What Are Minerals?

What Are Minerals?

Minerals are elements found in soil and water that help to nourish the body.

We don't produce these elements ourselves, so we need to obtain them through our diet or mineral supplements.

They do not provide energy as we know it from fat, protein, and carbohydrates. But they are important for many different functions in the body. For example, magnesium helps muscles function optimally, and iron helps transport oxygen around the body.

Minerals are therefore crucial to our health, and a deficiency of one or more of them can throw us off balance and, in the worst-case scenario, make us sick.

Macro Minerals and Trace Elements

Minerals are generally categorised into two groups:

• macrominerals
• trace elements, also known as trace minerals

Macrominerals need to be supplied to the body in larger quantities than trace elements, but that doesn't mean they are necessarily more important to the body.

Macro minerals include magnesium, potassium, calcium and sodium.

Trace elements include zinc, iron, selenium and iodine, among others.

To ensure you obtain an adequate intake of minerals in your diet, including both trace and macrominerals, it's important to maintain a varied and healthy eating regimen comprising a range of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, dairy products, and protein sources.

Below, we have compiled a list of the most vital minerals along with the foods in which they can be found.

List of Minerals and What Foods the Minerals Are In

• Calcium is good for bones and can be found in dairy products, leafy vegetables and salmon.
• Iron helps to transport oxygen around the body. It is found in red meat, spinach, poultry, vegetables, liver and wholemeal products.
• Iodine is important for the thyroid gland to produce important hormones and is found in water, dairy products and fish, among other things, and is often added to salt.
• Potassium helps the body's cells communicate with each other and is found in vegetables, fruit, berries and potatoes.
• Magnesium has a central function in relation to muscles and the nervous system and also plays an important role in our metabolism. You can get magnesium from vegetables, fruit and berries, seeds, potatoes and wholemeal products.
• Sodium - helps to control our fluid balance and is found in salt and therefore in products and dishes with added salt.
• Selenium is an excipient that helps protect cells from destruction. It is found in wholemeal products, walnuts and seafood, among other things.
• Zinc is important for our immune system and can be found in wholemeal products, dairy products, meat and poultry, among other things.

Source: Harvard Health Publishing

Should You Take Mineral Supplements?

It's vital to ensure an adequate intake of both minerals and vitamins, and if you're not receiving enough through your diet, mineral supplements and vitamin supplements can be beneficial.

There are various reasons why you may experience deficiencies in certain minerals.

For instance, if you exclude specific food groups due to dietary preferences, you may lack certain minerals. This situation commonly occurs with vegetarians who abstain from consuming fish and meat, or vegans who avoid dairy products.

Women of childbearing age frequently experience deficiencies in iron and selenium, whereas older individuals need to focus on obtaining sufficient calcium to prevent osteoporosis.

Different life stages may also bring about deficiencies in certain minerals, and certain diseases can result in mineral deficiencies. Mineral supplements can provide your body with the additional building blocks it requires to maintain proper functioning and prevent imbalances.