Vitamins and minerals are the micronutrients your body needs every day. They power your energy, build and repair your body, support your immune system and help protect your cells from damage — and the best place to get them is real, varied food.

This is a plain-English guide to the essential vitamins and minerals, from vitamin A to zinc: what each one does, why it matters, and the foods richest in it. Use it to understand your body a little better and to build meals that genuinely nourish you.

How to get more vitamins and minerals from your food

• Eat more nutrient-dense foods: vegetables and fruit, whole grains, nuts and seeds, legumes, fish and seafood.

• Aim for variety and colour across the week — different foods supply different nutrients.

• Go easy on ultra-processed, sugary and refined foods, which tend to be low in the micronutrients your body actually needs.

What about supplements?

For most people, a varied, mostly whole-food diet provides what the body needs. At certain times — pregnancy, later life, a specific health condition or a diagnosed deficiency — a supplement can be genuinely helpful. But more isn't always better, some nutrients affect how others are absorbed, and needs are very individual. If you think you might be low in something, the best step is to talk to your doctor, who can test for it and advise what's right for you.

I'm a coach, not a doctor or dietitian, so everything here is general information to help you eat well — not medical advice, and never a substitute for the care of your own healthcare professional.

Common questions

Is it better to get nutrients from food or supplements? For most people, food first — a varied whole-food diet provides what the body needs. Supplements can help in specific situations, best guided by your doctor.

Which foods are richest in vitamins and minerals? Vegetables and fruit, whole grains, nuts and seeds, legumes, fish and seafood — variety across the week matters most.

Want help putting this into practice?

Understanding nutrients is one thing; building meals and habits that fit your real life is another. That's what coaching is for.