The Most Important Vitamins - And Where to Find Them in Chinese Foods

A small guide on how to get the Vitamins and Minerals your body needs while in China.

We all grew up hearing advice to take our vitamins and eat healthily, but most of that wisdom was tossed around before the era of 65 hour work weeks, fast food on every street corner and even global employees. And if the stress, long hours and processed foods aren’t enough to deal with, most expats living and working in China must also contend with ordering from a Chinese menu - and that’s hard enough without worrying about nutrition.

To make eating in China easier, we’ve come up with a list of foods that pack in a few extra essential vitamins and minerals, to keep you healthier during your Chinese dining excursions.

Firstly, vitamins are important. All humans require regular intake of vitamins A, B complexes, C, E and K, along with modifiers to metabolize vitamin D. Additionally, essential elements including calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium and amino acids are necessary to maintain good health and get the most benefit from foods. As a result, many people choose to take a daily supplement to prevent deficiencies, but the best way to get the essential elements your body needs is through food. Vitamins in food are more readily digested than in pill form, since pills can be hard to break down and often pass through the body too quickly to be of major benefit.

Vitamin A

To get plenty of vitamin A, be sure that your diet contains colorful vegetables. Some of the foods highest in vitamin A include chili peppers, lettuce, bitter greens, butternut squash, carrots and sweet potatoes.

Vitamin B Complexes

In total there are eight different B vitamins, and each is necessary for good health. These vitamins are easy to find because they are abundant in protein-rich foods like nuts, fish, beef, pork, chicken and tofu; all of which are very common in China. B Vitamins are also present in many vegetables, particularly hearty greens like asparagus, broccoli, spinach or bananas, as well as the year round Chinese favorites of cabbage and rice.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C does nearly endless amounts of good for your body, and getting enough of it is easy since it is found in more than just oranges. The highest amounts of vitamin C are found in peppers, generally the hotter the better, but red, yellow and green bell peppers have lots too. Other fruits and vegetables with lots of vitamin C are kiwis, bitter greens, all citrus fruits and strawberries, along with edible flowers such as broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and Brussels sprouts.

Vitamin D

Vitamin D is the vitamin that more people are deficient in than any other. The reason is twofold; many people avoid the foods highest in vitamin D, or they don’t spend enough time in the sunlight to allow their bodies to metabolize the vitamin D they have before it is expelled. As for good sources of vitamin D, tofu and mushrooms are both staples of Chinese cooking and are very high in vitamin D, as are fish, eggs, milk and other dairy products.

Vitamin E

The highest concentrations of vitamin E of any food are found in nuts, almonds in particular, as well as sunflower seeds and peanuts, all of which are sold raw or salted as snacks everywhere in China. Other foods packed with vitamin E, and common in Chinese cuisine, are spinach, winter greens and taro.

Vitamin K

Here again, the green vegetables win. Parsley, asparagus, edible flowers and bitter greens, as well as spring onions, soy beans and tofu are all loaded with vitamin K.

Amino Acids

As the building blocks of proteins, amino acids are critical to good health. For people who don’t eat meat, either as a life choice or due to food safety concerns surrounding meat in China, getting a sufficient supply can be difficult. Meat, dairy and eggs have the highest concentration of the nine essential amino acids, but other sources of complete proteins include tofu, nuts, beans, rice, wheat and barley.\

Calcium

Dairy is the best source of calcium, but other foods also have high concentrations of calcium and are common in China: kale, broccoli, turnip greens, oranges, sesame seeds, soy beans, almonds and sunflower seeds.

Iron

Beef is often considered the best source of iron, and it does have a lot, however some other good sources of iron include chicken, pumpkin seeds, potatoes, spinach, broccoli and tofu.

Magnesium

Seeds and nuts are loaded with magnesium, as are all greens, soybeans and especially seaweed. But, a surprising source of magnesium is in soups made with bones, because the suspended mineral cooks into the soup as it simmers. Plus, bone soup is a very common dish in China.

Potassium

When most people think of potassium, they think bananas, but there are several other foods that are readily available in China and actually higher in potassium. Great sources of potassium include potatoes, leafy greens, mushrooms, squash and yogurt.

Conclusion

The most important thing to remember is that fruits and vegetables can do no harm, so long as you don’t have food allergies. So, eat up! What a delicious way to take your vitamins.

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