Vitamin A

Vitamin A helps form and maintain healthy teeth, skeletal and soft tissue, mucous membranes, and skin. It is also known as retinol because it produces the pigments in the retina of the eye.

Vitamin A promotes good vision, especially in low light. It may also be need for reproduction and breast feeding.

Retinol is an active type of vitamin A. It is found in animal liver, whole milk, and some fortified foods.

Vitamin A comes from animal sources, such as eggs, meat, milk, cheese, cream, liver, kidney, cod, and halibut fish oil. However, all of these sources -- except for skim milk that has been fortified with Vitamin A -- are high in saturated fat and cholesterol.

If you don't get enough vitamin A, you are more susceptible to infectious diseases and vision problems.

Vitamin B complex

The B vitamins are eight water-soluble vitamins that play important roles in cell metabolism. Historically, the B vitamins were once thought to be a single vitamin, referred to as vitamin B (much like how people refer to vitamin C or vitamin D). Later research showed that they are chemically distinct vitamins that often coexist in the same foods.

• Vitamin B₁ (Thiamine)
• Vitamin B₂ (Riboflavin)
• Vitamin B₃ (Niacin)
• Vitamin B₅ (Pantothenic acid)
• Vitamin B₆ (Pyridoxine)
• Vitamin B₇, also called vitamin H (Biotin)
• Vitamin B₉, also vitamin M and vitamin B-c (Folic Acid)
• Vitamin B₁₂ (Cobalamin)

All B vitamins are water soluble, and are dispersed throughout the body. Most of the B vitamins must be replenished daily, since any excess is excreted in the urine.[6] A six year cobalamin store can be found in the liver, despite its water soluble nature.

The B vitamins often work together to deliver a number of health benefits to the body. B vitamins have been shown to:

• Support and increase the rate of metabolism
• Maintain healthy skin and muscle tone
• Enhance the immune and nervous system function
• Promote cell growth and division including that of the red blood cells that help prevent anemia.
• Reduce the risk of pancreatic cancer, one of the most lethal forms of cancer, when consumed in food, but not when ingested in vitamin tablet form.

Together, they also help combat the symptoms and causes of stress, depression, and cardiovascular disease.

All B vitamins are water soluble, and are dispersed throughout the body. Most of the B vitamins must be replenished daily, since any excess is excreted in the urine. A six year cobalamin store can be found in the liver, despite its water soluble nature.

Different B vitamins come from different natural sources, such as potatoes, bananas, lentils, chili peppers, liver oil, liver,turkey, and tuna, Nutritional yeast (or brewer's yeast) and molasses.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C is required for the growth and repair of tissues in all parts of your body. It is necessary to form collagen, an important protein used to make skin, scar tissue, tendons, ligaments, and blood vessels. Vitamin C is essential for the healing of wounds, and for the repair and maintenance of cartilage, bones, and teeth.

The body does not manufacture vitamin C on its own, nor does it store it. It is therefore important to include plenty of vitamin C-containing foods in your daily diet.

All fruits and vegetables contain some amount of vitamin C. Foods that tend to be the highest sources of vitamin C include green peppers, citrus fruits and juices, strawberries, tomatoes, broccoli, turnip greens and other leafy greens, sweet and white potatoes, and cantaloupe.

Other excellent sources include papaya, mango, watermelon, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage, winter squash, red peppers, raspberries, blueberries, cranberries, and pineapples.

Vitamin D

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that helps the body absorb calcium. Fat-soluble vitamins are stored in the body's fatty tissue.

Vitamin D is also known as the "sunshine vitamin" because the body manufactures the vitamin after being exposed to sunshine. Ten to 15 minutes of sunshine 3 times weekly is enough to produce the body's requirement of vitamin D.

Sources of Vitamin D are Dairy Products (cheese, butter, cream and fortified milk), fish, fortified cereals, oysters and margarine.

Vitamin E

Vitamin E, an important nutritional element of our diets, is an antioxidant our bodies need to help our immune systems and maintain normal metabolism. It helps prevent damage to our cells caused by pollutants.

Vitamin E can either be produced by the body or obtained from the food we eat.

Vitamin E can be found in olives, corn, seeds, nuts, wheat germ, Spinach and other green leafy vegetables, Asparagus, and Vegetable oils -- corn, sunflower, soybean, cottonseed.

Calcium

You have more calcium in your body than any other mineral. Calcium has many important jobs. The body stores more than 99 percent of its calcium in the bones and teeth to help make and keep them strong. The rest is throughout the body in blood, muscle and the fluid between cells. Your body needs calcium to help muscles and blood vessels contract and expand, to secrete hormones and enzymes and to send messages through the nervous system.

It is important to get plenty of calcium in the foods you eat. Foods rich in calcium include diary products such as milk, cheese and yogurt, and leafy, green vegetables. The exact amount of calcium you need depends on your age and other factors. Growing children and teenagers need more calcium than young adults. Older women need plenty of calcium to prevent osteoporosis. People who do not eat enough high-calcium foods should take a calcium supplement.

Cholesterol

Cholesterol is needed to help necessary bodily functions, including insulating nerves, maintaining cell walls, and producing Vitamin D, hormones and digestive juices.

Omega 3

Research shows that Omega 3 fatty acids are an important part of our diets. They play a role in cardiovascular health because they help sustain normal function and promote normal blood flow.

Omega 3 fatty acids are also important for proper development of the brain and eyes, such as the conversion of light energy that takes place in our eyes.

Research is also reporting that Omega 3 fatty acids help promote a healthy pregnancy.

Protein

Protein performs many functions within the body. It is needed to repair body cells and to make new body tissue. Protein also helps regulate body processes.

Saturated fat

Saturated fat is believed to be the single most detrimental factor in raising blood cholesterol levels. Blood cholesterol is cholesterol produced within the body. Reducing one’s intake of saturated fat may be the most effective way to reduce blood cholesterol levels.