Vitamins are vital for your body to develop and function normally. They regulate your metabolism; affect growth, reproduction and functioning of tissue and organs. The fact is our body does not produce vitamins, so we have to get them through varied and balanced diet.  The human requirements for vitamins have been established with tests. These requirements are known as Recommended Dietary (Daily) Allowances or RDA.

Each vitamin in your body plays a different role. No vitamin can replace another vitamin or any other nutrient.

We divide them into two groups

Water-soluble vitamins (group B, C).  With the exception of vitamin B12, the water-soluble vitamins are not stored in the body in large quantities and must be replaced each day.

Fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E and K). They are absorbed together with fat and then they are stored in the fat tissue, so they don’t need to be consumed on a daily basis. In excessive quantities they start to build up in the body. The sun’s ultraviolet rays can speed up the production of vitamin D in the skin. Microorganisms – commonly known as gut flora – produce vitamin K and biotin. However, the body is not able to synthesize all the other vitamins, which are vitamin A, E, C, B1, B2, B6, B12, folic acid and pantothetic acid, therefore we have to get it from the food we eat.

Natural sources of vitamins
Vitamin A – Carrots, tomatoes, dark-green and yellow vegetables, yellow fruit, margarine, eggs, liver, fish oil, milk and dairy products…

Biotin – Yeast, milk, soybean meal, whole-grain rice, peanut butter, field mushrooms, cauliflower, beans, cow liver, egg yolk...

Vitamin B1 – Yeast, rice husks, unrefined cereal grains, whole-grain cereals, soy, egg yolk, oats, peanuts, bran, milk, most vegetables, fish, lean pork…

Vitamin B2 – Milk, cheese, leaf vegetables, eggs, yogurt, beans, yolk, yeast, fish, liver, kidney…

Vitamin B3 – Whole-grain cereals, germ of cereals, avocado, dates, figs, prunes, roasted peanuts, yeast, eggs, liver, lean meat, kidneys, fish, poultrymeat… 

Pantothetic acid – Green vegetables, bran, germ of cereals, whole-grain cereals, nuts, yeast, meat, offals…

Vitamin B6 – Bran, germ of cereals, soy, melons, cabbages, whole-grain rice, oats, peanuts, nuts, yeast, eggs, liver, kidneys…

Vitamin B12 – Liver, beef, pork, fish, eggs, cheese, milk…

Folates – Lettuce, Brussels sprouts, spinach, cauliflower, broccoli, beetroot, carrots, apricots, melons, pumpkins, avocado, beans, yeast, whole-wheat cereals, rye flour, egg yolk, liver, kidneys… 

Vitamin D – Fish oil, sardines, salmon, tuna fish, milk and dairy products...

Vitamin C – Citrus fruit, berries, green and leaf vegetables, tomatoes, melons, cauliflower, potatoes, red pepper, mangoes, papaya, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, lungs and liver...

Vitamin E – Germ of cereals, soybeans, nuts, Brussels sprouts, leaf vegetables, spinach, vegetable oil, enriched flour, whole-grain cereals, eggs...

Vitamin K – Green leaf vegetables, broccoli, cauliflower, yogurt, egg yolk, soy oil...