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Essential Minerals
About 15 different
minerals are essential to
the functioning of the body systems, all of them can be
obtained from food or drink. Three most likely to be in short
supply in the diet are calcium, iron, and iodine, sometimes
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 lungs 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 minerals, 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 amount, 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 the 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 drinking water, dental decay rates are
significantly lower. To this reason, many municipalities now
add minute amounts of fluorine to their water supply.
Thanks for reading our opt-in only
publication.
Bill Sjostrom
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