Many of us have heard that it’s preferable to get vitamins from food alone and not from supplements. But there is no simple answer. It depends on your diet, say nutritionists at East Jefferson General Hospital’s Wellness Center in Metairie, Louisiana.

The center’s menus printed below offer a sample breakfast, lunch, dinner and two snacks that provide an average middle-age adult with the recommended daily allowance of protein, carbs, fats, vitamins and minerals required to sustain a healthy diet.

Breakfast: ½ cup bran cereal with raisins, 1 cup fresh blueberries and 2 tablespoons slivered almonds mixed in 1 cup fat-free vanilla yogurt. To drink: 1 cup green tea.

Snack: 1 medium banana with 4 walnut halves. To drink: 1 cup skim milk.

Lunch: A sandwich with 4 slices low-sodium deli turkey and 1 slice Swiss cheese between 2 slices whole-wheat bread spread with 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, and a salad of 1 cup baby romaine lettuce with ½ cup raw carrots, ½ cup raw red bell pepper, ¥ of a medium avocado, ½ cup chopped tomatoes and 2 tablespoons light balsamic vinaigrette dressing. To drink: a 16-ounce glass of water with lemon.

Snack: 1 ounce of cheddar cheese and 8 thin wheat crackers. To drink: an 8-ounce glass of water.

Dinner: 4 ounces broiled halibut, 1 large baked sweet potato topped with 1 tablespoon non-hydrogenated margarine and 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1 cup cooked frozen spinach. To drink: a 16-ounce glass of water with lemon.