1. Water-Soluble
B-complex
Group of 7 different vitamins: Thiamin (B1), Riboflavin
(B2), Niacin (B3), pantothenic acid, B6, folic acid, B12.
While they are all involved in helping the body convert
food to energy in some way or another, functions that
are unique to individual vitamins are listed.
Thiamin (B1) RDA: 0.6 mg/d
Functions:keeps nerves and muscle tissue healthy
Sources: beef & beef liver, pork, salmon, legumes, wheat
germ, soymilk, grain products (whole, fortified, or enriched)
Riboflavin (B2) RDA: 0.6 mg/d
Functions: keeps skin, eyes and the nervous system
healthySources: dairy (milk, cheese, yogurt, butter), eggs,
fortified breakfast cereals, meats
Niacin (B3) RDA: 8 mg/d
Functions:keeps the nervous and digestive systems
healthySources: meat, fish, nuts & seeds, legumes, grain
products (whole, fortified, or enriched)
Pantothenic acid RDA: 3 mg/d
Sources: Pantothenic acid is found in virtually all plant and
animal foods,
Vitamin B6 RDA: 0.6 mg/d
Functions: helps form hemoglobin, which carries oxygen
around the body
Sources: pork, poultry (such as chicken or turkey), fish, whole
cereals, eggs, soya beans, peanuts, milk, potatoes
Folic acid RDA: 200 mcg/d
Functions: works together with vitamin B12 to form healthy
red blood cells
Sources: broccoli, brussel sprouts, liver, spinach, asparagus,
peas, chickpeas, brown rice, fortified breakfast cereals
Vitamin B12 RDA: 1.2 mcg/d
Functions: makes red blood cells and keeps the nervous
system healthy; processes folic acid
Sources: meat, salmon, cod, milk, cheese, eggs
Vitamin C RDA: 25 mg/d
Functions: helps protect cells and keeps them healthy;
maintenance of healthy connective tissue; helps wound
healing
Sources: oranges & orange juice, red and green peppers,
strawberries, blackcurrants, broccoli, brussel sprouts
Fat-Soluble
Vitamin A RDA: 400 mcg/d
Functions: strengthens immunity against infections; helps
vision in dim light; keeps skin and the linings of some parts
of the body, such as the nose, healthy
Sources: select fish & fish oils (tuna, sardines, herring),
dairy (milk, cheese, yogurt, butter), liver
Vitamin D RDA: 15 mcg/d
Functions: helps regulate the amount of calcium
and phosphate in the body, which keeps bones &
teeth healthy
Sources: oily fish, such as salmon, sardines and
mackerel, eggs, fortified fat spreads & milk, fortified
breakfastcereals, and can be made in the body
when skin is exposed to sunlight
Vitamin E RDA: 7 mg/d
Functions: helps maintain cell structure by protecting cell
membranes
Sources: plant oils such as olive oil, nuts & seeds, wheat
germ
Vitamin K RDA: 55 mcg/d
Functions: blood clotting, which means it helps wounds
heal properly
Sources: green leafy vegetables (such as broccoli &
spinach)
*RDA values listed are for children ages 5-8
Vitamins
It’s as Easy as A-B-C
A Parent’s Guide to Ensuring Their
Young Children are Well-Nourished
Katie Bareman & Courtney Goodwin
Community Nutrition

2. Classification of Vitamins
Fat-soluble
Fat-soluble vitamins are found mainly in fatty
foods such as animal fats, including butter
and lard, vegetable oils, dairy foods, liver
and oily fish.
While your body needs these vitamins every
day to work properly, you do not need to
eat foods containing them every day.
This is because your body stores these
vitamins in your liver and fatty tissues for
future use. These stores can build up so they
are there when you need them. However, if
you have much more than you need, fat-
soluble vitamins can be harmful.
Fat-soluble vitamins are: A, D, E, and K
What are vitamins?
Vitamins are carbon-containing compounds in food that are needed in
very small amounts (micrograms or milligrams) for overall body growth &
maintaining good health. They are not broken down to provide calories-
instead, they function in various processes in the body.
Water-soluble
Water-soluble vitamins are not stored in the
body, so you need to have them more
frequently.
If you have more than you need, your body gets
rid of the extra vitamins when you urinate. As the
body does not store water-soluble vitamins,
these vitamins are generally not harmful.
However, this does not mean that all large
amounts are necessarily harmless.
Water-soluble vitamins are found in fruit,
vegetables and grains. Unlike fat-soluble
vitamins, they can be destroyed by heat or by
being exposed to the air. They can also be lost in
water used for cooking. When cooking, bake &
steam foods to avoid such losses.
Water-soluble vitamins are the B vitamins and
vitamin C.