This Vitamin Cheat Sheet provides a concise guide to essential vitamins, including their benefits, recommended daily values, and good food sources. It covers both water-soluble and fat-soluble vitamins, offering practical tips for maintaining a balanced diet. Additionally, it highlights the most important vitamins and includes useful links for further information.
Vitamin A-Z
Vitamin A (Retinoids and Carotene)
- Solubility: Fat-soluble
- What we use it for: Vision, immune function, skin health, bone growth.
- Good sources:
- Retinoids: Beef liver 🍖, eggs 🥚, shrimp 🍤, fish 🐟, fortified milk 🥛, butter 🧈, cheddar cheese 🧀, Swiss cheese 🧀
- Beta Carotene: Sweet potatoes 🍠, carrots 🥕, pumpkins 🎃, squash, spinach 🍃, mangoes 🥭, turnip greens
- Recommended daily value:
- Kids: 300-600 mcg
- Adults: 700-900 mcg (Men: 900 mcg, Women: 700 mcg)
- Upper Limit (UL): 3,000 mcg (about 10,000 IU)
- Did you know?: Many people get too much preformed vitamin A from food and supplements. Large amounts of supplemental vitamin A (but not beta carotene) can be harmful to bones.
Vitamin B1 (Thiamine)
- Solubility: Water-soluble
- What we use it for: Energy metabolism, nerve function, healthy skin, hair, muscles, and brain.
- Good sources: Pork chops, brown rice, ham, soymilk, watermelons 🍉, acorn squash
- Recommended daily value:
- Kids: 0.5-1.2 mg
- Adults: 1.1-1.2 mg (Men: 1.2 mg, Women: 1.1 mg)
- Upper Limit (UL): Not known
- Did you know?: Most nutritious foods have some thiamine.
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin)
- Solubility: Water-soluble
- What we use it for: Energy production, healthy skin, hair, blood, and brain.
- Good sources: Milk 🥛, eggs 🥚, yogurt, cheese 🧀, meats 🍖, green leafy vegetables 🥬, whole and enriched grains and cereals.
- Recommended daily value:
- Kids: 0.5-1.3 mg
- Adults: 1.1-1.3 mg (Men: 1.3 mg, Women: 1.1 mg)
- Upper Limit (UL): Not known
- Did you know?: Most Americans get enough of this nutrient.
Vitamin B3 (Niacin)
- Solubility: Water-soluble
- What we use it for: Energy production, healthy skin, blood cells, brain, and nervous system.
- Good sources: Meat 🍖, poultry 🍗, fish 🐠, fortified and whole grains 🌾, mushrooms 🍄, potatoes 🥔, peanut butter 🥜
- Recommended daily value:
- Kids: 6-12 mg
- Adults: 14-16 mg (Men: 16 mg, Women: 14 mg)
- Upper Limit (UL): 35 mg
- Did you know?: Niacin occurs naturally in food and can also be made by your body from the amino acid tryptophan, with the help of B6.
Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic Acid)
- Solubility: Water-soluble
- What we use it for: Energy production, lipid synthesis, neurotransmitter synthesis, steroid hormones, and hemoglobin production.
- Good sources: Chicken 🍗, egg yolk 🥚, whole grains 🌾, broccoli 🥦, mushrooms 🍄, avocados 🥑, tomato products 🍅
- Recommended daily value:
- Kids: 2-5 mg
- Adults: 5 mg
- Upper Limit (UL): Not known
- Did you know?: Deficiency causes burning feet and other neurologic symptoms.
Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine)
- Solubility: Water-soluble
- What we use it for: Protein metabolism, cognitive development, immune function, lowering homocysteine levels.
- Good sources: Meat 🍖, fish 🐟, poultry 🍗, legumes 🫘, tofu, potatoes 🥔, non-citrus fruits like bananas 🍌 and watermelons 🍉
- Recommended daily value:
- Kids: 0.5-1.0 mg
- Adults: 1.3-2.0 mg (31-50 years: 1.3 mg, 51+ years: Men: 1.7 mg, Women: 1.5 mg)
- Upper Limit (UL): 100 mg
- Did you know?: Many people don't get enough of this nutrient.
Vitamin B7 (Biotin)
- Solubility: Water-soluble
- What we use it for: Metabolism of fats, carbohydrates, proteins, healthy bones, and hair.
- Good sources: Eggs 🥚, almonds 🌰, sweet potatoes 🍠, spinach 🍃, whole grains 🌾, organ meats 🍖, soybeans, fish 🐠
- Recommended daily value:
- Kids: 8-25 mcg
- Adults: 30 mcg
- Upper Limit (UL): Not known
- Did you know?: Some biotin is made by bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract, but it's unclear how much the body absorbs.
