But when you think of minerals, food isn't the first thing that comes to mind. Aren't minerals something you find in the earth, like iron and quartz? Well, yes, but small amounts of some minerals are also in foods — for instance, meat is a good source of iron. Like vitamins , minerals help your body grow and stay healthy. The body uses minerals to to many things — from building strong bones to sending nerve impulses. Some minerals are even used to make hormones or maintain a normal heartbeat.
Calcium is the top mineral when it comes to your bones. They include calcium , phosphorus, magnesium, sodium , potassium , chloride and sulfur. You only need small amounts of trace minerals. They include iron , manganese, copper, iodine, zinc, cobalt, fluoride and selenium. Most people get the amount of minerals they need by eating a wide variety of foods. In some cases, your doctor may recommend a mineral supplement. People who have certain health problems or take some medicines may need to get less of one of the minerals.
For example, people with chronic kidney disease need to limit foods that are high in potassium. Vitamin D enables your body to pluck calcium from food sources passing through your digestive tract rather than harvesting it from your bones. Vitamin C helps you absorb iron.
And even a minor overload of the mineral manganese can worsen iron deficiency. Water-soluble vitamins are packed into the watery portions of the foods you eat. They are absorbed directly into the bloodstream as food is broken down during digestion or as a supplement dissolves. Because much of your body consists of water, many of the water-soluble vitamins circulate easily in your body.
Your kidneys continuously regulate levels of water-soluble vitamins, shunting excesses out of the body in your urine. Although water-soluble vitamins have many tasks in the body, one of the most important is helping to free the energy found in the food you eat. Others help keep tissues healthy. Here are some examples of how different vitamins help you maintain health:. Contrary to popular belief, some water-soluble vitamins can stay in the body for long periods of time.
And even folic acid and vitamin C stores can last more than a couple of days. Just be aware that there is a small risk that consuming large amounts of some of these micronutrients through supplements may be quite harmful. For example, very high doses of B6—many times the recommended amount of 1.
Rather than slipping easily into the bloodstream like most water-soluble vitamins, fat-soluble vitamins gain entry to the blood via lymph channels in the intestinal wall see illustration.
Many fat-soluble vitamins travel through the body only under escort by proteins that act as carriers. Fatty foods and oils are reservoirs for the four fat-soluble vitamins. Within your body, fat tissues and the liver act as the main holding pens for these vitamins and release them as needed. To some extent, you can think of these vitamins as time-release micronutrients. Your body squirrels away the excess and doles it out gradually to meet your needs.
Together this vitamin quartet helps keep your eyes, skin, lungs, gastrointestinal tract, and nervous system in good repair. Here are some of the other essential roles these vitamins play:. Because fat-soluble vitamins are stored in your body for long periods, toxic levels can build up. This is most likely to happen if you take supplements. The body needs, and stores, fairly large amounts of the major minerals.
Major minerals travel through the body in various ways. Potassium, for example, is quickly absorbed into the bloodstream, where it circulates freely and is excreted by the kidneys, much like a water-soluble vitamin. Calcium is more like a fat-soluble vitamin because it requires a carrier for absorption and transport.
One of the key tasks of major minerals is to maintain the proper balance of water in the body. Sodium, chloride, and potassium take the lead in doing this.
Three other major minerals—calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium—are important for healthy bones. It helps to keep your skin, eyes and nervous system healthy and release energy from the food you eat. Niacin is also known as vitamin B3. It helps to release energy from the foods you eat and keep your skin and nervous system healthy. Pantothenic acid helps to release energy from the food we eat.
It's found naturally in most meats, vegetables and wholegrains, including:. Biotin is also known as vitamin B7 and is only needed in small amounts. It helps your body process metabolise fat. As the bacteria in your bowel make biotin, you may not need any additional biotin from your diet. However, it's still important to eat a healthy and varied diet. Vitamin B12 is not found naturally in plants and grains. If you're vegan, you should consider taking a B vitamin supplement to reduce the risk of developing vitamin B12 deficiency anaemia.
It can also help to reduce the risk of central nervous system defects - such as spina bifida - in unborn babies. If you don't have enough folic acid in your diet you're at risk of developing folate deficiency anaemia.
More about folic acid before and during pregnancy. Your body needs certain minerals to build strong bones and teeth and turn the food you eat into energy. As with vitamins, a healthy balanced diet should provide all the minerals your body needs to work properly. Essential minerals include calcium, iron and potassium.
However, there are many more minerals your body needs to function, including:. Calcium helps to build strong bones and teeth and regulate your heartbeat. It also ensures your blood clots normally, important for healing. If you don't have enough iron in your diet, you're at risk of developing iron deficiency anaemia. Potassium helps the body control the balance of fluids and keeps your heart healthy and functioning correctly. Trace elements are also essential nutrients, however, you need them in smaller amounts than vitamins and minerals.
Essential trace elements include iodine and zinc. However, there are many more elements your body needs to function, including:. Iodine helps your body make the thyroid hormones that keep your cells and metabolic rate healthy.
As iodine is a trace element found mainly in seawater, rocks and some soils, good food sources include:. Home Healthy living Food and nutrition Eating well Vitamins and minerals. Vitamins and minerals See all parts of this guide Hide guide parts 1. Overview 2. Fats 3. Sugar 4. Salt 5. Fibre 6. Vitamins 7. Overview Vitamins and minerals are essential nutrients that your body needs in small amounts to work properly. Fat-soluble vitamins Fat-soluble vitamins vitamin A, D, E and K are mainly found in: animal fats vegetable oils dairy foods liver oily fish While your body needs these vitamins to work properly, you don't need to eat foods containing them every day.
Water-soluble vitamins Water-soluble vitamins vitamin C, the B vitamins and folic acid are mainly found in: fruit and vegetables grains milk and dairy foods These vitamins aren't stored in the body, so you need to have them more frequently. If you have more than you need, your body gets rid of the extra vitamins when you urinate.
More about vitamins Minerals Minerals include calcium and iron amongst many others and are found in: meat cereals fish milk and dairy foods fruit and vegetables nuts Minerals are necessary for 3 main reasons: building strong bones and teeth controlling body fluids inside and outside cells turning the food you eat into energy Trace elements Trace elements are also essential nutrients that your body needs to work properly, but in much smaller amounts than vitamins and minerals.
Fats Fat is essential to a healthy diet as it gives us energy and helps our bodies absorb vitamins and nutrients from the foods we eat. Unsaturated fats Unsaturated fats can help to lower your blood cholesterol, reducing your risk of developing heart disease. These types of fats are found in: oily fish - such as mackerel and salmon avocados nuts and seeds plant-based oils and spreads - such as olive and rapeseed Saturated and trans fat Saturated and trans fat raise the level of cholesterol in your blood, increasing your risk of developing heart disease.
Saturated fats are found in: processed meat products - such as sausages and beef burgers butter and lard full-fat cream, milk and ice-cream hard cheese - such as parmesan and cheddar biscuits, cakes and pastries Daily intake The government recommends that: men should have 95g of fat 30g of saturates in their diet each day women should have 70g of fat 20g of saturates in their diet each day.
Sugar Sugar is a carbohydrate that provides the body with energy.
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