Mineral | Good Sources | Main Functions | Recommended Dietary Allowance for Adults* |
---|---|---|---|
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 | |
Seafood, tea, and fluoridated water | Required for the formation of bone and teeth | 3 milligrams for women 4 milligrams for men | |
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 | |
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 | |
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 | |
Manganese | 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 |
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 | |
Whole and skim milk, bananas, tomatoes, oranges, melons, potatoes, sweet potatoes, prunes, raisins, spinach, turnip greens, collard greens, kale, other green leafy vegetables, most peas and beans, and salt substitutes (potassium chloride) | Required for normal nerve and muscle function Involved in electrolyte balance | 3.4 grams for men 2.6 grams for women | |
Meats, seafood, nuts, and cereals (depending on the selenium content of soil where grains were grown) | Acts as an antioxidant† with vitamin E Required for thyroid gland function | 55 micrograms | |
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 | |
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 | |
* Recommended dietary allowances for minerals and other nutrients are periodically published by The Food and Nutrition Board of the National Academy of Sciences–National Research Council and the United States Department of Agriculture. These allowances are intended to meet the needs of healthy people and may vary for pregnant women and children. | |||
† Antioxidants protect cells against damage due to reactive by-products of normal cell activity called free radicals. | |||
‡ Heme iron is iron that is attached to heme. Heme is a molecule that is a building block in the formation of hemoglobin (the oxygen-carrying pigment in red blood cells). The body absorbs heme iron better than nonheme iron. |