Many people I know take a multivitamin because they're worried about getting all the vitamins and minerals they need each day. Hopefully you're already meeting your daily nutritional requirements with your diet. But since it's hard to remember how much you need of each nutrient, and how much of each food helps you obtain it, I made a handy little chart to help us all meet the recommended daily intake (RDI) of many vitamins and minerals.



Vitamin Amount Sources
Vitamin A 2,310 IU (700 mcg) One small carrot (8,353 IU) or one cup raw spinach (2,813 IU)
Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) 1.4 mg One and a half cups oatmeal (1.8 mg)
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) 1.2 mg One cup cottage cheese (.4 mg), three oz. salmon (.4 mg), and one cup cooked spinach (.4 mg) = 1.2 mg

To see the rest, read more.

Vitamin Amount Sources
Vitamin B3 (Niacin) 14 mg Half an avocado (1.3 mg), one large carrot (.7 mg), three oz. salmon (8.6 mg), one medium sweet potato (1.7 mg), one cup cooked broccoli (.8 mg), and three dates (1.2 mg) = 14.3 mg
Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic acid) 5 mg Two eggs (1.4 mg), two oz. cheddar cheese (.2 mg), two slices whole wheat bread (.4 mg), three oz. turkey (.9 mg), one cup brown rice (.6 mg), and one cup plain nonfat yogurt (1.6 mg) = 5.1 mg
Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine and Pyridoxamine) 1.3 mg One packet Kashi apple cinnamon oatmeal (2 mg)
Vitamin B7 (Biotin or Vitamin H) 30 mcg Bacteria in our intestines produce an excess of biotin, so deficiency is rare.
Vitamin B9 (Folic Acid) 400 mcg One cup cooked spinach (263 mcg), four spears asparagus (81 mcg), and one cup fresh OJ (74.4 mcg) = 418.4 mcg
Vitamin B12 (Cobalamin) 2.4 mcg One cup plain nonfat yogurt (1.5 mcg) and two eggs (1 mcg) = 2.5 mcg
Vitamin C 75 mg One orange (82.8 mg) or half cup red bell pepper (95 mg)
Vitamin D 200 IU Two cups milk (254 IU) or three oz. salmon (308 IU)
Vitamin E 15 mg One cup cooked spinach (3.7 mg), 2 tbsp olive oil (3.8 mg), one cup quinoa (1.2 mg), one oz. almonds (7.4 mg) = 16.1 mg
Potassium 4,200 mg One large banana (487 mg), two kiwis (568 mg), one cup plain nonfat yogurt (625 mg), one medium sweet potato (541 mg), half an avocado (345 mg), 1 cup edamame beans (676 mg), one cup cooked Swiss chard (961 mg) = 4,203 mg
Calcium 1,000 mg One cup plain nonfat yogurt (488 mg), one oz. almonds (60.5 mg), one cup cooked broccoli (62.5 mg), and 1 cup skim milk (488 mg) = 1,099 mg or 2 cups calcium-fortified OJ (1,000 mg)
Protein 40-60 grams (depending on weight and activity level) One container Chobani plain nonfat Greek yogurt (18 g), two eggs (12.6 g), three oz. chicken (22.8 g), one cup vanilla soymilk (7 g) = 60.4 g
Fiber 25 to 30 g 1 cup Kashi GoLean cereal (10 g), one apple or pear (4 g), one small baked potato with skin (4.2 g), half cup cooked barley (7.8 g), half cup kidney beans (7 g) = 33 g
Iron 18 mg One cup cooked spinach (6.4 mg), one cup oatmeal (3.4 mg), half a cup lentils (3.3 mg), three oz. tofu (1.5 mg), 1 cup cooked beets (1.4 mg), 1 large baked potato with skin (3.2 mg) = 19.2 mg
Omega-3 1.1 g Eighth of a cup of walnuts (1.1 g), one tablespoon flaxseeds (1.8 g), or one oz. salmon (7.2 g)
Omega-6 12 g One and a half teaspoons canola oil (15 g)

Related FitSugar Stories

 

What We're Talking About