Minerals are found in many types of fruits and vegetables. Minerals have different functions and are found in different foods. We give you a brief overview of the most important minerals here. They are as diverse as the different gates of olympis.
OUR LIST FOR YOUR
You can find important minerals in lots of fruits and vegetables. They do different jobs in our bodies and are in various foods. Let’s look at some key minerals:
Magnesium: This mineral helps your muscles work and boosts your metabolism. It makes your bones strong and helps with hormones. Eat spinach, kohlrabi, nuts, sunflower seeds, wholemeal bread, and pulses to get magnesium.
Calcium: Calcium is great for teeth and bones. It’s really important for kids. It makes your cell walls strong, helps make hormones, and is good for blood clotting. If you don’t get enough, your bones can get weak. Eat green veggies like broccoli and kale, and also nuts, cheese, and yogurt for calcium.
Sodium: You find sodium in many foods, mostly in table salt and salty snacks. It’s good for your water balance, blood pressure, enzymes, and keeping your body’s acids and bases in check. But don’t eat too much salt – it can cause high blood pressure and other issues.
Phosphorus: Phosphorus is good for teeth, bones, and muscles. It’s also in our DNA. You can find it in meat, fish, eggs, dairy, fruits, and veggies, and in some processed foods.
Potassium: This mineral is key for nerves, keeping your body’s water and salts balanced, and for muscles. You can find potassium in spinach, potatoes, kale, mushrooms, and nuts.
Chloride: Chloride works with sodium and potassium. It’s in stomach acid and bones and helps control water in your body. You can get it from table salt, meats like salami and ham, kefir, milk, and cheese.
Iron: Iron is super important for carrying oxygen in your blood and making blood. It’s also important for kids’ brains. Women who have periods need more iron. Eat green veggies, brown rice, whole grains, meat, and offal for iron.
Iodine: Iodine helps your thyroid, which controls growth and how you use energy. You can get iodine from iodized salt.
Fluoride: Fluoride is good for your teeth and bones. It stops tooth decay. Drink mineral water, use fluoridated salt, or drink black tea to get fluoride.
Zinc: Zinc is in many enzymes. It helps with growth, hormones, and your immune system. You need to eat zinc regularly because your body can’t store it well. Get zinc from whole grains, oatmeal, milk, dairy products, and meat.
Selenium: Selenium protects your cells, and helps with blood clotting, thyroid health, and your immune system. Potatoes, brown rice, peanuts, asparagus, bread, and hazelnuts are good sources.
Copper: Copper helps move iron in your body and protects against cell damage. It also affects the color of your eyes, hair, and skin. Eat nuts, especially cashews, black salsify, artichokes, and whole grains for copper.
Manganese: Manganese is good for your connective tissues and protecting cells. It’s also in carbs and amino acids. Eat blueberries, blackberries, spinach, strawberries, kale, and wholemeal rye bread for manganese.
Chromium: Chromium helps balance your blood sugar by helping with glucose absorption. Eat mushrooms, Brussels sprouts, spinach, and tomatoes for chromium.
Molybdenum: This is in enzymes and in red cabbage, green beans, peas, peanuts, and whole grains.
MINERALS VS.VITAMINS: A DISTINCTION
Minerals are found in the earth’s crust and are passed on to plants through the soil.
Both minerals and vitamins are micronutrients and very important for your body: they influence all life activities, which is why a deficiency can have serious consequences. However, the fundamental difference between vitamins and minerals lies in their origin: vitamins are organic compounds in the body, while minerals are inorganic components.
You need both micronutrients for a healthy and functioning organism: both vitamins and minerals are involved in numerous metabolic processes, they play a major role in the electrolyte and water balance, are essential for the immune system, and for the structure and function of bones, muscles, and teeth. They are also necessary for the visual process and the nervous system and are involved in blood clotting and the processes of reproduction, cell division, and differentiation.
