Best Natural Sources of Vitamins and Minerals

We need vitamins and minerals on a daily basis. Not everyone gets enough of these important nutrients that keep our bodies healthy and moving. This article is not here to tell you how much of what you are in need of, because this varies depending on your age and sex, but it is more to tell you some natural places to get what you need from, rather than taking a supplement. Supplements are good, but it is always better to get what you need straight from it's original source!

Starting with Vitamin A, and it's precursor Beta-Carotene help keep our eyes stay healthy and keeps our vision good. Great sources of Vitamin A are green leafy vegetables (like cabbage and different types of lettuce), yellow-orange fruits and vegetables (like carrots, sweet potatoes, cantaloupes, bell peppers), milk and even liver.

Vitamin C keeps our immune system in top shape and can help us recover from colds and flu faster. The best places to find your Vitamin C in are citrus fruits (like oranges, nectarines and lemons), strawberries, broccoli and tomatoes.

Vitamin E helps fight off allergies and it can help with skin ailments, like extra dry skin, acne and diseases like psoriasis. Get Vitamin E by using vegetable oils, eating whole-grain cereals, nuts and seeds (like sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds), green leafy vegetables, peanut butter (in moderation since it can be fattening) and both tomato paste and sauce.

Vitamin B does a lot of things for our bodies, but one of it's most important jobs is keeping our nervous systems intact and running smoothly. Find Vitamin B in whole grain breads and cereals, fish, pork, poultry, other lean meats and even milk!

Vitamin D, what helps make our bones strong, can be found in fish (which is also a great source of Omega-3 Fatty Acids), eggs, fortified milk and cod liver oil (which would be my last choice in getting my daily intake of Vitamin D)!

Calcium, along with Vitamin D, is good for the bones. Get your calcium from milk and other dairy products, sardines and salmon, greens (mainly collard, kale, mustard, spinach and turnips) and fortified orange juice.

Iron is good for keeping your blood healthy, it keeps it strong and flowing. Get Iron in lean red meats (but eat them in moderation because it can clog your arteries), dried beans, whole grain breads and cereals, prune juice, spinach and tofu.

Magnesium is great for heart health. Get it from beans (especially soy and navy), whole grain cereals, milk, meat, green vegetables and brown rice.

Potassium can help muscles grow and cells grow. Get potassium from potatoes, beans, fish, fruit, nonfat yogurt and skim milk.

Source:

Healing With Vitamins by the Editors of Rodale Health Books