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.

What does calcium do for the body?

“Though calcium is most often thought about as being related to healthy bones and teeth, it also allows your body to do other critical things, like blood clotting, muscle contraction and nerve function”.

Beyond bones, here’s a little bit more about the other things calcium does for your body that make it such an important part of your diet.

Helps blood to clot

Your blood needs to be able to clot (stick together) so that you don’t bleed too much when you’re injured. When you get a scrape or a cut, calcium helps activate the platelets that stop the bleeding.

Regulates nerve function

Calcium has a huge part to play in making sure that your nerves can send messages throughout your body. It’s responsible for triggering the release of chemicals called neurotransmitters, which are the little messengers that keep your nerves in communication with one another.

Contracts muscles

There are more than 600 muscles in your body, and as you can imagine, there’s a lot of work happening behind (err, inside) the scenes to keep them all moving properly.

“Calcium plays a key role in the complex scientific process that makes sure your muscles can interact with one another and generate the right amount of force that you need for various movements” .

Keeps teeth and gums healthy

When you don’t get enough calcium, you risk not only bone loss, but also tooth decay and tooth loss. That’s because, like bones, your pearly whites need calcium in order to develop and stay strong. One study found that calcium supplements in people over 65 helped reduce the risk of losing teeth with age.

Helps regulate blood pressure

Having adequate stores of calcium has been shown to help regulate blood pressure, specifically during pregnancy,“This can help prevent pregnancy-related complications like hypertension and preeclampsia.”

Reduces the risk of some cancers

Studies show that getting enough calcium may help protect you from colorectal cancer, though researchers aren’t yet sure exactly how. It may also be associated with a lower risk of other cancers.

But don’t go taking calcium supplements with the hopes of reducing your risk. The National Cancer Institute says there’s not yet enough evidence that supplements can actually do that — so it’s still best to get your calcium through food.

May lower cholesterol

The jury’s still out on this one. Some studies show that getting calcium through your diet can improve cholesterol levels, while other studies show that calcium supplements don’t have any effect on cholesterol. But until scientists know for certain, don’t turn to calcium to try to lower your cholesterol.