What Are Minerals?

What Are Minerals? — page 1 — INTRODUCING MINERALS Minerals are a kind of nutrient Nutrients are things that a body needs in order to grow and stay healthy They are an important part of the human diet Certain daily amounts of dietary minerals are required for strong bones muscles and other parts of the body Minerals are inorganic substances meaning that they come from rocks and other nonliving things Plants take in minerals from the soil Animals obtain minerals by eating plants and the milk eggs and meat of plant-eating animals Nutritionists are experts who give advice on how food Plants grow and thrive by taking in minerals from the soil through their roots 4

What Are Minerals? — page 2 — Eating a banana at breakfast is nutritious Bananas contain the mineral potassium affects health They sort minerals into two categories macrominerals and trace minerals Macrominerals are also called major minerals People need to consume more than 100 milligrams or 3 5 ounces of these minerals every day Calcium magnesium phosphorus sulfur sodium potassium and chloride are macrominerals The trace minerals include iron zinc Think About It Why is it important to get enough minerals in your diet when you are young and your body is growing copper manganese iodine selenium fluoride molybdenum and chromium People need smaller amounts of each trace mineral less than 100 mg daily 5

What Are Minerals? — page 3 — MINERALS AND THE HUMAN BODY Most nutrients are metabolized by the body They provide energy for the body’s activities Minerals on the other hand are not metabolized They do not provide energy Vocabulary When nutrients are metabolized the body breaks them down to use for energy and to grow and heal The process of metabolizing is called metabolism Milk is a good source of calcium which the body uses to build strong bones 6

What Are Minerals? — page 4 — Minerals such as magnesium are required for the body to build strong bones and for muscles to work smoothly Minerals perform different functions They provide structure for example calcium makes bones hard They also do specific jobs for example iron helps blood to carry oxygen around the body Some minerals are particles with an electric charge They help to regulate processes in the body Most minerals are involved in a variety of functions For instance magnesium helps the muscles work It also helps to build bones and to control blood sugar levels Minerals make up about 4 to 6 percent of a person’s body weight About one half of this amount is calcium About one quarter is phosphorus which is also found in bones and teeth Trace minerals do not add much to body weight 7

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