Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Health & Fitness

What all the major vitamins do: A complete guide

Follow this guide to maximize your health

Christine VanDoren
By
Eggs on avocado toast.
Jane Doan / Pexels

If you are looking to improve your health, you likely know that nutrition is a fundamental aspect of that. The food we eat determines our energy levels, our weight, our risk for certain ailments, and more. Essentially, our daily diets can determine our overall quality of life.

Because of this, it is vital that you understand there is a whole list of vitamins that the body needs to thrive. Whether you are wondering “what are vitamins,” or you already have some knowledge of the nutrients, we have created a guide for you to make everything that much easier!

Recommended Videos

Vitamin A

  • Benefits your vision
  • Supports the immune system
  • Aids development in the womb
  • Promotes bone health
  • Helps the reproductive system

Vitamin C

  • Aids with wound healing
  • Helps manage blood pressure
  • Promotes heart health
  • Boosts immunity to help prevent sickness
  • Supports energy levels

Vitamin D

  • Aids proper absorption of minerals
  • Promotes bone health
  • Helps control infections
  • Improves mood
  • Can lower your risk of developing diabetes

Vitamin E

  • Protects your cells from free radicals
  • Promotes healthy skin
  • Benefits kidney function
  • Helps treat wrinkles and fine lines
  • Aids maintenance of a healthy weight
Broccoli in a bowl
Cats Coming / Pexels

Vitamin K

  • Reduces blood clotting
  • Helps minimize nausea
  • Benefits blood sugar levels
  • Promotes strong and healthy bones
  • Can decrease the risk of fractures

Thiamine (vitamin B1)

  • Helps with leg cramps and muscle weakness
  • Promotes eye health
  • Boosts brain health
  • Supports energy levels
  • Can aid memory preservation

Riboflavin (vitamin B2)

  • Protects the cells from free radicals
  • Reduces inflammation
  • Boosts energy levels
  • Maintains healthy blood cells
  • Promotes a fast metabolism

Niacin (vitamin B3)

  • May help reduce blood pressure
  • Boosts brain health
  • Promotes healthy skin
  • Supports the digestive system
  • May positively affect cholesterol levels
A sliced avocado and whole avocado with knife on a wooden cutting board
mama_mia / Shutterstock

Pantothenic acid (vitamin B5)

  • Nourishes and strengthens hair follicles
  • May help reduce triglyceride levels
  • Can help minimize acne
  • Aids the body in making blood cells
  • Creates sex and stress-related hormones

Biotin (vitamin B7)

  • Promotes heart health
  • Helps regulate the metabolism
  • Reduces blood sugar levels
  • Boosts skin health
  • Aids hair health and appearance 

Vitamin B6

  • Helps prevent anemia
  • Boosts brain health
  • Supports the immune system
  • Promotes sleep
  • Improves your mood

Vitamin B12

  • Promotes the health of nerve cells
  • Helps prevent anemia
  • Boosts energy levels
  • Can promote a healthy heart rate
  • Aids in the formation of red blood cells

Folate

  • Boosts energy levels
  • Helps the digestive system
  • Promotes brain and nerve function
  • Aids blood cell function
  • Boosts skin health
Person slicing salmon.
Huy Phan / Pexels

10 nutrient-dense foods to include in your diet

Now that you understand how each of the vitamins can benefit you, what foods should you start eating? Luckily, many foods are rich in numerous vitamins, not just one. Consider consuming the following foods on a regular basis to boost your overall health.

  • Spinach
  • Salmon
  • Chia seeds
  • Sweet potatoes
  • Kale
  • Blueberries
  • Avocados
  • Eggs
  • Garlic 
  • Swiss chard

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Christine VanDoren
Christine VanDoren
Contributor
Christine is a certified personal trainer and nutritionist with an undergraduate degree from Missouri State University. Her…
New to keto? These are the keto tips every beginner needs
Make your keto transition easier with these tips
Healthy low carbs products. Ketogenic diet concept. Top view

You’ve heard about the ketogenic diet for fitness, weight loss, epilepsy, and more. The science-based ketogenic diet has generated a buzz, and you might be eager to try it to help you accomplish your health or fitness goals. The ketogenic diet shifts your metabolism from burning glucose (sugar from carbs) for energy to burning mostly ketones from fat instead. You know you have to lower your carb and sugar intake and increase your dietary fat intake to reach the metabolic state of ketosis, but what’s the best way to do that? Where do you start? Here are some top tips to get you started on keto.
1. Find an accountability partner

As the name suggests, an accountability partner is someone who helps you remain accountable and supports you on your keto journey. When you start keto, it’s helpful to find a family member, friend, or someone you can call for support. Your accountability partner can motivate you to stay on track and come up with ideas to smooth your transition. At its core, accountability means taking charge of your actions and the results or consequences of those actions. 

Read more
5 delicious carnivore diet snacks you can take on-the-go
Beef jerky.

The carnivore diet comes in many forms, ranging from strictly red meat and water to more flexible forms that allow for snacks. As a diet that allows only for the consumption of animal products, sticking to the carnivore diet while traveling can be slightly tricky. Yet, with some preparation and research, it's more than possible. You may just find that locating carnivore diet snacks is easier than you'd think. Check out a few of the best snacks worth adding to your carnivore diet food list and perfect for on-the-go.
Can you have snacks on a carnivore diet?
Similar to the ketogenic diet, several levels of the carnivore diet vary in restrictiveness. Those on a strict carnivore diet may only consume one or two meals per day with no snacking in between. Typically, those on a more restrictive form of a carnivore diet stick only with consuming ruminant meat and avoid eggs, dairy products, or other animal-based products or snacks. On the other hand, a more relaxed carnivore diet allows for carnivore diet snacks, making it easier to stick with for a longer period.
5 best carnivore diet snacks

Are you heading into a convenience store or looking for a carnivore-friendly snack at the airport? These best carnivore diet snacks are easy to find anywhere and perfect for sticking to your diet plan.
Beef jerky
Beef jerky is perhaps one of the most obvious go-to snack options on a carnivore diet, as it's simply meat that has been dried and preserved. You can also find beef sticks, turkey sticks, and other kinds of meat snacks pretty easily at convenience or grocery stores. Beef jerky makes for a great carnivore snack provides a solid amount of healthy protein to keep your hunger satiated and is extremely low in carbs.

Read more
These 12 healthy foods are among the highest in potassium
Need to get more potassium in your diet? Add these foods to get you there
Banana bunch

Many adults battle high blood pressure, and among a variety of risk factors, the high sodium content of the typical American diet is largely to blame. But did you know that increasing your intake of foods high with potassium content can help offset some of the damaging effects of excess sodium and may help lower your blood pressure?
Potassium is an essential mineral that plays a crucial role in regulating the fluid and electrolyte balance in your body. Potassium can counteract the water retention brought on by high sodium levels. As an electrolyte, potassium also plays an integral function in the conductivity of electrical impulses in the heart.
Although the daily value (DV) of potassium was 3,600 mg for quite some time, it is now 4,700 mg to reflect the mounting evidence surrounding the need for higher amounts of potassium for optimal health. Most people credit the banana for being the food with the most potassium, but there are actually other foods even higher in potassium than this beloved fruit. Keep reading for a list of the foods high in potassium and be sure to start eating more of these healthy, potassium-rich choices.

Beet greens

Read more