Nutrition

An unbalanced diet can lead to deficiencies in nutrients that are required for essential functions. Our bodies cannot make minerals and vitamins, so it is important that they are included in our diet.

Vitamins, Minerals and Trace Elements

Vitamins are essential nutrients that your body needs in small amounts to work properly. There are two types of vitamins: fat-soluble and water-soluble. Fat-soluble vitamins are found mainly in fatty foods such as animal fats (including butter and cheese), vegetable oils, dairy foods, liver and oily fish. Your body needs fat-soluble vitamins every day but you don't need to eat foods containing them every day.

Water-soluble vitamins are not stored in the body, so you need to have them more frequently. Water-soluble vitamins are found in fruit, vegetables and grains. But unlike fat-soluble vitamins, they can be destroyed by heat or exposure to air. They can also be lost in the water used for cooking.

Our bodies also need minerals in small amounts and we need them in the form they are found in food. Minerals are found in a variety of foods such as meat, cereals (including cereal products such as bread), fish, milk and dairy foods, vegetables, fruit (especially dried fruit) and nuts. Minerals are essential for building strong bones and teeth, controlling body fluids inside and outside cells, and turning the food we eat into energy.

Trace elements are also essential nutrients that your body needs to work properly, but in much smaller amounts than vitamins and minerals. Trace elements are found in small amounts in a variety of foods such as meat, fish, cereals, milk and dairy foods, vegetables and nuts.

Did You know?

Although Vitamin C cannot prevent colds or flu, it can help to reduce the length and severity of symptoms. Vitamin C also plays a vital role in helping wounds to heal and in boosting the effectiveness of the immune system, helping us to fight other kinds of infection.