Dietary Minerals

To get all the dietary minerals that you need it is very important to eat a well-balanced diet. Dietary minerals are needed to work hand-in-hand with vitamins to ensure good nutrition.

The dietary minerals are important constituents of the bones, teeth, muscle, blood, tissues and nerve cells. Minerals can be found in a variety of foods (dairy, meat, cereal products, vegetables, fruit, nuts).

Minerals are divided into two groups:

Macro Elements: Calcium, Phosphate, Sulfur, Sodium, Potassium, Chlorine, Magnesium. These minerals are needed in large amounts.

Micro Elements (Trace Elements): Iron, Zinc, Copper, Manganese, Selenium, Iodine, Molybdenum, Cobalt. These minerals are needed in small amounts.

Remember to have the proper balance of minerals and vitamins to ensure good absorption of other minerals as well as good digestion. A proper balance can mean an optimum health.

Dietary Mineral Supplements

Some people, especially pregnant women, nursing mothers, elderly, vegans or those who eat too much processed food, may need mineral supplements. Iron supplement should be taken it with a glass of juice and during mealtime to help the body extract more iron from the supplement. If you drink coffee or tea, wait an hour after taking an iron supplement. Furthermore, if you take calcium supplement, make sure you don’t take it at the same time as your iron supplement. It is also good to divide your calcium doses; take one half in the morning and the other half in the evening to get the best absorption. In order to absorb calcium the body needs vitamin D and therefore it can be good to take calcium supplement added with vitamin D. The body also needs twice as much calcium as magnesium or else the minerals can antagonize each other. Remember that you should keep your pills in the dark, cold and dry.

Visit each of the dietary minerals to learn more. Find out the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs), Adequate Intake (AI), Function, Deficiency, Food Sources, Therapeutic Usage and Toxic Dose for each dietary mineral.