As promises of better health from vitamin mega-doses frequently fall flat, food is coming back into favor as your best bet for disease-fighting nutrients. That doesn’t mean that vitamins don’t matter, but while dietary supplements can make up for a little dietary neglect, real food sources of many nutrients turn out to be best.

Here’s a look at the best food sources of the nutrients that many people pop a pill to get:
· Vitamin C—The daily value is 60 mg a day. Excellent sources include orange juice and steamed broccoli.
· Vitamin E—The daily value is 15 mg. Good to excellent sources include sunflower seeds and almonds.
· Beta Carotene—Since Beta-Carotene is converted to vitamin A, the amount you need is based on the daily value for vitamin A, which is 5000 IU’s (international units). Excellent sources include baked sweet potatoes and carrots.

Another benefit of getting most of your nutrients from foods is that it is difficult to overdose on nutrients from food sources. Most cases of vitamin or mineral toxicity are caused by over supplementation from pills. A basic multivitamin is still a good idea, but a supplement is not a substitute for eating healthy foods.