Common List of minerals in food| Getting to know the minerals in your food

cupcakes-singapore | Posted on September 26, 2013 |

Almost everybody knows that minerals are important and essential to having a healthy body but not everyone know the different minerals present and what their benefits are to our body. So, here is a list of 5 essential and commonly found minerals needed by our body for us to have a healthy and balanced diet! 🙂

Mineral	Benefit of minerals	Where to find them
Calcium	Build strong bones and teeth Reduce bone loss as one ages Helps muscular contractions (eg. Heart pumping)	Dairy products (Milk, Cheese) Soy milk Green leafy vegetables (kale, cabbage) Black eyed peas Firm tofu Baked beans Oranges Salmon Almonds
Iron	Carries oxygen around body Prevent you from feeling lethargic and tired	Liver Red meat Egg yolk Dark leafy vegetables (spinach, collards) Mollusks (scallops, oysters, clams) Beans, lentils, chick peas Soy beans Fish
Magnesium	Promotes normal blood pressure Improve immune system Maintain nerve and muscular function Regulate blood sugar levels	Dark leafy vegetables (spinach) Nuts and seeds (sesame seeds, brazil nuts, cashews, pine nuts, walnuts, pecans) Fish Beans and lentils (white beans, black eyed peas, kidney beans, chickpeas, pinto beans) Whole grains (brown rice, whole wheat bread) Avocados Bananas Dark chocolate Dried fruits (raisins, figs, prunes, apricots, dates) Low-fat dairy products (goat cheese, non-fat yogurt) Seafood
Potassium	Keep blood pressure in control Stabilize water in blood and tissue Allow nerves and muscles to work together in your body	White beans (soy beans, lima, kidney beans, pinto beans) Dark leafy vegetables (spinach, kale, collard) Baked potato with skin Dried fruits (apricots, prunes, raisins, peaches) Yogurt Fish (salmon, halibut, mackerel, anchovies, herring) Avocados Mushrooms (Portabella, enoki, shitake, amitake) Banana Pumpkins Parsley
Zinc	Promotes a healthy immune system Faster recovery time for wounds Aids the general growth and development of the body	Oysters Liver Beef Pumpkin and squash seeds Dark chocolate Cocoa powder Mutton Peanuts Crab Kelp

Minerals are not only important for a healthy body but it also helps to boost the quality of our skin, aid in our body’s metabolism and bone health.

The amount of minerals present in food depends on how it is grown, where it is grown, when the food was harvested, how the food was transported and how the food was cooked. If food is overcooked, minerals would be lost so the best was to obtain minerals from food is to eat it raw, sautéed or steamed.

Most people are able to get sufficient minerals from the food they consumed if they have a healthy and balanced diet. However, some people may be deficient in one or more minerals which would affect the absorption of other minerals. This affects the amount of these other minerals being absorbed by the body and this vicious cycle continues leading to an overall deficiency of minerals in the body. These people would require supplements to make up for the lack of certain minerals in their bodies. Taking supplements may be harmful to the body if the amount taken is too high thus it is best to consult a dietician or a doctor. Also try to take supplements that are natural or whole food supplements rather than taking those made from chemicals 🙂

Cup.Cakes Singapore offers cupcakes that are not only reduced in sugar but can also be custome made to be healthy(Do let us know if cupcakes need to be made to meet deitary restrictions). Do check and get in contact with us for your healthy indulgence today 🙂

Mineral

Benefit of minerals

Where to find them