Nutrition: Great Foods for Getting

The foods you eat do more than fill your belly — they also give your body the nutrients it needs to thrive. What you eat can affect how you feel today as well as how you feel years from now.
Some foods can deplete your energy, impair your digestive system, and raise your risk of health problems. Other foods fuel your body’s natural disease-fighting abilities.

Foods high in vitamin A
Vitamin A is a fat-soluble nutrient. It helps your body form healthy teeth, bones, soft tissues, and skin. It can also help you ward off bacterial and viral infections, prevent night blindness, and keep your hair and nails healthy.

Foods that are particularly high in vitamin A include:
• carrots
• sweet potatoes
• winter squash
• cantaloupe
• apricots
• spinach, kale, and collard greens

Foods high in vitamin B
Vitamins B-6, B-12, and B-9 are essential for proper nerve function, the synthesis of DNA, and the formation of red blood cells in your body. They also help maintain your brain function, prevent anemia, and support
metabolism.
Foods that are particularly high in vitamins B-6 and B-12 include:
• meat, poultry, and fish
• seafood
• eggs
• milk

Foods high in vitamin C
Vitamin C is also known as ascorbic acid. It’s a powerful antioxidant that helps protect the health of your cells. It improves your body’s iron absorption. It’s also important for promoting healthy teeth and gums, healing wounds, and helping you resist infection.

Foods that are particularly high in vitamin C include:
• papaya
• citrus fruits
• strawberries
• bell peppers
• broccoli
• Brussels sprouts
• dark leafy greens, such as kale, mustard greens, and chard

Foods high in vitamin D
Vitamin D is a unique vitamin. On top of absorbing it from foods you eat, your body can also synthesize it from sunlight. It’s critical for the health of your bones and immune system, as well as calcium absorption. According to the National Cancer InstituteTrusted Source, it may also help lower your risk of developing colorectal ca
ncer.

Though sunshine is by far the richest source of vitamin D, foods that also provide vitamin D include:
• some seafood, such as salmon, herring, trout
• milk
• eggs

Foods high in vitamin E
Like vitamin C, vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant. It helps protects your cells from damage. It also helps your body use vitamin K and repair muscle cells.

Foods that are particularly high in vitamin E include:
• sunflower seeds and almonds
• spinach, Swiss chard, and turnip greens
• bell peppers
• asparagus

Foods high in vitamin K
Vitamin K is critical for your body’s formation of blood clots. Without it, you could bleed to death from a simple cut. It may also help maintain bone strength in older adults.

Foods that are particularly high in vitamin K include:
• kale, spinach, collard greens, Swiss chard, turnip greens, and mustard greens
• romaine lettuce
• parsley
• Brussels sprouts
• broccoli
• asparagus