Essential Nutrients for Health

Health Topics on this page

Vitamins A, C, E and D
B Vitamins
Other Nutrients
Essential Minerals
Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs)

What does each nutrient do for our wellbeing? How much can you get from food? These are the questions answered here for each key nutrient – vitamins, minerals and essential fats.

We all need the following nutrients for optimum nutrition and health. Different foods have varying amounts of active vitamins and minerals in them.

Where the richest food sources are mentioned the First food contains the most vitamin or mineral followed on by others in order of the amounts of the particular nutrient it contains. Helpers and Robbers are the factors that help or hinder how much of the nutrient is absorbed by the body.

Vitamins A C E and D

VITAMIN A (retinol and beta-carotene)
Vitamin A is needed for healthy skin, inside and out, and protects against infections. It also protects against many forms of cancer. Vitamin A is also essential for night vision.

Best food sources: comes from: liver, carrots, watercress, cabbage, squash, sweet potatoes, melon, pumpkin, mangoes, apricots, tomatoes, broccoli, papaya, tangerines, and asparagus. You should eat more of these foods and consider supplementation. Helpers: works with zinc. Vitamin C and E help protect it. Robbers: heat, light, alcohol, coffee and smoking.

These foods contain the highest amounts per gram of Beta Carotene (Vitamin A) although all fruit and Vegetables contain it in one form or another. It is wise therefore to eat a diet high in fruit and vegetables as a defence against free radical damage to cells which can cause diseases like cancer.

VITAMIN C (ascorbic acid)
The number one nutrient that we all need (especially smokers) is Vitamin C. We cannot make our own vitamin C (unlike animals) so we need to get it through the diet. It strengthens the immune system, and keeps joints, bones and skin firm and strong. It is an antioxidant, and detoxifies pollutants and protects against cancer and heart disease. It also helps to make anti-stress hormones, and turns food into energy.

Best food sources: Peppers, watercress, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, strawberries, lemons, kiwi fruit, peas, melons, oranges, grapefruit, limes and tomatoes. Helpers: Bioflavanoids in fruit and vegetables increase the effects. It also works with B vitamins to produce energy and works with vitamin E as an antioxidant. Robbers: Smoking, alcohol, pollution, stress, fried food. Vitamin C should be supplemented

VITAMIN D (ergocalciferol)
Vitamin D helps to maintain strong and healthy bones by retaining calcium.

Best food sources: Herrings, mackerel, salmon, oysters, cottage cheese, eggs. Helpers: Sufficient exposure to sunlight as Vitamin D is made in the skin. Under these conditions dietary supplements may not be necessary as the best and most protective form of vitamin D comes from the sun. Good levels of Vitamin A, C and E protect how much Vitamin D is absorbed. Robbers: Lack of sunlight and fried foods rob vitamin D from the body so during the winter, supplementation is recommended.

VITAMIN E (d-alpha tocopherol)
Vitamin E is a powerful anti-oxidant, protecting cells from damage, including cancer. It helps the body use oxygen, prevents blood clots and thrombosis. Good for the skin, and improves wound healing.

Best food sources: Unrefined corn oils, sunflower seeds, peanuts, sesame seeds, beans, peas, wheat-germ, tuna, sardines, salmon, sweet potatoes. Helpers: Vitamin C and selenium. Robbers: High temperature cooking, especially frying, air pollution, birth control pill, and eating high amounts of processed and refined foods.
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The B Vitamins

VITAMIN B1 (Thiamin)
Vitamin B1 is essential for energy production, brain function and digestion. It also helps the body to make use of protein.

Best food sources: Watercress, squash, courgettes, lamb, asparagus, mushrooms, peas, lettuce, peppers, cauliflower, cabbage, tomatoes, Brussels sprouts and all beans. Robbers of B vitamins are antibiotics, coffee, stress, alcohol, and processed foods. If you use or have a lot of these in your life, consider supplementation.

