Vitamins and minerals explained (2024)

Key facts

  • Vitamins and minerals are needed to make your body work properly.
  • You only need very small amounts of vitamins and minerals in your diet.
  • Most people can get all the vitamins and minerals they need from a healthy diet.
  • Extra vitamins and minerals are sometimes taken as supplements.
  • Taking too many supplements can cause health problems.

What are vitamins and minerals?

Vitamins and minerals are nutrients needed in small amounts to make your body work properly. They are sometimes called micronutrients.

Vitamins come from plants and animals, while minerals originally come from the soil and water.

An example of a vitamin is vitamin C, which is found in many fruits.

An example of a mineral is calcium. It's found in milk, fish and some plant foods like green vegetables and sesame seeds.

Where are vitamins and minerals found?

Vitamins and minerals are found in:

  • fresh foods
  • frozen foods
  • canned foods
  • dried and packaged foods

Fresh fruit and uncooked vegetables are good sources of vitamins. Some vitamins can be lost by cooking in water.

Most people can get all the vitamins and minerals they need by eating a balanced diet.

Why are vitamins and minerals important for my health?

Vitamins and minerals are nutrients your body needs to work properly and stay healthy.

You only need very small amounts of vitamins and minerals in your diet. Most people can get all the vitamins and minerals they need from a healthy diet.

However, you may need more vitamins and minerals if you are:

  • pregnant
  • breastfeeding
  • a young child

What foods are high in vitamins?

Here's a list of essential vitamins. It tells you why they are important, and what foods you can find them in.

Vitamin Why it's needed Where it's found
Biotin (vitamin B7)
  • Help your nervous system function.
  • Helps your body make fatty acids.
  • whole grains
  • organ meats
  • egg yolks
  • soybeans
  • fish
Folate (vitamin B9)
  • Helps your body form healthy red blood cells.
  • When pregnant, lowers the risk of neural tube defects, such as spina bifida, in your baby.
  • fortified breads and cereals
  • liver
  • legumes — chickpeas and kidney beans
  • green leafy vegetables
  • peas
  • broccoli
  • brussels sprouts
  • asparagus
Niacin (vitamin B3)
  • Helps your body release energy from food.
  • Keeps your nervous system and skin healthy.
  • meat
  • fish
  • mushrooms
  • potatoes
  • eggs
Pantothenic acid (vitamin B5)
  • Helps your body release energy from food.
  • chicken
  • beef
  • liver
  • eggs
  • broccoli
  • mushrooms
  • avocado
  • tomatoes
Riboflavin (vitamin B2)
  • Keeps your skin, eyes and nervous system healthy.
  • Helps your body release energy from food.
  • milk
  • eggs
  • plain yoghurt
  • cheese
  • leafy green vegetables
  • meats
  • mushrooms
  • fortified breakfast cereals
Thiamin (vitamin B1)
  • Helps your body break down and release energy from food.
  • Keeps your nervous system healthy.
  • wholegrain breads
  • some fortified cereals peas
  • bananas
  • oranges
  • nuts
  • liver
Vitamin A
  • Keeps your eyes healthy.
  • Maintains healthy skin.
  • Helps your body fight infections.
  • Helps with growth and reproduction.
  • orange, yellow or green coloured fruits and vegetables
  • green leafy vegetables
  • margarine
  • dairy products — milk and cheese
  • liver
  • meat
  • fish and fish oil
Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine)
  • Helps your body to use and store energy from protein and carbohydrates in food.
  • Helps your body make haemoglobin (the chemical that carries oxygen around your body in red blood cells).
  • meat
  • some fish
  • poultry
  • peanuts
  • tofu and soy products
  • oats
  • bananas
  • watermelons
  • milk
  • some fortified cereals
Vitamin B12
  • Helps make red blood cells and keeps your nervous system healthy.
  • Helps release energy from food.
  • Helps your body to use folate.
  • meat
  • fish
  • eggs
  • milk
  • cheese
  • some fortified cereals and fortified plant-based milks
Vitamin C
  • Antioxidant.
  • Keeps your skin, bones, blood vessels and connective tissue healthy.
  • Helps with wound healing.
  • Boosts your immune system.
  • Helps your body absorb iron.

All fruits and vegetables, especially:

  • citrus fruits
  • kiwi fruit
  • strawberries
  • tomatoes
  • cabbage
  • cauliflower
  • brussels sprouts
  • capsicum
  • potatoes
Vitamin D
  • Needed to use calcium.
  • Important for healthy bones, immune system, skin, muscles and brain.
  • vitamin D forms in the skin when it is exposed to the sun
  • salmon, mackerel, herring and sardines
  • egg yolks
  • fortified milk and margarine
Vitamin E
  • Antioxidant.
  • Keeps the membranes around your cells healthy.
  • plant-based oils — wheat germ oil and sunflower oil
  • nuts and seeds — almonds, peanuts and sunflower seeds
  • fruits — mangoes, kiwi fruit and avocados
  • vegetables — spinach and red capsicum
Vitamin K
  • Blood clotting.
  • leafy green vegetables — kale, spinach, salad greens
  • cabbage
  • broccoli
  • brussels sprouts

What foods are high in minerals?

