You don't need to take vitamins. You just need to eat these 6 things.

Eat up, people.

I recently walked into a vitamin shop after noticing a sign out the front that said: “No one gets enough vitamins in their diet anymore”.

I walked in, and there were bottles of vitamin C, tablets of Vitamin D, and other devices for Vitamin A and E.

After being bombarded by a shop assistant trying to send me home with a life supply of vitamin supplements, I walked out feeling confused and slightly angry – are we that unhealthy that we have to pop pills? Surely not.

So I did some research, and found that often, vitamin supplements are unnecessary if you have a good diet (unless you have a medical issue, of course). And even more interesting, I discovered that nutrients, vitamins and minerals are best absorbed by the body from food rather than from supplements.

So here’s six ways to get your daily vitamins with food. Real food.

1. Vitamin A.

This one’s important because it helps with good vision, a strong immune system and nice skin. Health.com says it is found in “carrots, sweet potatoes and [capsicums],” as well as in other foods. So while carrots don’t actually let you see in the dark, they help with your eyesight and have other great health benefits – so get munching on those orange veggies.

Try: carrots and sweet potatoes in salad or as a vegetable side with summer and winter dinners.

2. Vitamin B.

To get Vitamin B you need a bit of grain to start your day and a bit of meat to get through or to end on. The National Health and Medical Research Council says that good foods for Vitamin B are organ meats, muscle meats and breakfast cereals.

Try: starting your day with wholegrain cereals and consider a pork or ham sandwich for lunch.

3. Vitamin C.

We’ve all been told to eat oranges for more vitamin C. But what I never knew was that kiwifruit has even more vitamin C than oranges, especially the Gold variety. In fact, just one kiwifruit gives you all the vitamin C you require for the day. They are delicious – especially in the morning – and they have a high density of lots of other nutrients too.

Try: chopping some kiwi fruit into your breakfast cereal, porridge and yogurt or fruit salad.

4. Vitamin D.

It’s just hit spring, so our vitamin D intake from the sun is slightly lower than it is in summer. Luckily you can get some good Vitamin D through tuna, salmon, trout and eel. Health.com says, “A 3-ounce sockeye salmon fillet contains about 450 international units (IUs) of vitamin D — a good portion of the 600 IUs that is the Institute of Medicine’s recommended dietary allowance.”

The health site also says that mushrooms can boost your Vitamin D intake.

Try: fish-heavy lunch and dinners, with a side of mushrooms.

5. Vitamin E.

This is a good source of antioxidants and can be found in a lot of foods that you probably eat every day. Health.com says that you can get vitamin E from foods such as oils, peanuts and eggs.

Try: having peanuts as a snack throughout your day, and add an egg to lunch salads to keep up your intake.

6. Vitamin K.

This vitamin is vital to assist with blood clotting, according to Victoria Government’s Better Health Channel. You can (and should) consume Vitamin K in every lunch and dinner meal.

NHMRC says: “The major dietary sources of Vitamin K are green leafy vegetables such as kale, spinach, salad greens, cabbage, broccoli and Brussel sprouts and certain plant oils such as soybean and canola oils.”

Try: adding greens to your lunch and dinner salads and vegetable side dishes.

It’s not hard – it’s just a matter of eating smart. Hurrah.

Do you take vitamin supplements?

Click through for inspo on vitamin-filled (and seriously delicious) snacks…

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