Take charge of your health with the IMA’s Nutrient Guide. From A to Zinc, discover essential vitamins and minerals for immune support and overall well-being.
Most of us know that nutrients matter. What gets murky is the detail: which form of magnesium your body actually absorbs, what a B12 deficiency really looks like, how much vitamin D is enough, and which of the dozens of plant compounds on a supplement label are worth your money. That gap between “eat your vitamins” and informed, confident choices is exactly what this collection was built to close.
From A to Zinc: The IMA Nutrient Guide by IMA Senior Fellow Dr. Kristina Carman is one of the most thorough free nutritional references available anywhere: more than 80 pages covering over 70 individual nutrients, each with its own dedicated page. To make all of that easier to navigate, we’ve broken the material into six focused companion guides, each one a closer look at a single family of nutrients.
Download the full guide below, then explore the six companions to go deeper on whatever your body needs right now.
📚 The Six Companion Guides
Browse all six below, then start with whichever one fits what you’re working on right now. Each guide stands on its own, so there’s no wrong place to begin.
1. 💊 Vitamins 101
Start with the foundation. Vitamins 101 walks through 13 essential vitamins one at a time, from the fat-soluble four to the full B family. It’s the place to begin if you’ve ever stood in the supplement aisle unsure which form to reach for or how much you actually need.
Inside the guide: what each vitamin does, where to find it in food, how to recognize a deficiency, and the supplement forms worth choosing.
2. ⚙️ Minerals 101
The quiet workhorses. Minerals run thousands of reactions your body depends on, yet they rarely get the attention vitamins do. This guide covers 14 essential minerals and the role each plays in everything from energy to bone strength to a steady heartbeat.
Inside the guide: what each mineral does, the signs you might be short, the best food sources, and how to supplement without overdoing it.
3. 🧱 Amino Acids 101
The body’s building blocks. Amino acids are the raw material behind muscle, neurotransmitters, detoxification, and tissue repair. This guide breaks down 16 of the most important ones and the jobs they quietly do every day.
Inside the guide: what each amino acid does, which foods deliver it, the signs of running low, and practical guidance on supplementation.
4. 🌿 Antioxidants & Plant Compounds
Where food becomes medicine. Beyond the familiar vitamins lies a whole world of plant compounds, the polyphenols, flavonoids, and botanicals that give fruits and vegetables their color and much of their protective power. This guide covers 16 of them.
Inside the guide: which antioxidants carry the strongest evidence, where to find them on your plate, sensible dosages, and what to watch for.
5. 🦠 Gut & Metabolic Support
Health starts in the gut. Your gut houses most of your immune tissue, makes neurotransmitters that shape your mood, and helps regulate blood sugar and weight. This guide covers the foundational nutrients that keep digestion, the microbiome, and metabolism running smoothly.
Inside the guide: butyrate, collagen, digestive enzymes, fiber, and probiotics, with the foods, forms, and dosing that support each.
6. ✨ Hormonal & Longevity Support
The advanced toolkit. Some of the most powerful levers for mood, energy, sleep, and healthy aging are compounds your body already makes. This guide covers the targeted hormones and specialty nutrients that act at the level of hormones and cells.
Inside the guide: DHEA, melatonin, saffron, spermidine, and more, with the research, food sources, and safety notes most people never encounter.
🧭 Find What Your Body Needs
Nutrition isn’t a one-time decision. Your needs shift with age, stress, season, and whatever you’re working to improve. That’s why this collection is built to come back to, not read once and forget.
Start with the full guide for the complete picture, or pick the companion that speaks to what you need right now. Either way, you’ll walk in informed, ready to make choices that fit your body and to have a sharper conversation with your practitioner.
⚠️ The doses in these guides are written for adults. Always check with a qualified professional before starting something new, especially during pregnancy, while breastfeeding, or if you’re managing a health condition.
