 |
Essential Minerals - An Overview
Minerals are contained in every part of our body – they’re in our bones, teeth, soft tissue, muscle, blood, nerve cells, and in our internal fluid – and they are needed in order for our body to make use of vitamins. Minerals cannot be made by the body and so they must be included in our diet. They are essential for many bodily actions and reactions, including, muscle response, the transmission of messages through the nervous system, and the use of nutrients in food. How Much Essential Minerals?
So what amount of minerals are required for a healthy diet? Even though we need to have minerals in our diet, it is possible to have to much of a good thing! There is a real danger of mineral toxicity if you supplement without knowing what you’re doing. Particularly dangerous in large doses are zinc, selenium, chromium, and magnesium as the body requires very little of these to be able to function properly.
The following foods are good sources of minerals: whole grains, seafood, fruits, and vegetables. Selenium is found in Brazil nuts, iron in dried beans, zinc in seafood, and potassium in bananas. Iron and calcium are the two minerals most likely to be deficient in women’s diets. You should, however, consider calcium supplementation to offset the increased risk of osteoporosis that comes as you get older. Of course exercise is also a good way of delaying osteoporosis and you can get some exercise tips here. Click The Essential Minerals LinksThe major minerals are: Boron; Calcium; Chromium; Copper; Iodine; Iron; Magnesium; Manganese; Phosphorus; Potassium; Selenium and Zinc.Click to leave the essential minerals page and visit our comprehensive vitamin page. Or.......sign up to our bi-monthly newsletter and not only will you get lots of nutrition, weightloss, exercise tips and advice, you'll be able to get our FREE comprehensive report "All About Vitamins"
|
