Potassium: Your body uses potassium for many functions. A few include kidney and heart function, nerve transmission, and muscle contractions. Chloride: This electrolyte works with sodium and potassium to maintain water balance in the body. Below are the RDA and AI amounts of some microminerals for adults. This is why it is so important to eat fruits and vegetables—they contain minerals such as calcium, magnesium, potassium, and zinc, which the body relies on. However, minerals are found not only in fruits and vegetables, but also in meats, sauces, breads, and fish. Maintains proper fluid balance, nerve transmission, and muscle contraction. Vitamins and Minerals for Healthy Growth and Development. Download [PDF-8.22MB] Vitamins and minerals, often referred to as micronutrients, are critical for several important bodily functions. Vitamins and minerals are not produced in the body, with the exception of vitamin D. Instead they are consumed through food or supplements. Water-soluble vitamins are not stored in the body; you need a continuous supply of them in your diet. When taken in excess, water-soluble vitamins are removed from the body through urine. Vitamins A, D, E, and K, the fat-soluble vitamins, bind to fat in the stomach and are then stored in fatty tissues and the liver. Your body stores calcium in your bones, so if you don’t get enough calcium from food, your body will take calcium from your bones, making them weak and easily broken. Helps messages go between your brain and muscles; Who may need it. Girls ages 9 to 18 need 1,300 milligrams (mg) of calcium each day. During this time, bones absorb calcium and While getting the necessary vitamins and minerals your body needs from food is preferred over supplements, it can be difficult, particularly for older adults. wP30nT. Well, yes, but small amounts of some minerals are also in foods — for instance, meat is a good source of iron. Like vitamins, minerals help your body grow and stay healthy. The body uses minerals to to many things — from building strong bones to sending nerve impulses. Some minerals are even used to make hormones or maintain a normal heartbeat. Let’s start with the connection between vitamin D, ultraviolet (UV) light, and your bones. Adequate amounts of calcium and vitamin D are required to maintain healthy bones. Calcium is an essential mineral that we get through our diet or in supplements, and vitamin D is needed to enhance the absorption of calcium from the small intestine. A more accurate answer is that these chemicals come from the cycling of air, water and minerals between the earth and the human body. In fact, the earth's crust contains most of the mineral nutrients our body needs, and the chemical composition of a rock, such as granite, is strikingly similar to the composition of the human body.

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