Essential Minerals

About 15 different minerals are essential to the functioning of the body systems, and all of them can be obtained from food or drink. The three most likely to be in short supply in the diet are calcium, iron, and iodine, sometimes called the critical minerals.

Calcium is one of the chief minerals in bones and teeth. About 99 percent of all the calcium in the body is in the bony structure, while the remaining quantity is in the soft tissues and body fluids. Calcium is essential to nerve function, blood clotting, and the normal contraction and relaxation of muscles. Vitamin D and phosphorus are essential to the utilization of calcium by the body. Phosphorus is found in abundant supply in many foods. Calcium is found in milk and dairy products, green leafy vegetables, dried peas and beans, and seafood’s.

Iron is one of the minerals needed by the red blood cells, which carry oxygen from the lings to each body cell. A shortage of iron may result in nutritional anemia. Liver is an outstanding source of iron. This important mineral is also found in eggs, dried fruits, seafood’s, leafy green vegetables, and whole grain cereals and bread.

All living tissue contains many different mineral, some of them in such small quantities they can be barely detected. These minerals have come to be known as trace elements, and their presence, even in minute amounts, is essential to nutrition and biological function. Iodine, one of the trace elements, is an essential part of the thyroid hormone and is of great importance in regulating the rate of body functions. In certain geographical areas throughout the world, the soil lacks iodine; with the result that nutritional goiter has become a public health problem. This deficiency usually can be overcome by the use of iodized salt, which is often recommended by physicians.

Fluorine, another trace element, seems to increase resistance to tooth decay. It is found in varying amounts in water, and studies have shown that in those communities where it is present in the dinking water, dental decay rates are significantly lower. For this reason, many municipalities now add minute amounts of fluorine to their eater supply.