Vitamins

The best way to get enough vitamins is to follow a healthy diet that includes a wide range of fruits and vegetables.

List of vitamins

• - Chemical names (vitaminer) - retinol, retinal, and four carotenoids (including beta carotene).
  - Fat soluble
  - Deficiency may cause night-blindness and keratomalacia (eye disorder that results in a dry cornea)
  - Good sources include: liver, cod liver oil, carrot, broccoli, sweet potato, butter, kale, spinach, pumpkin, collard greens, some cheeses, egg, apricot, cantaloupe melon, milk.
• Vitamin B₁
  - Chemical name (vitaminer) - thiamine
  - Water soluble
  - Deficiency may cause beriberi, Wernicke-Korsakoffsyndrome
  - Good sources include: yeast, pork, cereal grains, sunflower seeds, brown rice, whole grain rye, asparagus, kale, cauliflower, potatoes, oranges, liver, and eggs.
• Vitamin B₂
  - Chemical name (vitaminer) - riboflavin
  - Water soluble
  - Deficiency may cause ariboflavinosis
  - Good sources include: asparagus, bananas, persimmons, okra, chard, cottage cheese, milk, yogurt, meat, eggs, fish, and green beans.
• Vitamin B₃
  - Chemical names (vitaminer) - niacin, niacinamide - Water soluble
  - Deficiency may cause pellagra
  - Good sources include: liver, heart, kidney, chicken, beef, fish (tuna, salmon), milk, eggs, avocados, dates, tomatoes, leafy vegetables, broccoli, carrots, sweet potatoes, asparagus, nuts, whole grains, legumes, mushrooms, and brewer's yeast.
• Vitamin B₅
  - Chemical name (vitaminer) - pantothenic acid
  - Water soluble
  - Deficiency may cause paresthesia
  - Good sources include: meats, whole grains (milling may remove it), broccoli, avocados, royal jelly, fish ovaries.
• Vitamin B₆
  - Chemical names (vitaminer) - pyridoxine, pyridoxamine, pyridoxal
  - Water soluble
  - Deficiency may cause anemia, peripheral neuropathy
  - Good sources include: meats, bananas, whole grains, vegetables, and nuts. When milk is dried it loses about half of its B₆. Freezing and canning can also reduce content.
• Vitamin B₇
  - Chemical name (vitaminer) - biotin
  - Water soluble
  - Deficiency may cause dermatitis, enteritis
  - Good sources include: egg yolk, liver, some vegetables.
• Vitamin B₉
  - Chemical names (vitaminer) - folic acid, folinic acid
  - Water soluble
  - Deficiency may cause pregnancy deficiency linked to birth defects
  - Good sources include: leafy vegetables, legumes, liver, baker's yeast, some fortified grain products, sunflower seeds. Several fruits have moderate amounts, as does beer.
• Vitamin B₁₂
  - Chemical names (vitaminer) - cyanocobalamin, hydroxycobalamin, methylcobalamin
  - Water soluble
  - Deficiency may cause megaloblastic anemia
  - Good sources include: fish, shellfish, meat, poultry, eggs, milk, and dairy products. Some fortified cereals and soy products, as well as fortified nutritional yeast.
  Vegans are advised to take B₁₂ supplements.⁴
• Vitamin C
  - Chemical names (vitaminer) - ascorbic acid
  - Water soluble
  - Deficiency may cause megaloblastic anemia
  - Good sources include: fruit and vegetables. The Kakadu plum and the camu camu fruit have the highest vitamin C contents of all foods. Liver also has vitamin C.
• Vitamin D
  - Chemical names (vitaminer) - ergocalciferol, cholecalciferol
  - Fat soluble
  - Deficiency may cause rickets, osteomalacia
  - Good sources: produced in the skin after exposure to ultraviolet B light from the sun or artificial sources. Also found in fatty fish, eggs, beef liver, and mushrooms.
• Vitamin E
  - Chemical names (vitaminer) - tocopherols, tocotrienols
  - Fat soluble
  - Deficiency is uncommon. May cause mild hemolytic anemia in newborns
  - Good sources include: kiwi fruit, almonds, avocado, eggs, milk, nuts, leafy green vegetables, unheated vegetable oils, wheat germ, and wholegrains.
• Vitamin K
  - Chemical names (vitaminer) - phylloquinone, menaquinones
  - Fat soluble
  - Deficiency may cause bleeding diathesis
  - Good sources include: leafy green vegetables, avocado, kiwi fruit. Parsley contain a lot of vitamin K.

Vitamin wheel

Use this easy-to-reference diagram to learn about the vitamin groups and common foods containing them.