Vitamins
A vitamin is an organic compound that provides nutrients to an organism. Vitamins were first discovered in the early 1900s, although the nutritional value of different foods was understood before this. In humans vitamins are either qualified as water soluble or fat soluble and there are 13 total. Because vitamins are important for the normal growth and development of humans but cannot be readily stored within the human body, consistent consumption of vitamin rich foods is important.