Vitamins are organic compounds that are essential for the proper functioning of your body. You get vitamins from the foods you eat, but you can also get them from vitamin supplements.
Essential Nutrients
First and foremost, vitamins are classified as essential nutrients that your body needs in specific amounts to maintain good health. There are 13 essential vitamins found in the foods you eat. Each vitamin has a specific job to do in your body, so it is important that you get enough of each to prevent a deficiency that could result in health problems.
Water-Soluble Vitamins
Nine of the 13 essential vitamins are classified as water-soluble vitamins. That means they are found in great abundance in watery foods such as fruits and vegetables and in the watery components of grains, nuts, seeds and animal products. The water-soluble vitamins include A in the form of beta-carotene, B6, B12, riboflavin, thiamin, niacin, folate, biotin, and C. Water-soluble vitamins are used immediately by your body or they are excreted in your urine. Unlike fat-soluble vitamins, they cannot be stored in your body so they should be replenished on a daily basis.
Fat-Soluble Vitamins
Four of the essential vitamins are classified as fat-soluble vitamins. Fat-soluble vitamins are found in fatty foods, such as vegetables oils, and the fatty components of meat, poultry, seafood, dairy products, grains, nuts, seeds and some fruits and vegetables. The fat-soluble vitamins include vitamins A, D, E and K. Fat-soluble vitamins that are not used right away are stored in the fatty tissue of your body.
Antioxidants
In addition to their normal roles in the growth and maintenance of body cells, vitamins C and E and beta-carotene function as antioxidants. Antioxidants go a step further to protect cells from environmental damage that can lead to health problems such as cancer, heart disease and arthritis.
