7 Ways to Mine Your Diet for Important Minerals

Everyone knows we need vitamins and minerals to be healthy but knowing which and how much of those nutrients we need can be a bit confusing, especially when we are talking about minerals. What are they and how much do we need? Experts say there are 7 macro-minerals and 8 trace minerals we should include in our diets (see chart below). Rather than looking for powders, pills, and capsules to improve our bodies’ performance, we can find all of them in our food. Mining food for essential minerals is a tastier and more cost-effective way to supply our bodies with what they need. Here are 7 ways to “mine” your diet to help improve your health.

1. Shellfish and Sardines

Shellfish and sardines are also excellent sources of minerals. Oysters, mussels, and clams provide concentrated amounts of zinc, copper, iron, and selenium. One 3.75-ounce can of sardines provides 27% of the calcium, 15% of the iron, 9% of the magnesium, 36% of the phosphorus, 8% of the potassium, and 88% of the selenium our bodies require on a daily basis.

2. Eggs 

Eggs are often called nature’s perfect food due to their high content of important nutrients. In addition to healthy fats, antioxidants, and vitamins, they also contain iron, phosphorous, zinc, and selenium. Their versatility means that you can easily include them in your daily menus. Almost all of these nutrients are contained in the yolk, so don’t eat just the whites.

3. Dairy Products

While everyone associates dairy products with calcium, yogurt and cheese also provide us with potassium, phosphorous, zinc, and selenium. Since many adults do not include enough calcium in their diets, adding dairy products, if you can tolerate them, is a good way to help maintain bone strength.

4. Nuts, Seeds and Beans 

Nuts, seeds and beans are versatile foods that provide high levels of minerals and other nutrients. Nuts and seeds are especially rich in manganese, copper, selenium, phosphorous, magnesium, and zinc. One Brazil nut provides nearly 175% of our daily selenium needs. Beans also provide magnesium, manganese, phosphorous, copper, and zinc, but they also provide high levels of calcium, iron, and potassium.

5. Special Meats

If you are a meat-eater, try organ meats. Though they are not as common as other meats, they are packed with nutrients.  One serving of beef liver provides 100% of daily copper requirements and between 30-55% of the daily requirements of iron, zinc, selenium, and phosphorus

6. Cruciferous Vegetables

A plant-rich diet provides a bounty of minerals. Cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, kale, and cauliflower are rich in sulfur, a mineral necessary for cellular function. They also provide substantial amounts of calcium, magnesium, manganese, and potassium. Starchy vegetables and avocados are important sources of potassium, magnesium, manganese, and copper, and starchy vegetables also provide calcium and iron. The ancient grains (amaranth, sorghum, millet, and quinoa) are also excellent sources of essential minerals. In addition to all of the obvious healthy foods in this category, cocoa is a valuable plant source of copper and magnesium and can be consumed in smoothies and yogurt as well as in a decadent piece of dark chocolate.

7. Berries  

Berries, nature’s bountiful desserts, can provide a large percentage of your daily required minerals while also being delicious, low-calorie, and high in fiber. Blackberries, cherries, strawberries, raspberries, and Aronia berries provide some amount of 10 of the 15 minerals we need. Each of these minerals serves a variety of important functions in the maintenance and performance of the human body. Eat them raw or include them in your favorite sweet or savory recipes to benefit from these nutritional powerhouses.

By choosing whole foods from a variety of food families, you can easily obtain all of the vitamins and minerals your body needs. Superberries Aronia berries, in addition to providing important macro- and trace minerals, are also rich in antioxidants to help maintain your health. Consider adding Frozen Aronia berries or Aronia berry Concentrate to the recipes you and your family already love. They will help take the guesswork out of eating healthy.

*This chart contains approximations based on requirements of all age/sex groups. Please consult your doctor for more specific information about your individual requirements.