What Are The Major Vitamin Types And What Are They For?

There are a lot of different vitamins that you should be getting in your diet or body in some way. You can take supplements for all of these vitamins, but it is often better if you can get them in another way. Let’s break down what each one is, where you can find it and what it does for your body. We’ve left out vitamin B because it has so many subtypes that it should be an article all of its own. 

Vitamin A

It can be found in food such as cheese, eggs, fish, milk and yoghurt or liver products. You might have heard retinol and wondered ‘what is retinol?’  It’s derived from vitamin A. Each of these types of food that has vitamin A in them, and helps your body’s immune system and keeps your skin healthy and helps you see when it gets dark.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C is also known as ascorbic acid and is generally found in fruits and vegetables such as oranges, strawberries, peppers, potatoes and broccoli. It helps to keep your body’s cells healthy and protects them, it also helps you to heal from injuries faster and keeps your skin, blood vessels, cartilage and bones strong and healthy, too. If you don’t get enough vitamin C, then this can lead to serious medical conditions like scurvy.

Vitamin D

Vitamin D is used to manage the levels of calcium and phosphate in your body and keep your bones and teeth healthy. It can be found in egg yolk, red meat, oily fish, cereals and liver. However, normally you should be able to get your recommended amount of vitamin D from sunlight just by going outdoors as part of your usual day. Not getting enough vitamin D, though can cause illnesses like rickets and osteomalacia.

Vitamin E

Vitamin E is found in a large number of foods such as nuts, seeds, cereals, soya, corn and olive oil. It is used to maintain your immune system and keep your skin and eyes healthy. Since vitamin E is found in so many different types of food, you are likely going to be able to get the amount your body needs without any extra effort.

Vitamin K

Vitamin K is found mostly in green vegetables such as kale and spinach, but it is also in some cereals and vegetable oils. You need vitamin K to help your body clot blood properly and this, in turn, helps you to heal and stops cuts from bleeding endlessly. Regularly having green vegetables in your diet will ensure that you get enough vitamin K and keep your body healthy.

Summary

As you can see vitamins come from a wide range of different foods, so it is important to have a wide and varied diet. Not getting enough vitamins is bad for your health and can cause specific medical conditions like scurvy or show the effect of being deficient by giving you unhealthy skin or an inability to clot properly. It is important that you get enough vitamins each day and if you are concerned, then seek a professional for advice.