I’m planning a presentation on nutraceuticals and supplements in the coming weeks, so I’ve got vitamins on my mind. Also minerals (calcium, iron), phytonutrients (colorful pigments), and other kinds of products (kelp, cinnamon, omega-3 fatty acids). In gathering together the information on sources of various vitamins, I have been struck by how many of the vitamins list fruits and vegetables as a rich and important source, particularly green leafy vegetables.

I make a strong case for getting most of our vitamins in the food we eat, just so you know. But not everyone gets all they need from their food, and that goes double — at least — for people eating the standard American diet.

Vitamin A is found especially in orange foods like carrots, sweet potatoes, apricots, mangoes, and papayas, as well as in green, leafy vegetables. Whereas the type of Vitamin A in many supplements can be toxic, the Vitamin A in these orange fruits and vegetables will never be toxic. That’s because foods provide not pre-formed Vitamin A but, rather, beta-carotene, which is converted to Vitamin A by our livers only in amounts we need at that moment.

Why green, leafy vegetables? Because they, too, contain large amounts of the orange, beta-carotene pigments; they are simply hidden by the dark green pigments. In my college organic chemistry class, using a technique called chromatography, we reproduced our own version of a famous experiment in which we mashed up spinach with a mortar and pestle, and then extracted the various pigments. Yes, the orange pigment was in there; I saw it with my own eyes.

Folate (vitamin B9) is another one. Think of the word FOLiage to get a sense of the strength of the connection between green leaves and FOLate. 

Vitamin C, a vital substance for our skin, our gums, and all our connective tissues, is found in large amounts in green leafy vegetables and all the citrus fruits. Vitamin E protects the skin from ultraviolet rays and prevents cell damage from free radicals. Vitamin K makes a critical contribution to maintaining a healthy circulatory system, particularly blood coagulation. 

My colleague Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn includes in his presentation a long, impressive, and memorized(!) list of greens that includes spinach, kale, romaine lettuce, red- and green-leaf lettuce, mustard greens, collards, arugula (also called rocket), broccoli, turnip greens, cabbage, Bok choy, Swiss chard, chicory, dandelion greens, and more. I enjoy hearing him go through the list rapid-fire.

Take your pick. It’s like taking a vitamin, but way better.