Ounce of prevention: where do you find your strength?

when hectic schedules compromise our best nutritional intentions, we can help keep our diets balanced with the convenience of a daily multivitamin. Still, it's no secret that the body better absorbs most nutrients through whole foods. As short on time as training leaves us, especially when added to work and family commitments, runners and other regular exercisers in particular need to maximize food choices for optimal energy. Below is a summary of where to find some of the most important vitamins; in another article we'll look at the best food sources for the major minerals.

The information here is hardly surprising, and reflects everything we've learned in recent years about a balanced diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables, nuts, healthy fats and whole grains. As is illustrated below, lean cuts of meat in moderation can certainly serve as a valuable source of nutrients, but it's worth noting that in many cases animal sources can be substituted with vegetarian ones.

(The Complete Guide to Sports Nutrition by Anita Bean, Lyons Press, Guilford, CT, 2004, 273 pp. $16.95).

  Vitamin           Functions / Notes               Food Sources

     A        healthy skin, vision, stomach   meat, eggs, milk, cheese,
              lining; men should not exceed   oily fish, butter,
              9,000 ug/day, 7,500 for women   margarine

   Beta-      converts into vitamin A;        carrots, spinach,
  carotene    powerful antioxidant            apricots, tomatoes and
                                              other brightly colored
                                              fruits and vegetables

B1 (Thiamin)  helps convert carbs into        whole grains, red meat,
              energy; healthy nerve, brain    beans, lentils, peas
              and muscle function

     B2       helps convert carbs into        red meat, chicken, milk,
(Riboflavin)  energy; healthy skin and eyes;  eggs, yogurt, cheese
              nerve function

   Niacin     helps convert carbs into        red meat, chicken, turkey,
              energy; healthy skin and eyes;  milk, eggs, yogurt,
              nerve function; aids            cheese, bread
              digestion; the safe upper
              limit is 35 mg daily; high
              doses may damage the liver

     B6       red blood cell formation;       nuts, lentils, beans and
              metabolism                      peas, eggs, fish, bread,
                                              bananas

 Folic acid   DNA and red blood cell          green vegetables, nuts,
              formation                       beans and lentils, wheat
                                              germ, fortified breads and
                                              cereals

    B12       metabolic regulation; red       meat, fish, milk, cheese,
              blood cell manufacture;         yogurt, soy products,
              general cell growth             cereal

     C        cell growth and repair;         fresh citrus fruit,
              connective tissue and red       berries, green leafy
              blood cell formation; healthy   vegetables, tomatoes and
              blood vessels, gums and teeth;  peppers
              adrenalin production;
              antioxidant; high doses may
              increase kidney stone risk in
              people prone to them

     D        controls calcium absorption;    sunlight, fresh oils and
              bone formation; safe upper      oily fish, eggs, fortified
              limit is 2,000 IU daily         cereals, juices and milk

     E        antioxidant; red blood cell     pure vegetable oils, wheat
              formation; general cell growth  germ, whole grains, nuts,
                                              eggs, avocado