Vitamins - Caron Cares

Know your vitamins

Did you know that as you age you start to lack certain vitamins ? Elderly people often find it hard to get enough vitamin D from diet and sunlight alone and many also lack vitamin B12 which aids memory.

Do you take daily supplements of vitamins and minerals because you think they help keep you fit and healthy? Join the club. I did wonder the other day though what each component was actually doing for me and decided to look into it. Here is what I have learnt.

Vitamins and minerals do different things to keep the body healthy and there is no one food that contains all of them. It is important that an elderly person has a healthy, balanced diet with a good mix of foods to ensure that you’re getting everything you need. This isn’t always achievable. Complan and Fortisip can help as can an age appropriate multi-vitamins supplement.

The table below contains information about many of the vitamins needed their function in the body, and what foods contain them.

Vitamins and minerals	Function in your body	Food sources include…
Vitamin A	help you to see in dim light keep your skin and hair healthy strengthen your immune system	oily fish (such as mackerel) liver carrots fortified margarine cheese dark green leafy vegetables (such as spinach)
Vitamin D	grow and keep bones and teeth healthy help your body to absorb calcium	oily fish eggs fortified breakfast cereals fortified margarine
Vitamin E	protect your body from damage caused by free radicals (these are produced by your body’s normal chemical reactions and are thought to damage body cells, which may lead to the development of diseases such as cancer)	vegetable oils eggs wholegrain foods green vegetables nuts
Vitamin K	blood clotting build strong bones	dark green leafy vegetables meat (particularly liver) potatoes cereals
Vitamin B1 (thiamin)	break down and release energy from food maintain muscle tissue keep your nerves working properly	bread potatoes milk meat wholegrain and fortified breakfast cereals
Vitamin B2 (riboflavin)	maintain good vision build tissue break down and release energy from food produce steroids and red blood cells help your body to absorb folic acid	milk meat (particularly liver) eggs
Vitamin B3 (niacin)	break down and release energy from food	meat flour eggs milk fortified breakfast cereals
Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid)	keep your nerves working properly break down and release energy from food	meat potatoes tomatoes broccoli cereals and grains
Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine)	break down and release protein from food produce haemoglobin	chicken fish eggs brown rice oats grains some types of nut
Vitamin B12	produce red blood cells keep your nervous system healthy process folic acid	meat liver milk fish eggs
Folic acid (folate)	produce red blood cells keep your nervous system healthy	green leafy vegetables some types of fruits
Biotin	break down and release energy from food	liver kidneys wholegrain foods nuts
Vitamin C (ascorbic acid)	help your body to absorb iron keep cells and tissues healthy	fresh fruit (particularly citrus fruits) sweet potatoes green vegetables
Sodium chloride (salt)	regulate fluids digest food	processed foods table salt
Potassium	regulate your body fluids	potatoes vegetables green vegetables chicken dairy products bananas
Calcium	build strong bones and teeth keep your muscles and nerves functioning blood clotting	milk cheese fortified bread and flour green leafy vegetables nuts
Magnesium	break down and release energy from food activate enzymes in your body – enzymes help complex reactions to occur control the amount of calcium in your blood and bones	green leafy vegetables nuts dairy products
Iron	produce red blood cells	red meat liver wholegrain flour green leafy vegetables
Zinc	produce new cells and enzymes repair tissue break down and release energy from food	meat (particularly liver) seafood (particularly oysters) milk bread cereals
Copper	produce red blood cells keep nerves and the immune system healthy	nuts shellfish offal
Manganese	make and activate enzymes	bread wheatgerm nuts avocados peas tea
Molybdenum	help enzymes function	vegetables nuts cereals
Selenium	help enzymes function protect cells from damage	brazil nuts seeds fish eggs
Chromium	enhance the action of insulin (insulin helps cells to absorb glucose, where it’s converted to energy)	wholegrain foods lentils spices
Iodine	produce thyroid hormone	oily fish seaweed
Phosphorus	build bones break down and release energy from food	dairy products eggs meat fish soya beans soya products lentils

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