How to Read a Food Label: Vitamins

Vitamins are everywhere, even on those food labels! Vitamins are organic compounds, divided in to two groups: Water Soluble (C and B complex) and Fat Soluble (A,D, E, and K). Water soluble means that they are broken down in water whereas, fat soluble vitamins are broken down in fat. We need 13 vitamins, and our bodies do not produce most of the vitamins we need, so we must get it from our food.

Vitamins aid the body in releasing energy from carbohydrates, making red blood cells, and “maintenance” of immune, nervous, and skeletal systems and some are antioxidants (they preserve healthy cells). We do not make most vitamins and must get them from our foods: fruits, veggies, and whole grains. Our skin makes Vitamin D when exposed to sunlight, and intestinal bacteria make Vitamin K (but not enough, we still need to supplement with food). Even though vitamins are great for us, excess is not a good thing! Too many fat-soluble vitamins can cause toxicity (vitamins get stored in the fat).