Dietary Minerals

Dietary minerals are inorganic substances. Our body needs adequate amount of dietary minerals for vital body processes and body developments. The major dietary minerals are (in alphabetical order):

• Calcium
• Iron
• Magnesium
• Phosphorus
• Potassium
• Selenium
• Sodium
• Zinc

1. as constituents of bones and teeth
2. as salts regulating body fluids
3. as components of enzymes and hormones

Good Source of Dietary Minerals

The dietary minerals needed for our body come from the following sources:

• Dairy products and green leafy vegetables for Calcium
• Nuts, soy beans, and cocoa for Magnesium
• Table salt (sodium chloride, the main source), milk and spinach for Sodium
• Legumes, whole grains, and bananas for Potassium
• Red meat, leafy vegetables (especially spinach) for iron

Appropriate intake levels of each dietary mineral must be sustained to maintain physical health. Excessive intake of a dietary mineral may either lead to illness directly or indirectly because of the competitive nature between mineral levels in the body. A deficiency in dietary minerals may results in all kinds of health problems. For more details, please refer to each individual mineral.