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This Sticky is to deal with all issues about Vitamins and Minerals. I will be placing within this information about the different types, why they are benificial, if they can be harmful to you (too much or too little of), where you can get them from and also why we need them too.

If you have any further information to add here, or any corrections, post here or PM me and I will change it.

VITAMIN A:
RDI: males 5000 IU; females 4000 IU
Found in deep yellow (carrots) and deep green leafy vegetables (spinach), also found in fish liver oils, egg yolk, live and fortified foods (milk, margarine)
Benifits:
Integrety of skin, normal tooth and bone development, normal reproductive capabilities, antioxidant
Excess intake:
Toxic when too much is consumed over months: nausea, vomiting, anorexia, headache, hair loss, bone and joint pain, enlargement of liver and spleen, higher probability of lung cancer in smokers
Not enough:
Night blindness, dry skin and hair, skin sores, suseptible to infections, clouded vision, developmental defects of embrios in pregnant women

VITAMIN D:
RDI: 400 IU
Obtained from the Sun (reacts with D3 cells on the skin), found in fish liver oils, egg yolk and fortified milk
Benifits:
Increases calcium absorption, normal neuromuscular (tell muscles what to do) funtion, blood clotting, bone and tooth formation
Excess intake:
(Uncommon) May be toxic: vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue, weight loss, calcification of soft tissues (soft tissues turn to bone), irriversible cardiac and renal damage
Not enough:
(Common amoung those who do not get enough sunlight) Faulty development of teeth and bones, poor muscle tone, restlessness, irritability

VITAMIN E:
RDI: males 15 IU; females 12 IU
Found in wheatgerm and vegetable oils, nuts, wholegrains, dark leafy vegetables. Need a greater intake the more body fat you have.
Benifits:
Antioxidant, helps to prevent damage to cell membranes and atherosclerosis
Excess intake:
Slow wound healing, increased clotting time
Not enough:
(Extremely rare) Possibly decreased life span, fragile capillaries

VITAMIN K:
RDI: males 70 μg; 55 μg
Intestinal bacteria creates it. Food sources include leafy green vegetables, broccoli, cauliflower and pork liver
Benifits:
Essential for formation of clotting protiens and other protiens made by the liver
Excess intake:
No known complications
Not enough:
Easy bruising and bleeding

VITAMIN C:
RDI: 60 mg (100mg for smokers, 200mg optimum)
Fruits and vegetables: especially citrus fruits, cantalope, strwberries, tomatoes, potatoes and leafy green vegetables
Benifits:
Antioxidant, formation of connective tissues, enhances iron absorption and use, required for activation of Folic acid
Excess intake:
(for 10x the RDI) Diarrhea, enhanced mobilisation of bone minerals and blood coagulation (thinkness), kidney stones
Not enough:
Joint pain, poor tooth and bone growth, poor wound healing, increased suseptibility to infections, bleeding gums, aneamia, weight loss

VITAMIN B1 (Thiamin):
RDI: 1.5 mg
Lean meats, liver, fish, eggs, whole grains, leafy green vegetables, legumes
Benifits:
Metabolism, transformation of pyruvic acid to acetyl CoA, oxidation of alcohol
Excess intake:
No know complications
Not enough:
Decreased appetite, vision disturbances, loss of balance, confusion, loss of memory, profound fatigue, heart enlargement

VITAMIN B2 (Riboflavin):
RDI: 1.7mg
Liver, yeast, egg whites, whole grains, meat, poultry, fish, legumes, dairy
Benifits:
Act as hydrogen acceptors in the body, component of amino acid oxidases
Excess intake:
No know complications
Not enough:
(one of the most common vitamin deficiencies) Cracking of lips at corners, lips and tounge become purple/red and shiny, light sensitivity, blurred vision

NIACIN:
RDI: 20 mg
Poultry, meat, fish, liver, yeast, peanuts, potatoes, leafy green vegetables
Benifits:
Fat breakdown, slows cholestoral intake, dialates viens/cappilaries
Excess intake:
(megadoses) Hyperglycemia, pale 'sickly' looking skin, tingling, possible liver damage, gout
Not enough:
(takes months and rare) Headaches, weight loss, loss of appetite, sore red tounge and lips, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, photosensitivity, rough cracked and ulcerated skin "dermatitis, diarrea, dementia and death"

VITAMIN B6 (Pyridoxine):
RDI: 2-3 mg
Meat, poultry, fish, whole grains, bananas
Benifits:
Aminoacid metabolisation, conversion of tryptophan to niacin, formation of antibodies and hemoglobin
Excess intake:
Depressed deep tendon reflexes, numbness and loss of sensation in limbs, difficulty walking, nerve damage
Not enough:
Infants: nervous irritability, convulsions, aneamia, vomiting, abdominal pain
Adults: lesions around eyes and mouth, increased risk of heart disease

VITAMIN B5 (Pantothenic acid):
RDI: 10 mg
Meat, whole grains, liver, yeast, legumes, egg yolk
Benifits:
Oxidation and synthesis of fatty acids, involved in synthesis of steriods and heme of hemoglobin
Excess intake:
No know complications
Not enough:
Loss of apetite, abdominal pain, depression, pain in arms and legs, muscle spasms, neuromuscular degeneration

BIOTIN:
RDI: unknown but guessed around 0.3 mg
Liver, egg yolks, legumes, nuts
Benifits:
Essential for energy conversion, formation of nonessential amino acids and use of those acids for energy
Excess intake:
No known complications
Not enough:
Scaly skin, muscle pains, anorexia, nausea, fatigue, elevated blood cholesterol

