In my last few posts I have been discussing vitamins in greater detail. I outlined how they were vital to your health and that without them you would suffer from a number of adverse effects. I also discussed the dangers of overdosing on vitamins and said that it was very difficult to overdose on them from food alone. Although I am not completely against the use of vitamin supplements I believe that you should try and get your vitamins from food sources where possible. Today I am going to try and help you do just that by listing over 40 vitamin rich foods.
1) VITAMIN A:- Vitamin A can be sourced from both animals (in the form of retinol) and plants (in the form of carotenoids). Below are the five of the richest vitamin A food sources:
- Eggs.
- Liver.
- Milk.
- Raw Carrots.
- Spinach.
2) VITAMIN B1 (THIAMINE):- Vitamin B1 (also known as thiamine) can be found in a number of foods. Five of the richest food sources include:
- Cashew nuts.
- Enriched whole grain products.
- Green beans and peas.
- Pork.
- Watermelon.
Since vitamin B1 is a water soluble vitamin you need to be careful when preparing these foods. Vitamin B1 is easily destroyed by high cooking heats and can also leach out into cooking water. Therefore, cooking the above foods at lower heats and steaming instead of boiling can help preserve their vitamin B1 content.
3) VITAMIN B2 (RIBOFLAVIN):- Vitamin B2 (also known as riboflavin) can be found in various foods with dairy products being the best source. Below are five of the best foods for getting your vitamin B2:
- Cheese.
- Kidney meat.
- Milk.
- Sweet potatoes.
- Yoghurt.
Vitamin B2 is very sensitive to light and can be destroyed by prolonged exposure. Therefore, it is advisable to store foods that contain vitamin B2 in dark places.
4) VITAMIN B3 (NIACIN):- Vitamin B3 (also known as niacin) can be found in foods in two forms; preformed niacin and the amino acid tryptophan (which the body can convert into niacin). The following five foods are rich sources of vitamin B3:
- Beef.
- Chicken.
- Mushrooms.
- Peanuts.
- Tuna.
5) VITAMIN B5 (PANTOTHENIC ACID):- Vitamin B5 (also known as pantothenic acid) can be found in a variety of foods with fresh fruits and vegetables being particularly rich in this vitamin. The list below contains five of the best foods for getting your vitamin B5:
- Cauliflower.
– Eggs.
- Mushrooms.
- Strawberries.
- Tomatoes.
6) VITAMIN B6 (PYRIDOXINE):- Vitamin B6 (also known as pyridoxine) is generally found in protein rich foods. Below are five of the top vitamin B6 food sources:
- Bananas.
- Broccoli.
- Brussel sprouts.
- Cabbage.
- Cottage Cheese.
7) VITAMIN B7 (BIOTIN):- Vitamin B7 (also known as biotin) can be found in most foods. Five of the richest vitamin B7 sources are listed below:
- Broccoli.
- Egg yolk.
- Liver.
- Milk.
- Spinach.
8) VITAMIN B9 (FOLIC ACID):- Vitamin B9 (also known as folic acid) is found in a variety of foods, particularly fresh vegetables. Five of the richest food sources for vitamin B9 include:
- Asparagus.
- Avocados.
- Beets.
- Cabbage.
- Oranges.
9) VITAMIN B12 (COBALAMIN):- Vitamin B12 (also known as cobalamin) is found in multiple foods, with animal products being a particularly good source. The list below contains five of the best foods for getting your vitamin B12:
- Lamb.
- Oysters.
- Sardines.
- Tuna.
- Yoghurt.
10) VITAMIN C (ASCORBIC ACID):- Vitamin C (also known as ascorbic acid) is found mainly in fruits and vegetables with citrus fruits being a very good source. Below are five of the best vitamin C food sources:
- Kiwifruit.
- Grapefruit.
- Lemons
- Mango.
- Oranges.
When consuming foods that are rich in vitamin C you need to be aware that it can be quite easily destroyed. Bruising, cutting and high heats can all lead to vitamin C being destroyed. Therefore, you need to take care when storing and preparing the above foods and steam instead of boiling where possible.
11) VITAMIN D:- Vitamin D is produced by your body when exposed to sunlight. However, it can also be found in certain foods, five of which are listed below:
- Butter.
- Cod liver oil.
- Eggs.
- Milk.
- Tuna.
12) VITAMIN E:- Vitamin E is one of the more difficult vitamins to source from diet alone. However, it is still possible with certain foods including nuts and oils being rich in vitamin E. The list below contains five of the best vitamin E food sources:
- Almonds.
- Brazil nuts.
- Corn oil.
- Hazelnuts.
- Peanuts.
13) VITAMIN K:- Vitamin K is mainly found in green, leafy vegetables. Some of the richest food sources of vitamin K are listed below:
- Broccoli.
- Cabbage.
- Green tea.
- Liver.
- Spinach.
