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Must Have Vitamins & Minerals

Eating right helps you develop stamina, improve athletic performance and recover quicker from injury. Here's a rundown on essential vitamins and minerals you need to stay fit.

Vitamin A
This vitamin helps you see colors, and it helps with your night vision. It also helps you have healthy skin.

Eat: Vitamin A can be found in carrots, spinach, apricots, nectarines, guava, cantaloupe and fortified milk.

B Vitamins
B1, B2, B6, B12, niacin, biotin, folic acid and pantothenic acid. These help make energy and red blood cells that carry oxygen to different parts of your body.

Eat: B vitamins are found in fish like tuna, and meats such as beef, pork and chicken. Other foods with B vitamins are enriched cereals and breads, leafy green vegetables, dried beans and whole wheat grains.

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Vitamin C
This popular vitamin is well known for helping your body resist infection. It also strengthens muscles, bones, gums and teeth.

Eat: Oranges, grapefruit, watermelon, strawberries, lemons, and raspberries. Orange juice and other juices can be excellent sources of vitamin C. Check labels to make sure you’re getting what you need. Tomatoes, broccoli and green peppers are also great sources.

Vitamin D
This is an essential vitamin for strong bones and teeth because it helps the body absorb calcium.

Eat: Milk, pudding, eggs and tuna.

Vitamin E
This vitamin protects important body tissues, like the ones in your eyes, skin and liver. It also protects the lungs from damaging air and helps your body store vitamin A. Additionally, it works with vitamin K to help with blood clotting.

Eat: Oils found in corn and sunflower seeds; leafy dark green vegetables and nuts.

This mineral helps build strong bones and healthy teeth.

Eat: Milk, yogurt, frozen yogurt and cheese. Plus, some juices and whole grain cereals are fortified with calcium, so read your labels and drink the juices that will help build strong bones.

This is an important part of hemoglobin, which carries oxygen from your lungs to the rest of your body. It is very important to get enough iron.

Eat: Red meat, beans, baked potato (eat the skin), apricots. Whole grain breads (or iron-enriched breads), some cereals and raisins.

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