Here's a list of important minerals. It tells you why the mineral is important, and what foods you can find it in.

Minerals Why it's needed Where it's found
Calcium
  • builds bones
  • muscle and nerve function
  • blood clotting
  • milk
  • cheese
  • yoghurt
  • green leafy vegetables
  • fish where you eat the bones
  • legumes
  • fortified breakfast cereals
Iodine
  • thyroid gland function
  • normal growth
  • seafood
  • seaweed
  • bread
  • iodised table salt and foods made with this type of salt
Iron
  • red blood cell function
  • helps move oxygen around the body
  • red meats including beef, lamb, kangaroo
  • fish
  • poultry
  • wholegrain cereals
  • beans — kidney beans, edamame beans and chickpeas
  • fortified breakfast cereals
  • dried fruit
Magnesium
  • makes energy
  • parathyroid gland function
  • legumes
  • peas
  • beans
  • nuts
  • spinach
  • wholemeal bread
  • milk
Potassium
  • controls the balance of fluids in the body
  • helps your heart muscle work properly
  • leafy green vegetables
  • tomatoes
  • cucumbers
  • zucchini
  • eggplant
  • pumpkin
  • bananas
  • beef
  • fish
  • poultry
  • nuts and seeds
Zinc
  • wound healing
  • making new cells and enzymes
  • processing carbohydrate, fat and protein in food
  • meat
  • fish
  • shellfish
  • poultry
  • cereals
  • dairy foods
  • bread
  • cereals

Should I take vitamin or mineral supplements?

Dietary supplements are the most common type of complementary medicine in Australia.

Most people can get all the vitamins and minerals they need from eating a healthy balanced diet. But you might need extra vitamins and minerals if you:

  • are pregnant
  • eat a vegan diet
  • have certain medical conditions

Do I need supplements during pregnancy?

Folate (folic acid) is important in pregnancy because it helps prevent neural tube defects, such as spina bifida.

You should start taking a folic acid supplement at least one month before you start trying to get pregnant. You should also take an iodine supplement for at least a month before getting pregnant.

If you haven't been taking these supplements before getting pregnant, be sure to start now.

You should keep taking both these supplements for at least the first three months of your pregnancy.

Talk to your doctor about taking a vitamin D supplement while pregnant and breastfeeding.

Talk to your doctor or midwife about the supplements you need, and the dosage required.

You can learn more here about vitamins and supplements during pregnancy.

Do I need supplements if I follow a vegetarian or vegan diet?

It's a good idea to ensure that your diet provides enough:

  • iron
  • zinc
  • omega-3 fats
  • vitamin D
  • vitamin B12

If you follow a vegan diet, it's recommended that you take a vitamin B12 supplement. If you are vegan, the only reliable source of vitamin B12 are fortified plant milks, some fortified meat substitute products and some breakfast cereals.

Are dietary supplements beneficial?

Some dietary supplements can help you get enough essential nutrients if you don't eat a balanced diet.

Some dietary supplements can improve your overall health and help manage some health conditions.

  • Calcium and vitamin D help reduce bone loss and keep your bones strong.
  • Folic acid during pregnancy decreases the risk of neural tube defects in babies.
  • Omega-3 fatty acids may help some people with heart disease.
  • A combination of vitamin C and vitamin E, zinc, copper, lutein, and zeaxanthin may slow down vision loss in people with age-related macular degeneration.

More research is needed to know if other supplements have value.

Are there any risks from taking dietary supplements?

Dietary supplements can cause potential harms such as:

  • side effects
  • drug interactions (when medicines interfere with how another medicine works)
  • financial cost
  • delay in getting more effective therapy
  • false hope

Taking too many supplements can cause health problems. You may be at risk of taking too much if you use multiple products with the same ingredient.

You should talk to your doctor or a dietitian if you think you need supplements.

If you do take supplements, always tell your doctor or pharmacist when they ask what medicines you take. Some supplements interact with prescribed medicines.

Resources and support

See the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating.

The Dietitians Australia website allows you to search for an Accredited Practising Dietitian.

If you want to know more about vitamins and minerals, talk to your doctor or call healthdirect on 1800 022 222 (known as NURSE-ON-CALL in Victoria). A registered nurse is available to speak to, 24 hours, 7 days a week.

Vitamins and minerals explained (2024)
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