When a balanced diet is encouraged, it is not simply to prevent overweight. A balanced diet also aims to provide the body with all the building blocks it needs to ensure optimum health. One of those building blocks is minerals.

What are minerals?

Minerals are inorganic elements that play vitally important roles in various functions in the body and are necessary to sustain life and maintain health. Minerals cannot be made in the body – we have to take in minerals. Minerals in the human diet come from plants and water and it is therefore very important to ensure that adequate sources/amounts of minerals form part of the diet.

Major vs trace minerals

Minerals are categorised into two groups − major minerals and trace minerals − depending on the amount of each mineral needed in the body every day; major minerals are minerals that are needed in amounts of 100mg or more every day, while trace minerals are required in amounts less than 100mg daily.

It is important to note that the categorisation does not mean that one group of minerals are more important than the other – the names simply refer to the amounts needed of each group, and a deficiency of a mineral in either group can be harmful to health.

Some major minerals and their importance

    • Sodium is important in helping the body absorb other nutrients such as amino acids, glucose and water
    • Calcium is needed for bone and teeth formation and bone maintenance and plays a role in the clotting of blood and in muscle contraction
    • Potassium helps in the control of muscle contraction, in transmission of nerve impulses and in maintaining blood pressure
    • Magnesium can help prevent hypertension and cardiovascular disease and is also beneficial in treating osteoporosis and diabetes.

Some trace minerals and their importance

    • It is well known that iodine is essential for normal thyroid function
    • Iron aids in the formation of red blood cells and transports oxygen in the blood to muscles
    • Zinc is needed for digestion and metabolism, and also helps in healing, growth, tissue repair and sexual development
    • Chromium is necessary for the proper functioning of insulin, the hormone that regulates glucose metabolism in the cells.

 

Sources
Reader’s Digest Good Health Fact Book.1996. Reader’s Digest Australia
www.diet.com
www.livestrong.com
www.netdoctor.co.uk
www.thefoodchart.com