Vitamin and Mineral Sources

[Whatawoman72]

Using the Food Diary has given me a great insight into my food values and what I need to be looking to eat and not eat.....Thought this wold be a nice little reminder for people about where to get the vitamins and minerals from:

Vitamin A: cheese, eggs, oily fish (such as mackerel), milk, fortified margarine and yoghurt, liver.

Vitamin B6: pork, chicken, turkey, cod, bread, whole cereals (such as oatmeal, wheatgerm and rice), eggs, vegetables, soya beans, peanuts, milk, potatoes and some fortified breakfast cereals.

Vitamin B12: meat, salmon, cod, milk, cheese, eggs, yeast extract, and some fortified breakfast cereals.

Vitamin C:peppers, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, oranges and kiwi fruit.

Vitamn D: oily fish, eggs, margarine, breakfast cereals and powdered milk.

Vitamin E: soya, corn and olive oil, nuts and seeds, and wheatgerm

Vitamin K: broccoli and spinach, and in vegetable oils and cereals. Small amounts can also be found in meat (such as pork), and dairy foods (such as cheese).

Biotin: meat such as kidney, eggs and some fruit and vegetables, especially dried mixed fruit

Calcium: milk, cheese and other dairy foods, green leafy vegetables (such as broccoli, cabbage and okra, but not spinach), soya beans, tofu, soya drinks with added calcium, nuts, bread and anything made with fortified flour, and fish where you eat the bones, such as sardines and pilchards.

Chromium:  meat, whole grains (such as wholemeal bread and whole oats), lentils and spices

Copper: nuts, shellfish and offal

Folate: broccoli, Brussels sprouts, asparagus, peas, chickpeas and brown rice,fortified breakfast cereals, some bread and some fruit (such as oranges and bananas).

Iodine: sea fish and shellfish,cereals and grains but the levels vary depending on the amount of iodine in the soil where the plants are grown. In the UK, iodine can also be found in cows' milk

Iron: liver, meat, beans, nuts, dried fruit (such as dried apricots), whole grains (such as brown rice), fortified breakfast cereals, soybean flour and most dark green leafy vegetables (such as watercress and curly kale.

Magnesium: green leafy vegetables (such as spinach) and nuts. Good sources include bread, fish, meat and dairy foods

Maganese: bread, nuts, cereals and green vegetables (such as peas and runner beans), tea.

Molybdenum: Foods that grow above ground - such as peas, leafy vegetables (including broccoli and spinach) and cauliflower, nuts, tinned vegetables, and cereals such as oats.

Niacin: beef, pork, chicken, wheat flour, maize flour, eggs and milk

Pantothenic acid: is found in virtually all meat and vegetable foods. Good sources include chicken, beef, potatoes, porridge, tomatoes, kidney, eggs, broccoli and whole grains such as brown rice and wholemeal bread.

Phosphorus: red meat, dairy foods, fish, poultry, bread, rice and oats

Potassium: fruit (such as bananas), vegetables, pulses, nuts and seeds, milk, fish, shellfish, beef, chicken, turkey and bread

Riboflavin: milk, eggs, fortified breakfast cereals, rice and mushrooms

Selenium: brazil nuts, bread, fish, meat and eggs

Sodium: Salt is found naturally at low levels in all foods, but high levels are added to many processed foods such as ready meals, meat products such as bacon, some breakfast cereals, cheese, some tinned vegetables, some bread and savoury snacks

Thiamin: pork, vegetables, milk, cheese, peas, fresh and dried fruit, eggs, wholegrain breads and some fortified breakfast cereals

Zinc: meat, shellfish, milk and dairy foods such as cheese, bread, and cereal products such as wheatgerm

[Whatawoman72]

I have always had a good blood count everything is within normal ranges -  2 pregnancies not requiring iron suppliments... so nope I dont take any suppliments.

I eat basically meat and fish and potatoes, heinz baked beans is a daily must for me -
I do eat too much white bread and am working on that as we speak....

I will keep the food diary going so feel free to stop on by and see what i am eating lol....

[Barb135]

Well, you made it even more interesting................lol  

We all have our "tastes", so it's a good thing that you can get the same nutrients from a variety of foods.  Shame on me -- I never looked at it in those exact terms before.  

Just curious -- what "do" you like to eat?  With the list you posted, do you find enough variety of foods to give you what you need?  

Do you take vitamin/mineral supplements in case you don't eat enough things with the required nutrients?  

[Whatawoman72]

I got the info above from a variety of web sites - because I have a strange palet and dont like veggies, salad, much fruit, pasta, rice, wholegrain (the list goes on) I wanted to see where I could get the good stuff from lol.

[Barb135]

That's good -- notice how many sources actually contain the same nutrients?  Such as meat contains almost all of the B vitamins, along with iron and protein; then look at how many of the nutrients are found in eggs, dairy, etc.

I would like to caution those of you with thyroid issues, though - you should avoid soy products and many, especially if you have Hashimoto's, should avoid a lot of iodine.  

Try to make sure those cereals and breads are whole grain, too.  

I think it's interesting that you say "In the UK, iodine can also be found in cows' milk".
I think it used to be here as well, because a lot of cattle were grass and/or corn fed, so they got the iodine from the soil.  I believe this goes for a lot of other minerals also -- the soil in some areas is over farmed and becoming, if not already, depleted in minerals.

Last fall, I had a micronutrient blood test.  It showed that I was low in selenium, magnesium, zinc and a couple of others.  I now add supplements to my diet, in order to make sure I get the nutrients I need. I already knew that I'm deficient in B12, and am on shots for that.  

They say, "we are what we eat" -- I guess that's true, huh??