Vitamins

Vitamins are special helpers found in the food you eat. Your body needs them to grow big and stay healthy. You only need a small amount each day. Fruits, veggies, milk, and eggs have lots of vitamins. Each vitamin has its own job to do inside your body.

Why We Need Vitamins

Vitamins help your body work the right way. They keep your bones strong and your eyes sharp. They also help cuts heal and fight off germs. Without vitamins, you can feel tired or get sick. Eating many kinds of food is the best way to get them.

An old paper from 1920 that first gave vitamins their name.
An old paper from 1920 that first gave vitamins their name. (Jack Drummond / Wikimedia Commons)

Different Kinds of Vitamins

There are many vitamins, like A, B, C, D, E, and K. Vitamin A helps you see well. Vitamin C keeps you from getting colds. Vitamin D makes your bones hard and strong. Each letter stands for a different helper. Each one is important in its own way.

Fun Facts

  • Your skin can make vitamin D when you play in the sun.
  • Oranges and strawberries have lots of vitamin C.
  • Carrots have vitamin A, which is good for your eyes.

Did You Know?

Long ago, sailors got very sick on long trips because they had no fresh fruit, so they did not get enough vitamin C.