VITAMIN B2 (Riboflavin)
B2 helps to turn fats sugars and proteins into energy. It is also needed to repair and maintain healthy skin, inside and out. It also regulates body acidity. It is important to get a good supply of this vitamin for hair, skin and nails.

Best food sources: Mushrooms, watercress, cabbage, asparagus, broccoli, pumpkin, bean-sprouts, mackerel, milk, bamboo shoots, tomatoes, wheat-germ.Helpers: Works with other B vitamins and selenium Robbers: alcohol, tea, coffee, processed foods.

VITAMIN B3 (niacin)
Vitamin B3 is essential for energy production, brain function and the skin. It also balances blood sugar and lowers cholesterol levels. B3 is also closely involved with inflammation and digestion.

Best food sources: Mushrooms, tuna, chicken, salmon, asparagus, cabbage, lamb, mackerel, turkey, tomatoes, courgettes and squash. Cauliflower and whole-wheat. Works with other B complex vitamins and chromium Robbers: include alcohol, antibiotics, tea and coffee, and the birth control pill.

VITAMIN B5 (pantothenic acid
Vitamin B5 is involved with energy production, controls fat metabolism, and is essential for brain and nerves. Also helps to make anti-stress hormones and maintains healthy hair and skin.

Best food sources: Mushrooms, watercress, broccoli, alfalfa sprouts, peas, lentils, tomatoes, cabbage, celery, strawberries, eggs, squash, avocados, whole wheat. Helpers: Works with other B vitamins, biotin and folic acid Robbers: stress, tea, coffee, alcohol, and is destroyed altogether by heat and food processing. Consider supplementation.

VITAMIN B6 (pyridoxine)
Vitamin B6 is vital for digestion of protein and its utilization in the body. It is also good for brain function, and hormone production. It helps balance sex hormones, so is useful for PMS and the menopause. It is also a natural anti-depressant and diuretic. It also helps to control allergic reactions.

Best food sources: watercress, cauliflower, cabbage, peppers, bananas, squash, broccoli, asparagus, lentils, red kidney beans, Brussels sprouts, onions, seeds and nuts.Helpers: Works with other B vitamins as well as zinc and magnesium. Robbers are alcohol, smoking, birth control pills, high protein intake and processed food.

VITAMIN B12 (cyanocobalamin)
B12 is needed for making use of protein and helps the blood to carry oxygen, hence essential for energy. It is needed particularly for synthesis of DNA. It is also essential for nerves, and deals with tobacco smoke and other toxins.

Best food sources: Oysters, sardines, tuna, lamb, eggs, shrimps, cottage cheese, milk, turkey and chicken, and cheese. Helpers: Works with folic acid, best taken as a B complex with food Robbers: Alcohol, smoking, lack of stomach acid.
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Other Nutrients

VITAMIN K (phylloquinone)
Controls blood-clotting. Best food sources cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, lettuce, cabbage, beans, broccoli, peas, watercress, asparagus, potatoes, corn oil, tomatoes. Helpers: healthy intestinal bacteria Robbers: antibiotics.

BIOTIN
Particularly important in childhood. Biotin helps your body to use essential fats, promotes healthy skin, hair and nerves.

Best food sources:Cauliflower, lettuce, peas, tomatoes, oysters, grapefruit, watermelon, sweetcorn, cabbage, almonds, cherries, herrings, milk, and eggs. Helpers: Works with other B vitamins, magnesium and manganese. Best supplemented with food as part of a B complex. Robbers: Fried food.

FOLIC ACID
Folic acid is crucial in pregnancy for the development of the brain and nerves. It is always essential for the brain and nerves. It is also needed to utilize protein and forming red cells in the blood.

