Minerals are a crucial part of keeping your body healthy and operating at peak levels. They serve an incredibly diverse array of functions from building strong bones to transmitting nerve impulses. Luckily, many of these essential minerals are commonly found in the foods we eat every day: such as nuts, dairy products, and fish. However, it can still be very easy to fall short of your recommended daily intake for specific minerals, leading to symptoms such as impaired brain function and weakened immune systems. We provide here 10 essential minerals to improve your overall health.
Essential Macro-minerals
- Calcium: Calcium is widely found in dairy products, with kale and broccoli being excellent non-dairy sources. Calcium is the most abundant mineral in the body, serving many functions such as muscle contraction, nerve impulse transmission, intracellular signaling, and many more. Calcium deficiency is most common in poor populations and can contribute to issues such as hypertensive disorder of pregnancy, high blood pressure, and osteoporosis. Adults should aim for 1000-1300mg of calcium per day.
- Phosphorous: Dairy products, meats, fish, nuts, and many other foods represent excellent sources of phosphorus. In humans, phosphorus plays a critical role in functions such as enzyme activation and pH regulation. Due to the wide availability of this mineral across many foods, phosphorus deficiency is extremely rare. Adults are recommended to intake around 700mg of phosphorus per day.
- Magnesium: Magnesium is commonly found in green leafy vegetables, nuts, seeds, and whole grains. This mineral plays a role in important functions such as energy production, bone development, and muscle/nerve function. Magnesium deficiency has been linked to many issues such as cardiovascular, metabolic, and respiratory diseases along with many other disorders. The recommended daily intake for adults is 420mg, an important number to meet to help prevent future health issues. Magnesium is an important mineral to improve overall health.
- Sodium: Sodium is widely found across many foods and many diets around the world. It plays a huge role in controlling blood pressure/volume as well as muscle and nerve functionality. Sodium deficiency is not as common as excess dietary sodium, which is closely connected to issues with blood pressure and cardiovascular function. It’s recommended for adults to consume around 2,300mg of sodium a day, much lower than the 3,400mg Americans consume on average each day.
- Sulfur: Meat, poultry, and legumes are a few foods that are great sources of sulfur. Sulfur is essential for many of your body’s metabolic pathways and contributes to important processes such as protein synthesis and gene expression. Not getting enough sulfur in your diet can lead to higher risk of obesity and heart disease and can exacerbate disorders such as acne, arthritis, and even depression. There is no current recommended daily intake for sulfur, although recent studies have suggested that older populations may not be receiving sufficient amounts.
Trace Minerals
Trace minerals, the second of the two classes of minerals, are those needed in small amounts.
- Iron: Iron is widely present in many foods, with lean meat and seafood among the best sources. It serves an important role in physical growth, neurological development, cell functioning, and some hormone synthesis. Because iron is a critical component of hemoglobin, iron deficiency most commonly leads to anemia, a lack of blood. The recommended daily intake for adults is 8mg, a number easy to meet with fortified grains such as breakfast cereals.
- Fluoride: Brewed tea typically has higher concentrations of fluoride than other foods or drinks, although most of the fluoride people consume comes from fluoridated water. Fluoride plays an essential role in combating tooth decay and stimulating new bone formation. Too much fluoride consistently, however, can lead to issues with dental and skeletal formation. It’s recommended that adults get 4mg of this mineral each day to improve overall health.
- Manganese: Manganese is an important mineral found in many foods such as whole grains, oysters, nuts, and soybeans. This mineral is involved in amino acid, cholesterol, glucose, and carbohydrate metabolism. Excessive amounts of manganese, however, have serious health implications such as neurological degeneration. For healthy adults, up to 11mg of manganese is likely safe each day.
- Copper: The best sources of copper include shellfish, nuts, whole grains, and wheat bran cereals. Copper is an important part of many of your body’s regulatory processes and immune functioning. Copper deficiency can lead to disorders such as anemia or neutropenia (a low white blood cell count). Healthy adults should get 900mcg of copper mineral each day to improve overall health.
Zinc: Oysters, red meat, and poultry represent the most common sources of zinc in the American diet. Zinc plays an important role in cellular metabolism as well as enzyme activity. Zinc deficiency is easily treated, but can lead to weakened immune systems and an inflammatory response. The recommended daily intake for adults is 11mg of zinc each day.
Although true mineral deficiency is rare in developed countries, many people don’t meet their recommended daily allowance for certain minerals. Pregnant and breastfeeding women need more minerals than normal and should monitor their intake to prevent health problems for both themselves and their children. Mineral deficiency may not be a severe health concern alone, but it may easily contribute to more serious disorders such as anemia and heart disease. It’s important to eat a well-balanced diet in o should easily meet your daily mineral needs!
