Minerals
Minerals are essential to the body’s health and functioning. Eating a variety of healthy foods each day will provide enough minerals for most people.
A number of minerals are required by the body to stay healthy. Minerals are involved in chemical reactions in the body including:
- cell growth and repair
- metabolism
- nerve and muscle function
The balance of minerals in the body may be affected by:
- certain diseases
- an unbalanced diet
- taking mineral supplements
Removing certain foods or food groups from the diet, may mean missing out on important minerals.
The most common mineral deficiencies in Australia are:
- calcium, leading to osteoporosis
- iron, leading to anaemia
Eating a variety of healthy foods each day will provide enough minerals for most people. It is best to get minerals needed by the body from food rather than supplements. Taking large doses of certain minerals can actually affect the body’s ability to stay healthy and function well.
Minerals essential to good health include:
- calcium
- chlorine
- iron
- magnesium
- phosphorus
- potassium
- sodium
- sulfur
- zinc
Some minerals are required in much smaller amounts and are known as ‘trace minerals’ these include:
- cadmium
- chromium
- cobalt
- copper
- fluorine
- iodine
- manganese
- molybdenum
- nickel
- selenium
- silicon
- tin
- vanadium
For some minerals, there are ‘recommended dietary intakes’ that give a guide as to how much you need to include each day.