Vitamins are organic substances that are either water-soluble or fat-soluble. They have names like Vitamin A, B, C, and so on. There are many B vitamins. One type of B vitamin, B12, is mainly found in animal products, so people following vegetarian or vegan diets may need to take supplements.
Minerals are inorganic elements needed either in fairly large amounts (macro minerals, measured in milligrams), or very tiny ones (trace minerals). Read more about vitamins and minerals here – https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/vitamins/.
This chart lists all necessary vitamins and minerals and labels certain ones that are of concern, either because we don’t get enough (vitamin D, folate, iron) or because we get too much (sodium). For many Americans, it may be important to pay attention to their sodium consumption, since too much can lead to health problems.
Some of the best sources of many vitamins and minerals are fruit and vegetables. It is better to eat these whole, rather than as juices. There are many health benefits to diets that have many and varied fruit and vegetables – https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/vegetables-and-fruits/. Try to eat the rainbow! Fruit and vegetables also have beneficial phytonutrients – chemicals that are linked to better health.