VITAMIN B12 (Cyanocobalamin)
RDI: 3-6 μg
Liver, meat, poultry, fish, dairy (not butter) eggs - not found in plant foods
Benifits:
Good for gastrointestinal tract, nervous system and bone morrow, synthesis of DNA
Excess intake:
No know complications
Not enough:
(more likely poor absoption then poor intake) Pernicious anemia, anorexia, dyspnea, weight loss, neurological disturbances

FOLIC ACID
RDI: 0.4 μg
Liver, orange juice, deep green vegetables, yeast, lean beef, eggs, veal, whole grains
Benifits:
Essential for formation of red blood cells and normal nuero tube development in embrios
Excess intake:
No known complications
Not enough:
Macrocytic or megaloblastic anemia, gastrointestinal disturbances, diarreah, increased risk of heart attack and stroke
Embryo: spina bifida, low birth weight, disabling neurological deficits

FLUORINE:
RDI: 1.5 to 4mg
Fluoridated water and toothpaste
Benifits:
Important for tooth structure
Excess intake:
Mottling of teeth
Not enough:
No know complications

COBALT:
RDI: (unknown)
Liver, lean meat, poultry, fish, milk
Benifits:
Noraml maturation of red blood cells
Excess intake:
Heart disease
Not enough:
Pernicious anemia, anorexia, dyspnea, weight loss, neurological disturbances

CHROMIUM:
RDI: 0.05 to 2mg
Liver, meat, cheese, whole grains, brewers yeast, wine
Benifits:
Required for synthesis of glucose tolerance factor, needed for proper glucose metabolism, enhances effectiveness of insulin on carbohydrate metabolism
Excess intake:
Not known complications
Not enough:
Impairs ability of insulin to work, increases risk of type II diabetes

COPPER:
RDI: 2 to 3mg
Liver, shellfish, wholegrains, legumes, meat
Benifits:
Required for synthesis of hemoglobin, essential for manufacture of melanin, myelin and some intermediates of electron transport chain
Excess intake:
Rare, Wilson's disease
Not enough:
Rare

IODINE:
RDI: 0.15mg
Cod liver oil, iodized salt, shellfish
Benifits:
Required to form thyroid hormones which are important in reglating cellular metabolic rate
Excess intake:
Depressed synthesis of thyroid hormones
Not enough:
Hypothyroidism, cretinism in infants, myxedema in adults, impaired learning and motivation in children

IRON:
RDI: 10mg males, 15mg females
Meat, liver, shellfish, egg yolk, dried fruit, nuts, legumes, molasses
Benifits:
Part of heme of hemoglobin
Excess intake:
Hemochromatosis, cirrhosis and liver cancer, heart damage and increase chance of diabetes
Not enough:
Anemia, pallor, lethargy, flatuance, anorexia, paresthesias, impaired cognitive performance in children, inability to maintain body temperature

MANGANESE:
RDI: 2.5 to 5mg
Nuts, legumes, whole grains, leafy green vegetables, fruit
Benifits:
Acts with enzymes catalysing synthesis of fatty acids, cholesterol, urea, hemoglobin; needed for normal neural function, lactation, oxidation of carbohydrates, protein hydrolysis
Excess intake:
Appears to contribute to obsessive behaviour, hallucinations and violent behaviour
Not enough:
No known complications

SELENIUM:
RDI: 0.05 to 2mg
Meat, seafood, cerals
Benifits:
Antioxidant
Excess intake:
Nausea, vomiting, irritability, fatigue, weight loss, loss of hair
Not enough:
No known complications

ZINC:
RDI: 15mg
Seafood, meat, cerals, legumes, nuts, wheat germ, yeast
Benifits:
Plays a role in a variety of protiens, required for normal growth, would healing, sperm production
Excess intake:
Difficulty in waking, slurred speech, tremors, interferes with body's ability to absorb copper which can lead to weakened immunity
Not enough:
Loss of taste and smell, growth retardation, learning impairment, depressed immunity

That's why I'm typing it all down so you don't have to remember, just come back and read if you need to smile

Also, as long as you eat a balanced diet with a wide variety of fresh fruit, vegetables and grains, you will pretty much get the amount of all vitamins and minerals RDI (Recommended Dietary Intake -or- Recommended Daily Intake). If you are eating healthily already, but know that you aren't meeting the recommendations, multivitamins are good for that.

Same with if you are excluding particular food groups, suppliments are avaliable, but it's up to you whether or not you take them.
eg.
- Dairy (calcium)
- Meat (iron and B12)
- Grains (folate) etc

As long as you stick with it, it helps. By writing down everything you eat, you find foods that you might not have realsied you ate.

I did it for a while and I became very concious of the fact that at work, I would eat a full handful of loose lollies plus a 600ml bottle of coke every shift. It helped me to realise I need to stop that and have since not had a bottle of coke and have drastically cut down the amount of lollies I ate (which was hard because I work at a milkbar and am surrounded by unhealthy food)

While your sick, I can understand how you feel. Last week for the whole week I had headaches and I ate the worst I have in a while. I felt crap for it, but did not have the energy or the will to make myself something healthy. So I know where you're coming from there.

If you decide to take up the diary option, let me know how you go. Another thing that helps, let your family know (or whoever your living with). The moment they see you pick up something unhealthy to eat, they will tell you off and it makes you feel guilty about having it. But you still need those occasional treats smile