Minerals for beginners

Minerals and vitamins are substances that are found in the food we eat. Minerals are inorganic substances and vitamins are organic substances. Our body needs minerals and vitamins to work properly and to stay healthy.

Food contains small amounts of minerals. For example beef and other red meats contain a lot of iron. Iron is needed to help your blood transport oxygen through the body. There are many different minerals and all perform different but important functions in the body. Some help to build up strong bones, others are used to make hormones, and some are needed to help transmit signals through your nervous system.

Macro minerals and trace minerals

Minerals can be divided in two groups: macro minerals and trace minerals. Macro means big or large. The body needs relatively large amounts of the macro minerals. The group of macro minerals includes:

• Calcium
• Chloride
• Magnesium
• Phosphorus
• Potassium
• Sodium
• Sulfur

Of the trace minerals the body only needs very small amounts (the word trace means that they are difficult to find because there is only a little of it). The group of trace minerals includes:

• Cobalt
• Copper
• Fluoride
• Iodine
• Iron
• Manganese
• Selenium
• Zinc

Let’s have a look at some individual minerals (in alphabetical order):

Calcium

Calcium is important for building strong bones and teeth. Shortage of calcium, especially in children, can lead to weak bones.

Foods that contain calcium:

• dairy products (e.g. milk, cheese, yogurt)
• canned salmon
• sardines with bones
• green leafy green vegetables (e.g. broccoli)
• foods enriched with calcium

Chloride

The body needs Chloride for the production of hydrochloric acid. This is produced in the stomach and helps digest food. Chloride also plays a role in the body’s metabolism, which is the process of turning food into energy. It also helps controlling the body's acid-base balance. The kidneys play an important role in controlling the amount of chloride in the blood.

Foods that contain chloride:

• table salt and sea salt
• seaweed
• tomatoes
• lettuce
• celery
• olives
• rye

Fluoride

Fluoride is a trace mineral that is needed for the formation of tooth enamel. It helps prevent tooth decay.

Foods that contain fluoride:

• toothpaste to which it is added to prevent dental cavities
• water to which fluoride is added (to reduce tooth decay)

Iodine

The body needs small amounts of Iodine. This trace mineral is required in the thyroid gland to produce a hormone called thyroxin. A shortage of iodine can cause all kinds of health problems, for example goitre (a swelling in the neck due to an enlarged thyroid gland), extreme fatigue, and mental slowing.

Foods that contain Iodine

• fish and other sea foods
• iodized salt (salt fortified with iodine)
• plants grown on iodine-rich soil

Iron

Iron is important for the blood. The blood contains red blood cells. In these red blood cells is a substance called hemoglobin, which is needed to transport oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body. If the body has not enough iron you become anemic; you become weak, pale and listless, and your are short of energy.

Foods that contain iron:

• meat (especially beef and other red meats)
• green leafy green vegetables (e.g. spinach, broccoli)
• tuna fish
• salmon
• eggs
• beans
• raisins
• whole grains (e.g. wheat, oats)
• baked potato with skins

Potassium

The body needs Potassium or proper functioning of muscles and the nervous system (brains and nerves). It also plays a role in the water balance in the body.

Foods that contain potassium:

• bananas
• broccoli and other green leafy vegetables
• tomatoes
• potatoes with skins
• legumes (e.g. beans, peas, lentils, peanuts)
• citrus fruits (e.g. oranges, tangerines)
• dried fruits

Zinc

Zinc plays an important role in the immune system of the body. It helps the body to protect against diseases and infections, and it is needed or healing wounds. Zinc is also needed or proper cell growth.

Foods that contain zinc:

• beef
• pork
• lamb
• legumes (e.g. beans, peas, lentils, peanuts)

Healthy food proverbs and quotes

• He that takes medicine and neglects diet, wastes the skills of the physician.
• Where would we be without salt? (James A. Beard)
• An apple a day keeps the doctor away.
• I don't like spinach, and I'm glad I don't, because if I liked it I'd eat it, and I just hate it. (Clarence Darrow)
• Life expectancy would grow by leaps and bounds if green vegetables smelled as good as bacon. (Doug Larson)
• The best doctors in the world, are Doctor Diet, Doctor Quiet, and Doctor Merryman.

Conclusion

All minerals (macro minerals and trace minerals) are important for the body. If you don’t get enough of a certain mineral, this will often cause health problems. Make sure you eat a healthy diet with a lot of variation. A healthy diet includes plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables.