Vitamins were discovered centuries ago when people realised that fruit was essential for healthy living. There is a famous story of how the British sailors came to be described as 'limeys' because they always carried a supply of fresh limes on ship to prevent a disease called scurvy.

Nowadays we know that there is a wide range of vitamins and we are fairly clear what each of them does in our bodies.

In general, you do not need vitamin pills to stay healthy, because a range of vitamins are found in most common foods. However, because no one food contains all the vitamins you need, you must have a range of foods - a balanced diet.