Rich in Vitamin A: Breakfast Tacos

Origin: Texas (with influence from Mexico)
Vitamin A Ingredients: Tomato, Red Pepper, Eggs
For a Boost, Add: Mango or Cantaloupe
Also High In: Vitamin D (Cheese) and B (Avocado)

The Dish: As a result of the segregation of migrant Mexican families into East Austin in the 1940s, Mexican businesses flourished in central Texas, leading to the development of taco truck culture. Texas’ Tamale House created the breakfast taco in the 1960s, which was never really adopted outside the Texas border, but became a cultural mainstay in the Lone Star State.

The Vitamin: Common in developing countries, but rare in the United States, vitamin A deficiency can lead to night blindness, growth-stunting, or susceptibility to infectious diseases such as measles and pneumonia. 

Photo courtesy Thinkstock/IslandLeigh

Rich in Vitamin B: Manakish

Origin: Lebanon
Vitamin B Ingredients: Lamb and Cheese
For a Boost, Add: Pickles (Vitamin K), Tomato (Vitamin C), and Yogurt (Vitamin D) on the side
Also High In: Vitamin K (Lamb)

The Dish: A popular Levantine food originating from Hebrew and Arabic culture, the manakish is a Middle Eastern pizza known as the “poor man’s food.” Manakish means “stamped,” which represents how the dough is flattened by the fingers in a decorative pattern. Toppings can vary—from vitamin D-rich foods like feta cheese or yogurt to herbs full of vitamin C, like thyme—but the food itself will always be Lebanon’s traditional and most favorite breakfast.

The Vitamin: Although beef, mackerel, shellfish, crustaceans, milk, cheese, and eggs may at first appear like ingredients for cardiac trouble, in moderation they can actually help prevent heart disease due to their high levels of B vitamins, which work together to ensure cell metabolism.

Photo courtesy Flickr user Alpha

Rich in Vitamin C: Tagine

Origin: Morocco
Vitamin C Ingredients: Tomato, Apricot, Green Bell Pepper, Sweet Potato, Green Peas
For a Boost, Add: Kale, Broccoli, Papaya, Mango, Kiwi, or Strawberries
Also High In: Vitamin A (Chickpeas, Apricots, Carrots, and Celery)

The Dish: Tagine originated in North Africa, and was named after the earthenware pot it was cooked in over an open fire, trapping steam and circulating condensation. Helpful for areas facing limited water supplies, the tagine pot is now seen in American culture as a slow cooker. Tunisians make tagine less like a stew and more like a frittata, with canneli beans, egg, rosebuds, and sundried tomatoes—ingredients high in vitamins C, A, and D.

The Vitamin: If you drink your orange juice, you’re probably getting a good dose of vitamin C. Although famous for fighting the common cold, vitamin C is actually most important for repairing tissue and for assisting the digestive track. It’s also helpful in preventing cholesterol build-up.

Photo courtesy of Flickr user 
Receitasparatodososdias

Rich in Vitamin D: Judd mat Gaardebounen

Origin: Luxembourg
Vitamin D Ingredient: Pork
For a Boost, Add: Portabello Mushrooms (Vitamin D)
Also High In: Vitamin B and Potassium (Pork and Beans and Potatoes)

The Dish: Judd mat Gaardebounen hilariously translates to “Beans with Beans,” but there’s definitely pork in there, which is high in vitamin D. During the Thirty Years War in Central Europe, Luxembourg was turned into a battleground and Spanish troops invaded in the 16th and 17th centuries, bringing with them what became Luxembourg’s national dish. The origin of the word judd comes from the Spanish word for “bean”—judía—though pork, another common food in Spain, didn’t seem to make the cut for the name of this dish.

The Vitamin: If you find yourself in the sun often, you’re already getting a high dose of vitamin D. If you spend most of your time indoors—in front of a computer, we’re guessing?—or in locales far away from the equator and its vitamin D-rich light, you can avoid aches, pains, and weak bones by eating breakfast foods such as fortified cereals, orange juice, egg yolks, yogurt, cheese, and milk. 

Photo courtesy of Luxembourg Presidency of the Council of the European Union

Rich in Vitamin E: Ceviche

Origin: Peru and Ecuador
Vitamin E Ingredients: Shrimp and Avocado
For a Boost, Add: Cod Liver Oil and Trout (Vitamin E) and Sweet Potatoes (Vitamin A)
Also High In: Vitamin B (Shrimp) and Vitamin C (Tomatoes and Lime)

The Dish: Prepared in a variety of ways throughout Central and South America, ceviche originated from the coastal civilization of the Moche in Peru, who used the fermented juice from the local banana passionfruit, then incorporated various fish and shellfish. Although found in Mexican cuisine, the citrus influence actually came from the Moorish people of Spain.

The Vitamin: Blood flows through your body with the help of vitamin E. Without it, you wouldn’t have the structural and functional maintenance necessary for your heart, muscles, brain, red blood cells, and bones. To avoid anemia, get your nuts and whole grains, then roast them with safflower oil, palm oil, olive oil, or almond oil. To maximize the effect, take vitamin K with some cod liver oil.

Photo courtesy of Flickr user Juan Felipe Rubio

Rich in Vitamin K: Sweet Potato Greens

Origin: Liberia and Taiwan
Vitamin K Ingredients: Sweet Potato Greens and Basil
For a Boost, Add: Kale, Scallions, Leeks, Fennel, Asparagus, or Olive Oil
Also High In: Vitamin A (Sweet Potatoes)

The Dish: After American political and religious leaders designated Liberia as a place to relocate Africans brought to America as slaves, the first African-American settlers (known as Americo-Liberians) became Liberia’s ruling class in the 1860s. Integrating Southern cuisine with Liberian, Americo-Liberians quickly embraced sweet potato greens as a common dish in their culture. Originally viewed more as food scraps meant for livestock in Taiwan, sweet potato greens have recently become a commonly used ingredient there, likely because they're as high in nutritional content as spinach, but less bitter and more resilient in hot climates and near pests. Typically served with fish, beef, chicken, or rice, sweet potato greens are also a good source of vitamin A when paired with sweet potatoes.

The Vitamin: Playing an important role in blood clotting and the prevention of cancer and heart disease, vitamin K is most effective when paired with vitamin D and fat. Vitamin K might as well be renamed vitamin G because almost every “green” is full of it, including scallions, lettuce, herbs, kale, brussel sprouts, asparagus, pickles, and soybeans.

Photo courtesy of Antoshananarivo