg of biotin.
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Meat
Meat does not have to be avoided on a healthy diet. If you eat it minimally throughout the week (instead of at every meal) and choose lean cuts, you will beef up your vitamin intake. Light meat chicken has 7.3 mg of niacin. Cooked liver has approximately 30 mcg of biotin. Lean pork is one of the best sources of thiamin with about 1 mg per serving.
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Oils
There is a legitimate reason that oils are considered some of the healthy fats. While they can contain a substantial number of calories and fats, they also provide essential vitamins in their small teaspoon servings. Soybean oil contains 25 mcg of Vitamin K. Corn oil provides 8 mg of Vitamin E. Cod liver oil is the best source of Vitamin A. Also, 100 grams of extra virgin olive oil provides more than 10 mg of Vitamin E.
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Vegetables
The most nutritionally potent vegetables are the ones that are deeply colored. Think leafy greens, bright red bell peppers and earthy radishes. You don't have to rely on oranges for Vitamin C since there are 12 mcg in asparagus and 66 mcg in Brussels sprouts. Kale offers up a robust dose of Vitamin K with 547 mcg in 1 cup.
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Seafood
Shellfish, oily fish and fishy fish are all great sources of vitamins. You can find 8.5 mg of niacin in salmon, 84 mcg of vitamin B12 in steamed clams and 13 mcg of Vitamin D in canned salmon. In 3 oz. of halibut there are 152 IU of Vitamin A and 12 mcg of folate.