Best food sources: Wheat germ, spinach, peanuts, sprouts, asparagus, sesame seeds, hazelnuts, broccoli, cashew nuts, cauliflower, walnuts and avocados. Helpers: Works with other B complex vitamins, especially B12. It is best supplemented as part of a B complex with food. Robbers:High temperature, light, food processing, and the birth control pill.
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Essential Minerals

CALCIUM
Calcium promotes a healthy heart, clots blood, promotes healthy nerves, contracts muscles, improves skin, bone and teeth health, relieves aching muscles and bones, maintains the correct alkaline/acid balance in the blood and reduces menstrual cramps and tremors.

Best food sources: Swiss cheese, cheddar cheese, almonds, brewers yeast, parsley, corn tortillas, globe artichokes, prunes, pumpkin seeds, cooked dried beans, cabbage, wheat. Helpers: works well with magnesium at a ratio of 3 to 2, Vitamin D and boron and exercise. Robbers: of Calcium are hormone imbalances, alcohol, lack of exercise and caffiene so supplementation is recommended to ensure you are getting enough. Stress also causes increased secretion of calcium from the body.

CHROMIUM
Chromium forms part of glucose tolerance factor (GTF) to balance blood sugar, helps to normalize hunger and reduce cravings, improves lifespan, helps to protect DNA and RNA and is essential for heart function.

Best food sources: Brewers yeast, wholemeal bread, rye bread, oysters, potatoes, wheatgerm, green peppers, eggs, chicken, apples, butter, parsnips, cornmeal, lamb, swiss cheese. Helpers: Vitamin B3, improved diet and exercise Robbers are a high intake of refined sugar and flours, obesity, additives, pesticides, petroleum products, processed foods and toxic metals.

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IRON
Iron transports oxygen and carbon dioxide to and from cells. It is vital for energy production.

Best food sources: Pumpkin seeds, parsley, almonds, prunes, cashew nuts, raisins, brazil nuts, walnuts, dates, pork, cooked dried beans, sesame seeds, pecan nuts. Helpers Vitamin C, Vitamin E, calcium (but not to excess), folic acid, phosphorous, and stomach acid. Robbers of iron include rhubarb, tea, wheat bran, soft fizzy drinks and food additives, high zinc intake and antacids.

MAGNESIUM
Magnesium strengthens bones and teeth, and promotes healthy muscles by helping them to relax – so is important to PMS. It is also important for heart muscles and the nervous system. It is essential for energy production and is involves as a co-factor in many enzymes in the body.

Best food sources: Wheat-germ, almonds, cashew nuts, brewers yeast, buckwheat flour, brazil nuts, peanuts, pecan nuts, cooked beans, raisins, green peas, potato skin, crab. Helpers: Vitamins B1, B6, C and D, zinc, calcium and phosphorous. Robbers are large amounts of calcium in milk products, proteins, fats, spinach, rhubarb, wheat-bran and bread.

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MANGANESE
Manganese helps to form healthy bones, cartilage, tissues and nerves. It also activates more than 20 enzymes including anti-oxidant enzyme system, stabilizes blood sugar, promotes healthy DNA and RNA, essential for reproduction and red blood cell synthesis, important for insulin production, reduces cell damage, and is needed for brain function.

Best food sources: Watercress, pineapple, okra, endive, blackberries, raspberries, lettuce, grapes, lima beans, strawberries, oats, beetroot, celery. Helpers: Zinc, Vitamins E, B1, C and KRobbers include alcohol, refined foods, calcium and phosphorous.

MOLYBDENUM
Helps to rid the body of protein breakdown products like uric acid, strengthens teeth and may help to reduce cavities. It also detoxifies the body.

Tomatoes, wheat germ, pork, lamb, lentils, and beans. Helpers: Protein, carbohydrates and fats. Robbers: Copper and sulphates.

PHOSPHORUS
Forms and maintains bones and teeth, builds muscle tissue, helps maintain pH of the blood, and aids metabolism and energy production.

Best food sources: Present in almost all foods. Helpers: calcium in the correct amounts, lactose and vitamin D Robbers: Too much iron, magnesium and aluminium.

