What is the Difference between Vitamins and Minerals?

Vitamins are naturally-occurring compounds that your body either produces on its own or gets from food. 

There are two categories of vitamins: fat-soluble and water-soluble.

Fat-soluble vitamins can be stored in your body for long periods of time. Fat-soluble vitamins are best absorbed by your body in the presence of fats, so if you take fat-soluble vitamins as supplements, you may want to do so with a snack or meal containing healthy fats. Examples of fat-soluble vitamins are: Vitamins A, D, E, and K.

Water-soluble vitamins cannot be produced by the body and must be gotten from our food or supplements. Also, water-soluble vitamins must be taken in the body every day because they are not stored by the body.

The two primary categories of water-soluble vitamins are B-complex vitamins and Vitamin C. The B Vitamins are B12, B6, folate, niacin, pantothenic acid, riboflavin, and Thiamine.

Minerals, in contrast to vitamins, are inorganic. There are two primary categories of minerals – major and trace. Your body needs higher amounts of major minerals than trace minerals. However, both categories of minerals are important for your overall health.

Major minerals include calcium, chloride, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, and sulfur.

Trace minerals include chromium, copper, fluoride, iodine, iron, selenium, and zinc.

At the Alternative Health Food Store, we believe everyone should try to get their nutrients through the food we eat, water we drink and natural sunlight on our skin, however, we know that is difficult to do with current farming practices and also the stresses of day-to-day life.

While you can get plenty of nutrients from healthy food, taking supplements can help you cover any of the gaps in your daily meals.

Source: Mary Ruth Organics

These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. This is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent disease.