Calcium

Milk and milk products, meat, fish eaten with the bones (such as sardines), eggs, and fortified cereal products

Required for the formation of bone and teeth, for blood clotting, for normal muscle function, for the normal functioning of many enzymes, and for normal heart rhythm

1,000 milligrams

1,200 milligrams for women over 50 and men over 70.

Chloride

Salt, beef, pork, sardines, cheese, green olives, corn bread, potato chips, sauerkraut, and processed or canned foods (usually as salt)

Involved in electrolyte balance

1,000 milligrams

Liver, processed meats, whole-grain cereals, and nuts

Enables insulin to function (insulin controls blood sugar levels)

Helps in the processing (metabolism) and storage of carbohydrates, protein, and fat

35 micrograms for men aged 50 and younger

25 micrograms for women aged 50 and younger

30 micrograms for men over 50

20 micrograms for women over 50

Organ meats, shellfish, cocoa, mushrooms, nuts, dried legumes, dried fruits, peas, tomato products, and whole-grain cereals

Is a component of many enzymes that are necessary for energy production, for antioxidant action†, and for formation of red blood cells, bone, and connective tissue

900 micrograms

Fluoride

Seafood, tea, and fluoridated water

Required for the formation of bone and teeth

3 milligrams for women

4 milligrams for men

Iodine

Seafood, iodized salt, eggs, yogurt, milk, and drinking water (in amounts that vary by the iodine content of local soil)

Required for the formation of thyroid hormones

150 micrograms

Iron

As heme‡ iron:

Beef, poultry, fish, kidneys, and liver

As nonheme iron: Soybean flour, beans, molasses, spinach, clams, and fortified grains and cereals

Required for the formation of many enzymes in the body

Heme iron is an important component of muscle cells and of hemoglobin, which enables red blood cells to carry oxygen and deliver it to the body's tissues

8 milligrams for women over 50 and for men

18 milligrams for women aged 50 and younger (premenopause)

27 milligrams for pregnant women

9 milligrams for breastfeeding women

Magnesium

Leafy green vegetables, nuts, cereal grains, beans, and tomato products

Required for the formation of bone and teeth, for normal nerve and muscle function, and for the activation of enzymes

320 milligrams for women

420 milligrams for men

Whole-grain cereals, pineapple, nuts, tea, beans, and tomato products

Required for the formation of bone and the formation and activation of certain enzymes

2.3 milligrams for men

1.8 milligrams for women

Molybdenum

Milk, legumes, whole-grain breads and cereals, and dark green vegetables

Required for metabolism of nitrogen, the activation of certain enzymes, and normal cell function

Helps break down sulfites (present in foods naturally and added as preservatives)

45 micrograms

Phosphorus

Dairy products, meat, poultry, fish, cereals, nuts, and legumes

Required for the formation of bone and teeth and for energy production

Used to form nucleic acids, including DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid)

700 milligrams

Potassium

Required for normal nerve and muscle function

Involved in electrolyte balance

3.4 grams for men

2.6 grams for women

Required for thyroid gland function

55 micrograms

Sodium

Salt, beef, pork, sardines, cheese, green olives, corn bread, potato chips, sauerkraut, and processed or canned foods (usually as salt)

Required for normal nerve and muscle function

Helps the body maintain a normal electrolyte and fluid balance

1,500 milligrams

Zinc

Meat, liver, oysters, seafood, peanuts, fortified cereals, and whole grains (depending on the zinc content of soil where grains were grown)

Used to form many enzymes and insulin

Required for healthy skin, healing of wounds, and growth

11 milligrams for men and 8 milligrams for women