All About Vitamins - What do they do?

Vitamins are important to your healthy diet, but what do they actually do?

Here is a handy chart which not only shows why various vitamins are useful, but also where you can find them.

When looking to buy a multivitamin its recommended that you find one that pick one that has all the vitamins in it, and if you have a very active lifestyle pick one with higher dosages. So remember to read the label instead of just buying the one which is on sale.

Although if its on sale AND turns out to have all the vitamins you are looking for, absolutely, buy it.

Vitamin	What the vitamin does	Significant food sources
B1 (thiamin)	Supports energy metabolism and nerve function	spinach, green peas, tomato juice, watermelon, sunflower seeds, lean ham, lean pork chops, soy milk
B2 (riboflavin)	Supports energy metabolism, normal vision and skin health	spinach, broccoli, mushrooms, eggs, milk, liver, oysters, clams
B3 (niacin)	Supports energy metabolism, skin health, nervous system and digestive system	spinach, potatoes, tomato juice, lean ground beef, chicken breast, tuna (canned in water), liver, shrimp
Biotin	Energy metabolism, fat synthesis, amino acid metabolism, glycogen synthesis	widespread in foods
Pantothenic Acid	Supports energy metabolism	widespread in foods
B6 (pyridoxine)	Amino acid and fatty acid metabolism, red blood cell production	bananas, watermelon, tomato juice, broccoli, spinach, acorn squash, potatoes, white rice, chicken breast
Folate	Supports DNA synthesis and new cell formation	tomato juice, green beans, broccoli, spinach, asparagus, okra, black-eyed peas, lentils, navy, pinto and garbanzo beans
B12	Used in new cell synthesis, helps break down fatty acids and amino acids, supports nerve cell maintenance	meats, poultry, fish, shellfish, milk, eggs
C (ascorbic acid)	Collagen synthesis, amino acid metabolism, helps iron absorption, immunity, antioxidant	spinach, broccoli, red bell peppers, snow peas, tomato juice, kiwi, mango, orange, grapefruit juice, strawberries
A (retinol)	Supports vision, skin, bone and tooth growth, immunity and reproduction	mango, broccoli, butternut squash, carrots, tomato juice, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, beef liver
D	Promotes bone mineralization	self-synthesis via sunlight, fortified milk, egg yolk, liver, fatty fish
E	Antioxidant, regulation of oxidation reactions, supports cell membrane stabilization	polyunsaturated plant oils (soybean, corn and canola oils), wheat germ, sunflower seeds, tofu, avocado, sweet potatoes, shrimp, cod
K	Synthesis of blood-clotting proteins, regulates blood calcium	Brussels sprouts, leafy green vegetables, spinach, broccoli, cabbage, liver