Minerals and Their Role in the Body

What are minerals and why do we need them? There are actually 27 minerals and they are vital to the functioning of the human body.

Quick Glance: Minerals

Did you know that minerals are natural and come from the earth?

They are usually found in solid form. Calcium, Magnesium, and Zinc are common minerals that you are familiar with. There are actually 27 minerals and they are vital to the functioning of the human body. Macrominerals are needed in large amounts by the body whereas trace minerals are needed in smaller amounts. Many food items contain minerals naturally and others are fortified with them. Either way, the body needs minerals to maintain safe and healthy functioning.

Explore: They Go Hand In Hand

Often when you hear of the word “vitamins” you will hear “minerals". Minerals are just as important as vitamins. Minerals support your normal growth and development. Your body needs them to perform vital functions.

Two kinds of minerals exist:

Macrominerals
Trace minerals

Macrominerals are needed in fairly large amounts. Trace minerals are needed in smaller amounts.

As you can see from the chart above, the items highlighted in pink are Macrominerals and are pretty important to the body’s function. Macrominerals include calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, sodium, potassium, sulfur, and chloride. The trace minerals play their role but are not as vital as the Macrominerals. Trace minerals include iron, zinc, manganese, copper, iodine, fluoride, cobalt, and selenium.

How Do Minerals Work?

Click HERE to view a chart that gives us a better understanding of all of the minerals and how they affect the body. You can also gain knowledge on what types of foods contain these important minerals and how much is required by the RDA.

Fortified and Enriched with Vitamins and Minerals

Fortification is the process of adding in a nutrient or ingredient that was not found naturally in that product. This is different from enriched which means that the food item originally did have that nutrient or ingredient, but more of it was added, either to increase the nutrition or because the processing of the food removed it. Either way, usually the body processes the added item as it would have if it occurred naturally. The thing to be aware of is when manufacturers add vitamins and minerals to otherwise unhealthy foods like cookies and cakes.

Some common items that contain fortified or enriched vitamins and minerals are listed below.

Challenge

So how do minerals play a role in our health? Try the challenge below to test your knowledge.

Takeaway: Mineral Water- Good or Bad?

Water. It has been around since the dawn of time. However, the look and the taste of it are changing. Following recent Health trends, more and more companies are producing mineral or sparkling waters.

What is the difference between a mineral water and regular tap water?

Water that comes out of the ground will pass through several layers of rocks and will contain the mineral elements of these rocks. Water content and health benefits can vary depending on the source and the type of minerals in these rocks.

Mineral water claims to have some health benefits. Depending on the amounts of minerals in the water it can be a small source of calcium. It can also help replace lost electrolytes and have slight detoxifying properties. This may sound too good to be true so it is important to read the label and see what type of mineral properties a certain water contains.

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