Blog by: Akshay Kulkarni
Your body needs certain minerals to build strong bones and teeth and turn the food you eat into energy. As with vitamins, a healthy balanced diet should provide all the minerals your body needs to work properly. Essential minerals include calcium, iron and potassium. However, there are many more minerals your body needs to function, including:
beta-carotene
magnesium
phosphorus
silicon
sodium
sulphur
Calcium
There's more calcium in your body than any other mineral. Calcium helps to build strong bones and teeth and regulate your heartbeat. It also ensures your blood clots normally, important for healing. Good sources of calcium include:
dairy foods - such as milk, cheese and butter
green leafy vegetables – such as broccoli and cabbage
fortified soya products
fortified cereals - including bread
fish where you eat the bones – such as anchovies and sardines
Iron
Iron helps your body make red blood cells to carry oxygen around your body.If you don't have enough iron in your diet, you're at risk of developing iron deficiency anaemia.Good sources of iron include:
meat – such as beef and liver
beans
nuts
dried fruit – such as dried apricots
wholegrains – such as brown rice
fortified breakfast cereals
most dark-green leafy vegetables – such as watercress and curly kale
Potassium
Potassium helps the body control the balance of fluids and keeps your heart healthy and functioning correctly.Good sources of potassium include:
fruit – such as bananas
some vegetables – such as broccoli, parsnips and brussels sprouts
pulses
nuts and seeds
fish and shellfish
meat
Trace elements
Trace elements are also essential nutrients, however, you need them in smaller amounts than vitamins and minerals.Essential trace elements include iodine and zinc. However, there are many more elements your body needs to function, including:
boron
chromium
cobalt
copper
molybdenum
manganese
nickel
selenium
Iodine
Iodine helps your body make the thyroid hormones that keep your cells and metabolic rate healthy.As iodine is a trace element found mainly in seawater, rocks and some soils, good food sources include:
fish and shellfish
some vegetables and grains - although this depends on the type of soil where they're grown
Zinc
Zinc helps your body:
make new cells and enzymes
process carbohydrate, fat and protein in food
with the healing of wounds
Good food sources of zinc include:
meat
shellfish
dairy foods
cereal products – such as wheat germ and wholegrain bread
Minerals should be obtained by natural food sources but supplementation is recommended for athletes and special populations.