A Vitamin Chart From the National Women’s Health Information Center
Lately I’ve been worrying about Kevin’s refusal to eat broccoli, and wondering what exactly is so good about those green bunches of roughage. In browsing the Web for more detailed information on the matter, I found a helpful vitamin chart.
This table comes from the HHS-sponsored National Women’s Health Information Center – a good spot to know of if you’re a woman looking on-line for reliable sources. It’s a bit simple for my taste. In the intro, we’re told there are 13 essential vitamins our bodies need. After some basics on Vitamin A – good for the eyes and skin, as you probably knew already – the chart picks up with a quick review of the essential B vitamins 1,2,3,5,6, 9 and 12 (my favorite), followed by a rundown on Vitamins C, D, E, H (that would be biotin) and K:
| Vitamins, Some of their Actions, and Good Food Sources | ||
| Vitamin | Actions | Sources |
| A |
|
Kale, broccoli, spinach, carrots, squash, sweet potatoes, liver, eggs, whole milk, cream, and cheese. |
| B1 |
|
Yeasts, ham and other types of pork, liver, peanuts, whole-grain and fortified cereals and breads, and milk. |
| B2 |
|
Liver, eggs, cheese, milk, leafy green vegetables, peas, navy beans, lima beans, and whole-grain breads. |
| B3 |
|
Liver, yeast, bran, peanuts, lean red meats, fish, and poultry. |
| B5 |
|
Beef, chicken, lobster, milk, eggs, peanuts, peas, beans, lentils, broccoli, yeast, and whole grains. |
| B6 |
|
Liver, whole grains, egg yolk, peanuts, bananas, carrots, and yeast. |
| B9 (folic acid or folate) |
|
Green leafy vegetables, liver, yeast, beans, peas, oranges, and fortified cereals and grain products. |
| B12 |
|
Milk, eggs, liver, poultry, clams, sardines, flounder, herring, eggs, blue cheese, cereals, nutritional yeast, and foods fortified with vitamin B12, including cereals, soy-based beverages, and veggie burgers. |
| C |
|
Broccoli, green and red peppers, spinach, brussels sprouts, oranges, grapefruits, tomatoes, potatoes, papayas, strawberries, and cabbage. |
| D |
|
Fish liver oil, milk and cereals fortified with vitamin D. Your body may make enough vitamin D if you are exposed to sunlight for about 5 to 30 minutes at least twice a week. |
| E |
|
Wheat germ oil, fortified cereals, egg yolk, beef liver, fish, milk, vegetable oils, nuts, fruits, peas, beans, broccoli, and spinach. |
| H (biotin) |
|
Liver, egg yolk, soy flour, cereals, yeast, peas, beans, nuts, tomatoes, nuts, green leafy vegetables, and milk. |
| K |
|
Alfalfa, spinach, cabbage, cheese, spinach, broccoli, brussels sprouts, kale, cabbage, tomatoes, plant oils. Your body usually makes all the vitamin K you need. |
(from womenshealth.gov, table accessed 2/19/2011)
Overall I’d say the chart is useful, a good place to start if you want to know, say, what’s a good, non-citrus source of Vitamin C. It could be improved by provision of more details, like the precise amount of Vitamin B2 per cupful of Swiss chard, and how preparing foods in distinct ways – like roasting, sautéing, boiling, or serving them raw – affects the nutritional value.
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Thanks for the chart :) helped a lot, btw you did not answer your own question
True, but I see little point in blogging on stuff that’s already clear.