Category
Vitamins & minerals
Nutrients added on purpose to fortify food, from folic acid to added iron and calcium.
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CholineCholine is a nutrient most people get enough of from eggs, meat and soy, so it is rarely something to hunt down. It is added on purpose to infant formula, where the amount is regulated, and EFSA sets 400 mg a day for adults.Use in moderationFerrous sulfateFerrous sulfate is the iron added to flour, bread and cereals, and it is safe at fortification amounts. The catch is the dose: a large single serving upsets the stomach, so read the milligram amount on the label, not the product count.Use in moderationFolic acid (Vitamin B9)Folic acid is the synthetic form of vitamin B9, and it is added to flour, bread and breakfast cereals on purpose. It is safe at fortification levels, but EFSA caps it at 0.6 mg a day for adults because a large intake can hide a vitamin B12 deficiency.Use in moderationNiacin (Vitamin B3)Niacin is vitamin B3 in the nicotinic acid form, added to flour and cereals because many diets fall short of it. Fortification amounts are small and safe, but a 100 mg supplement is a bigger dose, and that much nicotinic acid makes many people flush.Use in moderationNiacinamideNiacinamide is the mild form of vitamin B3: it does the same job as nicotinic acid but does not make you flush. It is safe at amounts beyond anything in a drink or a cereal, and it is the version most fortified products use.Use in moderationPotassium iodidePotassium iodide is the iodine added to iodised table salt. Iodine has one of the narrowest windows of any nutrient: too little and the thyroid enlarges, too much and the thyroid misbehaves, so EFSA caps adults at 600 micrograms a day.Use in moderationVitamin B12Vitamin B12 is the vitamin only bacteria make, so it reaches plant-based food through fortification or a bacterial source. It is safe even in large doses, has no upper limit, and is worth checking if you eat no animal products.Generally safeVitamin D3Vitamin D3 is the same vitamin your skin makes in sunlight, and manufacturers add it to milk, spreads and supplements. Fortified food carries a small fraction of a daily dose, but high-dose supplements can pass the upper level and cause harm, so read the label.Use in moderationZinc oxideZinc oxide is a mineral powder that adds zinc to cereals, plant drinks and formula. It is safe in normal food amounts, but too much for weeks leaves you short of copper, so EFSA caps it at 25 mg a day for adults.Use in moderation