Minerals -- Your Body Needs Them

Eat fruits and vegetables every
day.

Here are some of the minerals your body needs:

Found in milk, leafy green vegetables, and fish with bones like salmon and canned sardines. Your body needs lots of it. It helps regulate your heartbeat and move your muscles and is the main material in your bones and teeth.

Comes from beans, cheese, whole grains, peas, and meat. It helps your body use glucose.

Found in beans, raisins, chocolate, nuts, meat, and shellfish. It helps produce chemicals in the lungs, and helps form red blood cells.

Comes from gelatin desserts, fish, tea, and fluoridated water. It helps make bones and teeth stronger.

Found in iodized salt, seaweed, seafood, and dairy products. It helps keep your skin, hair, and nails healthy, and helps keep your thyroid gland working.

Comes from beans, nuts, dried fruits, green vegetables, egg yolks, and peas. It is used in making enzymes and protein and helps the blood carry oxygen.

Found in apricots, bananas, soybeans, nuts, leafy green vegetables, and whole grains. It helps your heart beat, your muscles work, and your bones grow.

Comes from cocoa, egg yolks, nuts, whole grains, vegetables, and fruits. It helps cells function and bones grow.

(muh-LIB-duhnum) Found in dark green vegetables, peas, grains, and beans. It helps cells to function.

Comes from peas, peanuts, dried fruits, bananas, oranges, beans, potatoes, yogurt, and meat. It helps balance your body water, carry nutrients to cells, keep your heartbeat regular, and move your muscles.

Comes from egg yolks, chicken, garlic, grains, tomatoes, fish, shellfish, and red meat. With vitamin E, it helps prevent damage to cells.

Found in salt from canned products and processed foods. It helps balance water in your body's tissues and blood.

Comes from whole wheat, poultry, eggs, beef, and shellfish. It helps wounds heal and helps your senses of taste and smell.