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Minerals
| Mineral | Source | Needed For | Deficiency | Calcium
Men: 800 - 1000 mg Women:700 - 800 mg Change in mineral content of our foods (from 1940 to 1991) Minus 40%* | Milk, yoghurt, cheese, sardines, broccoli & turnip greens | Helps uild strong bones & teeth. Promotes muscle & nerve function. Helps blood clot. Helps activate enzymes needed to convert food to energy | Deficiency: Ricketts in children, osteomalacia (soft bones) & osteoporosis in adults. | Phosphorus
Men: 1000 mg Women: 850 mg Minus 14%* | Chicken breast, milk, egg, lentils, yolks, nuts & cheese | Needed for metabolism, body chemistry, nerve/muscle function | Deficiency: Rare - weakness, bone pain & anorexia | Magnesium
Men: 230 - 250 mg
Women: 200 - 210 mg Minus 33%* | Spinach, beef, greens, broccoli, tofu, popcorn, cashews & wheat bran | Activates enzymes needed to release energy in the body. Needed by cells for genetic material & bone growth | Deficiency: Nausea, irritability, muscle weakness, twitching, cramps & cardiac arrhythmias | Potassium
Men: 40 - 80 mmol Women: 40 - 80 mmol Minus 16%* | Peanuts, bananas, orange juice, green beans, mushrooms, oranges, broccoli &sunflower seeds | Helps maintain regular fluid balance. Needed for brain &nerve function. | Deficiency:Nausea, anorexia, muscle weakness, irritability. (Occurs most often in persons with prolonged diarrhea) | Iron (elemental) Men: 8 -10 mg Women: 8 - 13 mg Plus 6%* | Liver, lean meats, kidney beans, enriched breads, raisins. (Oxalic Acid in spinach inhibits iron absorption). | Essential for making hemoglobin (the red substance in blood that actually carries oxygen to the cells. | Deficiency: Skin pallor, weakness, fatigue, headaches & shortness of breath | Zinc
Men: 12 mg Women: 9 mg | Oysters, shrimp, crab, beef, turkey, whole grains, peanuts & beans | Necessary element in > 100 enzymatic reactions essential to digestion. | Deficiency: Slow wound healing, loss of taste, retarded growth, delayed sexual development.
| Selenium Men:0.05 - 0.2 mg Women: 0.05 - 0.2 mg | Adequate amounts are found in seafood, kidney, liver & other meats. Grains & other seeds conatin varying amounts depending of soil content | Finger nail changes & hair loss | Deficiency: Unknown in humans | Copper
Men: 2 - 3 mg Women: 2 - 3 mg Minus 72% | The richest sources of copper in our diets are liver & other organ meats, seafood, nuts & seeds | Component of several enzymes, including one to make skin, hair & other pigments. Stimulates iron absorption. Needed to make red blood cells, connective tissue & nerve fibers. | Deficiency: Rare in adults. Infants may develop a type of anemia marked by abnormal development of bones, nerve tissue & lungs. | Manganese
Men:2 - 5 mg Women: 2 - 5 mg | Tea, whole grains & cereal products are the richest dietary sources. Adequate amounts are found in fruits & vegetables. | Needed for normal tendon & bone structure. Component of some enzymes important in metabolism. | Deficiency: Unknown in humans | Molybenum
Men: 0.15 - 0.3 mg Women: 0.15 - 0.3 mg
| The concentration in food varies depending on the environment in food the food was grown. Milk, beans, breads & cereal contribute the highest amounts. | Component of several enzymes needed in metabolism. Helps regulate iron storage.
| Deficiency: Unknown in humans | * Adapted from: R.A. McCance and E.M. Widdowson. A study on the mineral depletion of the foods available to us as a nation over the period 1940 to 1991. Published under the auspices of the Medical Reseach Council and later by the Minirty of Agriculture, Fisheries and Foods and the Royal Society of Chemistry.
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