I hope this article has shown you that you do not need to rely on daily multi vitamins to get your recommended daily allowance (RDA) for the various vitamins. By eating a variety of natural foods you can easily get the vitamins you require. If you feel that you are not currently getting enough of a certain vitamin then take a look at the lists in this article, pick one of the foods and incorporate them into your diet. There’s plenty of nutritious, tasty foods to choose from and a lot of them are highly versatile. Eggs can be boiled, poached, fried, scrambled or even mixed up with some meat and vegetables to make an omelette which is both tasty and healthy. Spinach can be eaten alone, added to a sandwich or used to bulk up a vitamin rich casserole or stew. These are just a couple of the possible options. Have a look at the above lists and see what tasty, nutritious, vitamin rich meals you can put together for yourself.
Now I’d like to hear from you guys. Are there any vitamin rich foods I have missed out on? Do you get all your vitamins from food alone? Let me know your thoughts by leaving a comment.
- Mushrooms.
- Strawberries.
- Tomatoes.
About Tom
Hi Tom!
You’re right, supplements are sometimes necessary.
It’s so sad though, to see people pop a ‘Centrum’ and think they’re getting everything their body needs.
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Great list thanks Tom. I’m going to print it and keep it for reference if you dont mind?
Tusc :D
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Hi Mel – I know what you mean. It’s sad but a lot of people think that vitamins are magic pills that can give you all your nutritional needs in one small serving. They don’t consider that they may have to put a little bit of time into preparing and eating a well balanced, healthy, nutritious diet. Very nice blog btw. I had a quick look and have added it to my Google Reader so I will check out a few posts when I get the time.
Hey Tusc – I don’t mind at all. In fact I’m flattered :-). I never thought people would be using something I had written as a reference point.
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Tom,
From my point of view it’s refreshing to read another blog (yours) that advocates food rather than pill popping, it seems we are in the minority these days! I suppose fresh food just doesn’t make enough money, does it?
Thanks for checking out my blog.
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I agree with you Tom..food first choice. Very good!
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Tom Reply:
January 29th, 2009 at 11:22 pm
Hey Mark. Thanks for your comments. Seems to be a lot of people in agreement on this
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Hey, really great and useful health blog! As I’m more in building muscle, i use vitamin C for immune system, and all types of B vitamins for muscle growth. But other vitamin types are as much as important, so the best way is to use supplements like Animal Pack or Spa Pack.
Best wishes!
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Tom Reply:
June 2nd, 2009 at 8:18 am
Hey Chriss – Thanks for the comments. However, have to disagree with you. I don’t think supplements are the best way to get your vitamins. As I say at the end of this article I hope that by providing you with these vitamin rich foods you do not have to rely on supplements. I think food should always be your number one choice for getting your vitamins.
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Tom,
Just came across this site and love it. I was always under the impression that you can get vitamin A from tomatoes. Is that wrong?
Whenever I would find myself consuming an entire pie of Pizza I would tell myself that the one benefit I was getting was the Vitamin A from the Tomato Sauce. Have I been wrong all these years?
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Tom Reply:
June 2nd, 2009 at 7:36 am
Hey Tyler. Thanks for your comments. You are indeed correct. Tomatoes are a rich source of vitamin A, vitamin C and a number of B vitamins. They just only made it on to my list under vitamin B5. So no need to worry…you haven’t been wrong all these years…those pizzas have been providing you with vitamin A and a few others too.
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this is really useful thanks . because i am a vegetarian . so i cannot take meats product almost all vitamins came from plant origins gonna print out this thanks alot Tom ! =D
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Tom Reply:
June 21st, 2009 at 12:12 pm
Glad you found it useful Yishen.
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I’ve often wondered if supplements are actually effective. There are a number of studies that suggest they are poorly absorbed and under-utilized when consumed as pills. Thoughts?
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Tom Reply:
August 8th, 2009 at 10:41 am
Hey Greg – Definitely agree with you. This article is meant to focus on getting your vitamins from natural foods foods and not supplements. In fact I have written an article which outlines the various reasons why multi vitamin supplements are not necessary. One of the reasons I give for avoiding multi vitamins is that they are not as easily absorbed as natural alternatives. Whilst I don’t think that all supplements are useless I definitely agree that you should go for natural foods where possible
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hi! it is great that you have compiled list of vitamins at one place for easy reference.
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Tom Reply:
August 16th, 2009 at 6:56 pm
Thanks Zahoor. Glad you are finding the list useful.
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I don’t believe in supplements .I believe in the power and wisdom of nature.
I believe in the unique synergy of the different nutrients in real foods.
We were not created to consume synthetic stuff!
Nice job! Greetings from Greece!
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Tom Reply:
October 29th, 2009 at 11:41 pm
Good comment Christos. I don’t think all supplements are completely useless but I do think people generally rely on them too much. Many people would rather pop a multi vitamin instead of trying to incorporate a few more fruits and vegetables into their diet and I don’t think this is the right attitude to have.
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