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Nutrition
Vitamins
You have probably heard of vitamins. Your mother may have told you to drink your orange juice so that you get your vitamin C or to drink your milk so that you get your vitamin D.
But what are vitamins anyway? Vitamins are substances found in the foods we eat. They all have special jobs. Our bodies cannot make vitamins, so we need to get them by eating healthy foods or by taking vitamin pills. Most kids should be able to get all the vitamins they need by eating healthy foods. Vitamin pills cannot replace eating healthy foods.
There are 13 vitamins your body needs. Below is a list of the vitamins, some of what they do, and good food sources.
Vitamin | Actions | Sources |
---|---|---|
A |
|
|
B vitamins — B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B12, folic acid (FOH-lik ASS-ihd) or folate (FOH-layt), biotin (BEYE-uh-tin) |
|
|
|
| |
|
Note: Your body can make enough vitamin D if you are in sunlight for about 10-15 minutes twice a week. | |
E |
|
|
K |
|
Note: Your body usually makes all the vitamin K you need. |
Folic acid
Folic acid, or folate, is one of the B vitamins. It gets special attention because getting enough folic acid during pregnancy before and during pregnancy lessens the chance a woman will have a baby with a type of birth defect called spina bifida.
It's never too early to start thinking about getting enough folic acid. All women who are at an age where they can become pregnant should get 400 micrograms (mcg) of folic acid daily. The best food source of folic acid is breakfast cereals fortified with folic acid. Other foods rich in folic acid include:
- Oranges, orange juice
- Green leafy vegetables, like spinach and mustard greens
- Yeast
- Cooked dry beans
- Peas
- Peanuts
You can also take a folic acid pill or a multivitamin that contains at least 400 mcg of folic acid.
Content last updated September 22, 2009