Vitamin B9 (Folate/Folic Acid)
- Solubility: Water-soluble
- What we use it for: DNA synthesis, cell division, red blood cell formation, preventing brain and spine birth defects.
- Good sources: Leafy greens 🥬, citrus fruits 🍊, beans 🫘, lentils, fortified grains 🌾, asparagus, okra, spinach, broccoli 🥦
- Recommended daily value:
- Kids: 150-400 mcg
- Adults: 400 mcg
- Upper Limit (UL): 1,000 mcg
- Did you know?: Many people don't get enough of this nutrient. Occasionally, folic acid masks a B12 deficiency, which can lead to severe neurological complications.
Vitamin B12 (Cobalamin)
- Solubility: Water-soluble
- What we use it for: Nerve tissue health, brain function, red blood cell production, lowering homocysteine levels.
- Good sources: Meat 🍖, dairy products 🧀, fish 🐟, eggs 🥚, fortified cereals 🌾, fortified soymilk 🥛
- Recommended daily value:
- Kids: 0.9-2.4 mcg
- Adults: 2.4 mcg
- Upper Limit (UL): Not known
- Did you know?: Some people, particularly older adults, are deficient in B12 because they have trouble absorbing it from food. Vegans and vegetarians often don't get enough B12 and may need supplements.
Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid)
- Solubility: Water-soluble
- What we use it for: Antioxidant, collagen synthesis, immune function, lowering cancer risk.
- Good sources: Citrus fruits 🍊, strawberries 🍓, bell peppers 🌶️, broccoli 🥦, potatoes 🥔, spinach 🍃, tomatoes 🍅, Brussels sprouts
- Recommended daily value:
- Kids: 15-75 mg
- Adults: 75-90 mg (Men: 90 mg, Women: 75 mg; Smokers: Add 35 mg)
- Upper Limit (UL): 2,000 mg
- Did you know?: Evidence that vitamin C helps reduce colds has not been convincing.
Vitamin D (Calciferol)
- Solubility: Fat-soluble
- What we use it for: Calcium absorption, bone health.
- Good sources: Sunlight ☀️, fortified milk 🥛, fortified cereals 🌾, fatty fish 🐟
- Recommended daily value:
- Kids: 400-600 IU
- Adults: 600-800 IU (31-70 years: 15 mcg (600 IU), 71+ years: 20 mcg (800 IU))
- Upper Limit (UL): 50 mcg (2,000 IU)
- Did you know?: Many people don't get enough of this nutrient. While the body uses sunlight to make vitamin D, it cannot make enough if you live in northern climates or don't spend much time in the sun.
Vitamin E (Alpha-Tocopherol)
- Solubility: Fat-soluble
- What we use it for: Antioxidant, skin health, immune function.
- Good sources: Nuts 🌰, seeds 🌻, spinach 🍃, broccoli 🥦, vegetable oils, salad dressings, margarine made with vegetable oils, wheat germ, leafy green vegetables, whole grains
- Recommended daily value:
- Kids: 6-11 mg
- Adults: 15 mg
- Upper Limit (UL): 1,000 mg (nearly 1,500 IU natural vitamin E; 2,200 IU synthetic)
-
Did you know?: Vitamin E does not
prevent wrinkles or slow other aging processes.
Vitamin K (Phylloquinone, Menadione)
- Solubility: Fat-soluble
- What we use it for: Blood clotting, bone health.
- Good sources: Leafy greens 🥬, broccoli 🥦, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, liver 🍖, eggs 🥚, milk 🥛, kale
- Recommended daily value:
- Kids: 30-75 mcg
- Adults: 90-120 mcg (Men: 120 mcg, Women: 90 mcg)
- Upper Limit (UL): Not known
- Did you know?: Intestinal bacteria make a form of vitamin K that accounts for half your requirements. If you take an anticoagulant, keep your vitamin K intake consistent.
Useful Tips and Links
General Vitamin Tips
- Eat a balanced diet to ensure you get a variety of vitamins.
- Fresh, whole foods are the best sources of vitamins.
- Over-supplementation can be harmful; follow recommended daily values.
- Consider seasonal and local produce for fresher and more nutritious options.
- Cooking methods can affect vitamin content; steaming and microwaving preserve vitamins better than boiling.
The Most Important Vitamins
- Vitamin A: Essential for vision and immune function.
- Vitamin C: Important for immune health and as an antioxidant.
- Vitamin D: Crucial for bone health and calcium absorption.
- Vitamin E: Acts as an antioxidant and supports immune function.
- Vitamin K: Necessary for blood clotting and bone health.
- B Vitamins: Vital for energy metabolism and brain function.