Vitamins and minerals - Getting your daily dose
We hear a lot about vitamins and minerals (also often called micronutrients) and there's a huge industry built up around making sure that we get our recommended daily doses of them.
What's the difference between vitamins and minerals?
A vitamin is an organic (carbon containing) compound that is essential to our survival. Usually only needed in tiny amounts, vitamins can't be created by the body, so we have to obtain them from our food, or in the form of food supplements.
A mineral is also a naturally occurring compound, but minerals are inorganic, which just means that they don't contain carbon. Minerals are always made up from just one element. They play a part in many of the biological functions of the body, and like vitamins, they can't be created by the body.
Some minerals are known as essential because we need them in larger amounts than others, which are called trace minerals. Essential minerals include iron, zinc and calcium.
Different types of vitamin
Although all vitamins are essential, some can be stored by the body, and some can't. Vitamin C and the B vitamins have to be constantly replaced. They are water soluble, which means that if you take in more than your body needs, you'll just excrete them through your urine. If you take large doses of vitamin B, for example, you may be a bit disconcerted to notice that your urine turns bright yellow! This is nothing to worry about, it's just your body getting rid of anything it doesn't need.
The vitamins that can be stored by the body are vitamins A, D, E and K. These are called fat-soluble vitamins.
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