Vitamins are extremely important to the well being of the immune system, and in addition to vitamins, getting enough minerals is also extremely important to the proper functioning of the body and the immune system.
So what are these minerals, what do they do and how do we ensure that we get enough of them? Here are nine of the most important minerals for maintaining health.
Calcium helps to build strong bones and teeth, as well as regulating muscle contraction, including the heartbeat. It also makes sure that blood clots normally. It is also thought that it may help lower high blood pressure and may help to protect against colon and breast cancer.
Adults need 700mg per day and you should be able to get all you need from your daily diet.
Good food sources for calcium include milk, cheese and other dairy foods; green leafy vegetables, such as broccoli, cabbage and okra, but not spinach; soya beans, tofu, soya drinks with added calcium, nuts, bread and anything made with fortified flour; and fish where you eat the bones, such as sardines and pilchards.
Iodine is a trace element found in seawater, rocks and some soils. It helps to make the thyroid hormones, which keep cells and the metabolic rate healthy. Adults need 0.14mg of iodine per day and the best food sources are sea fish and shellfish. It can also be found in plant foods such as cereals and grains, but this varies depending on the amount of iodine in the soil where the plants are grown. Iodine may be found in cows’ milk too.
Iron helps to make the red blood cells which carry oxygen around the body. Men require 8.7mg per day and women 14.8mg.
Iron is an essential mineral and it can be obtained from liver, meat, beans, nuts, dried fruit such as apricots, whole grains like brown rice, fortified breakfast cereals, soybean flour and most dark green leafy vegetables, for example watercress and curly kale.
Although spinach is often thought to be a good source of iron, it contains a substance which makes it harder for the body to absorb iron from it. Similarly with tea and coffee, so cutting down on these would help to improve iron levels.
Liver should be avoided if pregnant.
Magnesium has a number of important functions including helping to turn food into energy and helping the glands work normally which produce the hormones important for bone health. Men require 300mg of magnesium per day and women 270mg per day.
It is found in many foods with the richest sources being green leafy vegetables such as spinach. Also good are bread, fish, meat and dairy foods.
Manganese helps to make and activate some of the enzymes in the body. It is found in bread, nuts, cereals and green vegetables such as peas and runner beans. It is also found in tea which is probably the biggest source of manganese for many people.
Phosphorus plays many important roles in the body including helping to build strong bones and teeth and aiding the release of energy from food.
Adults need around 550mg of phosphorus per day and can obtain it from red meat, dairy foods, fish, poultry, bread, rice and oats.
Potassium controls the balance of fluids in the body and may also help to lower blood pressure. Adults require 3500mg per day and good food sources include fruit, such as bananas, vegetables, pulses, nuts and seeds, milk, fish, shellfish, beef, chicken, turkey and bread.
Selenium is a trace element found widely in the environment and it plays an important role in immune system function, in thyroid hormone metabolism and in reproduction. It is also part of the body’s antioxidant defence system, preventing damage to cells and tissues. Selenium may boost fertility, especially among men. The mineral has been shown to improve the production of sperm and sperm movement.
Daily requirements of selenium are 0.075mg for men and 0.06mg for women.
Plant foods, such as vegetables, are the most common dietary sources of selenium. How much selenium is in the vegetables you eat depends on how much of the mineral was in the soil where the plants grew. Many soils are deficient in selenium these days so do not rely on vegetables as your only source of selenium.
Good alternative food sources of selenium are brazil nuts, bread, fish, meat, if the animals have grazed on selenium-rich soil, and eggs.
Zinc helps to make new cells and enzymes, helps to process carbohydrate, fat and protein from food, and helps with the healing of wounds. Men have a requirement of 5.5 to 9.5mg per day and women 4.0 to 7.0mg per day.
Good food sources of zinc are meat, shellfish, milk and dairy products such as cheese, bread and cereal products like wheatgerm.
So healthy living is really all about balance and making sure we get our daily requirements of vitamins and minerals, as they are both important to our well being.
