The essential vitamins for your body each have its own mission to keep the body (and mind) in good working order. They provide you with essential energy to live in good health.
The 13 essential vitamins your body needs are vitamins A, C, D, E, K, and B vitamins: thiamine (B1), riboflavin (B2), niacin (B3), pantothenic acid (B5), pyridoxine (B6), biotin (B8), folate (B9) and cobalamin (B12).
The four fat-soluble vitamins - A, D, E, and K - are stored in the body's fatty tissue. The other nine vitamins are soluble in water and must therefore be renewed regularly, as they are eliminated from the body through urine. Vitamin B12 is the only water-soluble vitamin that is stored in the liver.
The best way to get the essential vitamins for your body is to follow a balanced diet from a variety of foods. Here is the summary of the usefulness of each vitamin, along with the sources from which to draw them.
1. Vitamin A
Vitamin A plays an important role in cell growth and development. It promotes the health of the skin, hair, nails, gums, glands, bones, and teeth. Finally, its role is crucial for strengthening your immune system, as well as maintaining quality vision.
Vitamin A is found in salmon, egg yolks, and dairy products. It is also present as pro-vitamin A as beta carotene in carrots, cruciferous vegetables, peas, or dark green leafy vegetables.
2. Vitamin B1 (Thiamine)
Vitamin B1, or thiamine, is important for maintaining a healthy metabolism. It helps maintain normal digestion, appetite, and proper functioning of nerves. Its role is essential in the production of energy and the transmission of nerve impulses.
Your body can draw it from pork or fish, legumes, oatmeal, brown rice, brewer's yeast, wholemeal bread, nuts, seeds, and cereals.
3. Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin)
Vitamin B2, or riboflavin, is essential for energy metabolism. It contributes to the proper functioning of the adrenal glands, normal vision, and the maintenance of healthy skin. It gives you energy and plays an antioxidant role.
Vitamin B2 is found in cereals, lean meat, poultry, dairy products, eggs, organ meats, soy or rice beverages, and raw mushrooms.
4. Vitamin B3 (Niacin)
Vitamin B3, or niacin, is essential for the body because it is used to metabolize energy and promote normal growth. In high doses, vitamin B3 can also lower cholesterol.
Vitamin B3 is found in lean meats, poultry, seafood, milk, eggs, legumes, bread, and cereals.
5. Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid)
Vitamin B5, or pantothenic acid, helps with energy metabolism, haemoglobin synthesis, and nerve impulse transmission. It normalizes blood sugar levels. The vitality it gives you, allows you to fight against stress.
Vitamin B5 is the easiest to obtain, as it is present in almost all foods. It is found in greater density in yeasts, offal, mushrooms, meat, fish, eggs, lentils, dairy products, and royal jelly.
6. Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine)
Vitamin B6, or pyridoxine, is an essential vitamin for health because it promotes protein and carbohydrate metabolism, as well as the release of energy. It also plays a role in the proper functioning of nerves and the synthesis of red blood cells. It optimizes the transmission of chemical messages related to the brain and haemoglobin.
Vitamin B6 strengthens your immunity and your body to fight bacteria and viruses, thanks to the synthesis of taurine. Its ability to fix magnesium plays a crucial role in the fight against stress.
You get it from meat, fish, poultry, cereals, bananas, green leafy vegetables, potatoes, and soybeans.
7. Vitamin B8 (Biotin)
Vitamin B8, or biotin, is an essential vitamin that plays an important role in maintaining a healthy metabolism. It is used to produce energy and provide you with vitality. At the same time, it allows the synthesis of glucose and fat.
Vitamin B7 is found in egg yolks, soybeans, beans, whole grains, nuts, corn, lentils, and yeast.
8. Vitamin B9 (folate, folic acid)
Vitamin B9, or folic acid, provides for protein needs and allows the brain to synthesize chemical messages. When homocysteine – a toxic substance – accumulates in the arteries and brain, it is responsible for eliminating it by recycling it.
Vitamin B9 is especially important for pregnant women. It makes it possible to manufacture DNA, RNA, red blood cells and to synthesize certain amino acids. It is essential to prevent birth defects.
The action of vitamin B9 is being studied to fight cardiovascular disease, cancer, and age-related cognitive disorders, including Alzheimer's disease.
Vitamin B9 is available in the liver, yeast, leafy green vegetables, asparagus, orange juice, flour, avocados, and legumes.
9. Vitamin B12 (Cobalamin)
Vitamin B12, or cobalamin, is used to make red blood cells, DNA, RNA and myelin for nerve fibres. It is essential for the proper functioning of nerve cells.
Vitamin B12 is present in all animal products: eggs, fatty fish, beef, shellfish or cheese.
10. Vitamin C
Vitamin C is ascorbic acid, mainly found in citrus fruits. It strengthens the walls of blood vessels, helps in iron absorption, prevents atherosclerosis, supports immunity and serves as an antioxidant. It allows the body to get rid of toxic metals, such as lead.
Vitamin C gives vitality to the brain to facilitate its production of chemical messages. It promotes wound healing by stimulating collagen synthesis. It instantly gives you energy.
In addition to citrus fruits, melons, berries, peppers, broccoli, and potatoes are important sources of vitamin C.
11. Vitamin D
Vitamin D helps with calcium absorption. It helps build children's bones and teeth and then consolidate them throughout adult life.
Vitamin D is found in milk, soy or rice beverages, butter, egg yolks, oily fish and cod liver oil. It is also made by the skin, during exposure to the sun.
12. Vitamin E
Vitamin E protects fatty acids, has anti-inflammatory properties and maintains muscles and red blood cells. It serves as an antioxidant, which protects the body's fats, such as cell membranes.
You can find vitamin E in eggs, vegetable oils, margarine, nuts, peanuts, avocados, seeds and grains.
13. Vitamin K
Vitamin K is an essential vitamin for your body for proper blood clotting and prevents cardiovascular dysfunction. It optimizes bone mineralization, as well as cell growth.
Vitamin K is present in spinach, broccoli, and green leafy vegetables, as well as in the liver.