Taking the right vitamins daily helps fill nutritional gaps in your diet, but the best choices depend on your health goals. Consult a healthcare provider before starting any vitamin regimen to ensure safety and effectiveness. Very few foods naturally have vitamin D. Fatty fish such as salmon, tuna, and mackerel are among the best sources. Fortified foods like milk provide most of the vitamin D in American diets. Eating a colorful range of foods helps ensure your body gets the vitamins it needs. From vitamin A to vitamin K, experts share the ins and outs of these essential micronutrients. While some people may still need a supplement, most can get the nutrition they need from food. One type comes from animal sources of food. It helps you see at night, make red blood cells, and fight off infections. The other type is in plant foods. It helps prevent damage to cells and an eye. In this article, we will explore the 10 most important vitamins, their functions, their sources, and why they are so critical for survival. Along the way, we’ll uncover how these microscopic nutrients hold the key to vitality, longevity, and the prevention of disease. 1. Vitamin A – The Vision and Growth Vitamin. All vertebrates, including humans, require dietary sources of vitamin A, vitamin D, thiamin, riboflavin, vitamin B 6, and pantothenic acid; some vertebrates, particularly the more highly evolved ones, have additional requirements for other vitamins. This article explains what vitamins are, what they do, and which foods are good sources. Follow the links in blue below for more information about each vitamin. Vitamins are organic compounds that living organisms require in small amounts for the normal growth, metabolism, and health. Unlike carbohydrates, proteins, and fats, vitamins do not provide energy or serve as structural building blocks. Vitamins are organic molecules (or a set of closely related molecules called vitamers) that are essential to an organism in small quantities for proper metabolic function. These essential nutrients cannot be synthesized in the organism in sufficient quantities for survival, and therefore must be obtained through consumption. Customers may return any opened or unopened merchandise purchased from any The Vitamin Shoppe store or at , our mobile site or any mobile apps to any store or Distribution Center within 30 days.