Minerals: How To Use Them For Your Benefit
Dietary minerals come in more than one form, some forms are more bioavailable than others. Minerals are classified as micronutrients.
There are three kinds of minerals that you find in food: major minerals, trace minerals, and ultratrace minerals. You need larger amounts of major minerals.
If you are looking for a specific mineral, I recommend you use the expanded toc to find it.
Table of Contents
What Are Minerals
Dietary minerals are chemical elements in our foods that our bodies need to develop and function normally.
Major minerals that are necessary for humans include sodium, magnesium, phosphorus, sulfur, chloride, potassium, and calcium.
Trace and ultratrace minerals are also considered mostly essential ◳ but in much smaller amounts. These are for instance chromium, manganese, iron, cobalt, nickel, copper, zinc, selenium, molybdenum, and iodine.
The Bioavailability Of Minerals
The total amount of a mineral in a food does not necessarily reflect the amount that is available for absorption into the body.
The bioavailability of minerals from plants ◳ is affected by how tightly they are bound in plant tissue. Those minerals are difficult to extract from the plant during digestion.
The absorption of minerals ◳ can be reduced by other food components, like phytic acid, tannins, and oxalates that are present in foods such as legumes and leafy vegetables.
Unlike organic food components, minerals cannot be destroyed by heat ◳ or oxidation. The main losses are due to leaching when boiling.
Our Mineral Categories
Major Minerals In Food
Major minerals are essential minerals we have to obtain from our diet. We need those in large amounts.
Learn more about major minerals and see what kind of minerals fall into that category. You can also find out if they have any benefits or side-effects. Go to Major Minerals: How To Use Them For Your Benefit
Trace Minerals In Food
Trace minerals can be essential for us, but we don't need them in such large amounts as major minerals.
Learn more about trace minerals and see what kind of minerals fall into that category. You can also find out if they have any benefits or side-effects. Go to Trace Minerals: How To Use Them For Your Benefit
Ultratrace Minerals In Food
Ultratrace elements play vital roles in a variety of processes necessary for life.
Learn more about ultratrace minerals and see what kind of minerals fall into that category. You can also find out if they have any benefits or side-effects. Go to Ultratrace Minerals: How To Use Them For Your Benefit
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