Major and trace minerals
Minerals are found in the ground on which we walk, the jewels we wear on our fingers, and even some of the make-up we wear on our face, but perhaps their most significant impact on our lives comes from their importance in our diet.
There are more than 20 minerals that you need to consume in your food to stay healthy.
Some of these make-up a significant portion of your body weight; others are found in minute quantities.
If more than 100 milligrams/day required in the diet, an amount equivalent in weight to about two drops of water, the mineral is considered a major minerals: these included sodium, potassium, chloride, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium and sulfur.
Minerals that are needed in smaller amounts are referred to as trace minerals: these included iron, copper, zinc, selenium, iodine, chromium, fluoride, manganese, molybdenum and others.
Just because you need more of the major minerals then of the trace minerals doesn’t mean that one group is more important than the other. A deficiency of a trace mineral is just as damaging to your health as a deficiency of a major mineral.
Major and trace minerals
