Vitamins and minerals: what's the difference?
Vitamins and minerals are often mentioned in the same breath. Yet they're two different groups of nutrients.
Vitamins
Vitamins are organic compounds. There are thirteen of them. They fall into two groups: fat soluble (A, D, E and K) and water soluble (C and the B vitamins).
Minerals
Minerals are elements from nature, such as magnesium, zinc, iron and calcium. They come from soil and water, and that's how they end up in your food.
On the label
Both have a reference intake (RI), which shows how much is in a daily dose. More on that in what does RI mean on a label.