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POTASSIUM
Potassium enables nutrients to move into and waste products to move out of cells. promotes healthy nerves and muscles, maintains fluid balance in the body, relaxes muscles, helps the secretion of insulin for blood sugar control to produce constant energy, It is also involved with metabolism, and maintains a healthy heart.

Best Food Sources: Watercress, endive, cabbage, celery, parsley, courgettes, radishes, cauliflower, mushrooms, pumpkin, molasses, bananas. Helpers: magnesium helps to hold potassium in cells. Robbers:Excess salt, alcohol, sugar, diuretics, laxatives, steroid drugs, and stress.

SELENIUM
Selenium contains anti-oxidant properties that protect against cancer causing agents, reduces inflammation, stimulates the immune system to fight infection, and promotes a healthy heart. It also helps Vitamin E’s action and is needed for metabolism.

Best food sources: Tuna, oyster, molasses, mushrooms, herrings, cottage cheese, cabbage, liver, courgettes, cod, chicken. Helpers with absorption by Vitamins E, A and C Robbers: Refined foods and modern farming techniques

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SODIUM
Maintains the body’s water balance, preventing dehydration. It also helps nerve functioning, and is used in muscle contraction (including heart muscle). It also helps to move nutrients into cells.

Best food sources: Sauerkraut, olives, shrimps, miso, beetroot, ham, celery, cabbage, crab, cottage cheese, watercress and red kidney beans. Helpers: Vitamin D Robbers: Potassium and chloride counteract sodium, to keep a balance in the body.

ZINC
Zinc is a component of over 200 enzymes in the body, and a component of DNA and RNA, essential for growth, important for healing. It also controls hormones which are messengers from organs and ovaries, and aids the ability to cope with stress. It promotes a healthy nervous system and brain and aids bones and teeth formation. It helps hair to “bloom” and is essential for constant energy.

Best food sources: Oysters, ginger root, lamb, pecan nuts, dry split peas, haddock, green peas, shrimps, turnips, brazil nuts, egg yolk, whole wheat grain, rye, oats, peanuts, almonds. Helpers : stomach acid, vitamins A , E and B6, magnesium, calcium and phosphorous. Robbers of zinc from the body include rhubarb and spinach, a high calcium intake, copper, low protein intake, excess sugar intake, stress, and alcohol
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Essential Fatty Acids

OMEGA 3 (EPA, DHA)
Omega 3s promote a healthy heart, thins the blood, reduces inflammation, improves nervous system, and relieves mental health conditions like depression, schizophrenia, attention deficit, hyperactivity and autism. It also improves sleep, skin condition, helps to balance hormones and reduces insulin resistance.

Best food sources:Mackerel, swordfish, marlin, tuna, salmon, sardines, flax seeds, sunflower seeds. Helpers: Niacin, vitamin B6, vitamin C, zinc, magnesium and manganese. Robbers: Frying, storage, food processing, smoking and alcohol.

OMEGA 6 (GLA) Omega 6 oils promotes a healthy heart, thins the blood, reduces inflammation, and improves the nervous system. Omega 6 is also good for relieving mental health conditions like depression, schizophrenia, attention deficit, hyperactivity and autism. It improves the condition of the skin, helps to balance hormones and reduces insulin resistance.

Best food sources:Safflower oil, sunflower oil, corn oil, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, wheat germ, and sesame seeds. Helpers: Niacin, Vitamin B6, Vitamin C, zinc, magnesium and manganese. Robbers: Frying, storage, food processing, smoking and alcohol.
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Further Reading

More about essential fatty acids in relation to cancer here

More details on food supplements here

What are antioxidants and are you getting enough?

How Spices help in wellbeing and cure many ailments

Find out how research into native peoples diets holds the secret to long life

How drug companies are trying to limit alternative choices Its happening in the US already - we should be aware of this threat and preserve our rights to take vitamins and minerals for our health.

Read about how your immune system works
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