Like vitamins, minerals are essential for maintaining excellent health and helping your body to grow, develop and maintain various biological functions. Your body uses minerals for highly specific purposes to stay healthy. Minerals help with functions like transmitting nerve impulses, making hormones, creating enzymes and regulating your heartbeat. Calcium, for example, is the mineral that builds strong bones. Minerals are classified into two groups: macro and trace. Macro is Greek for "large," and trace means a tiny amount. Macrominerals include sulfur, potassium, magnesium, phosphorous and calcium. Trace minerals include bromine, chromium, cobalt, copper, iodine, iron, manganese, molybdenum, selenium, silicon and zinc.
Macrominerals help your body to perform various essential functions. Deficiencies will result in weakness and illness. Calcium, iron and potassium are three examples of important macrominerals.
Calcium builds strong bones and teeth. It can be found in dairy products, like milk and cheese, leafy green vegetables, like broccoli and turnip greens, and fish like sardines and salmon.
Iron creates hemoglobin in red blood cells, which, in turn, helps transport oxygen to every cell in your body. After the lungs breathe in oxygen, hemoglobin in red blood cells transports it to the cells. Iron can be found in many foods, including red meat, salmon, tuna, beans, raisins, broccoli and wheat.
Potassium keeps your nervous system and muscles working properly. When it is low, you feel nervous, irritated and easily exhausted. It can be found in foods such as bananas, tomatoes, potato skins and broccoli, as well as citrus fruits, dried fruits and legumes.
Although your body needs only a tiny amount of each one, trace minerals are essential for health. Iodine, manganese and molybdenum are three examples of important trace minerals.
Iodine makes the thyroid hormone and maintains thyroid gland function. It can be found in seafood, iodized salt and vegetables grown in iodine-rich soil.
Manganese assists antioxidants and keeps your nervous system healthy. Manganese-containing foods include whole grains, legumes, seeds and nuts.
Molybdenum is a component in the enzyme that breaks down amino acids. It can be found in nuts and legumes.