Minerals

Minerals are important for your body to stay healthy. Your body uses minerals for many different jobs, including building bones, making hormones and regulating your heartbeat.

There are two kinds of minerals: macro minerals and trace minerals. Macro minerals are minerals your body needs in larger amounts. They include calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, sodium, potassium, chloride and sulfur. Your body needs just small amounts of trace minerals. These include iron, manganese, copper, iodine, zinc, cobalt, fluoride and selenium.

The best way to get the minerals your body needs is by eating a wide variety of foods. In some cases, your doctor may recommend a mineral supplement.

 Diet for chlorin

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Chloride is found in many chemicals and other substances in the body. It is an important part of the salt found in many foods and used in cooking.

Function

Chloride is needed to keep the proper balance of body fluids. It is an essential part of digestive (stomach) juices.

Food Sources

Chloride is found in table salt or sea salt as sodium chloride. It is also found in many vegetables. Foods with higher amounts of chloride include seaweed, rye, tomatoes, lettuce, celery, and olives.

Chloride, together with potassium, is also found in most foods and is usually the main ingredient of salt substitutes.

Most Americans probably get more chloride than needed, in the form of table salt and salt in prepared foods.

Side Effects

Too little chloride in the body can occur when your body loses a lot of fluids. This may be due to excessive sweating, vomiting, or diarrhea. Medicines such as diuretics can also cause low chloride levels.

Too much chloride from salted foods can:

• Increase your blood pressure
• Cause a buildup of fluid in people with congestive heart failure, cirrhosis, or kidney disease

Recommendations

The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for vitamins reflects how much of each vitamin most people should get each day. The RDA for vitamins may be used to create each person's goals.

How much of each vitamin you need depends on your age and gender. Other factors, such as pregnancy and illnesses, are also important. Women who are pregnant or breast-feeding need higher amounts. Older adults need lower amounts. Ask your health care provider which amount is best for you.

Infants

• 0 - 6 months: 0.18* grams per day (g/day)
• 7 - 12 months: 0.57* g/day

Children

• 1 - 3 years: 1.5* g/day
• 4 - 8 years: 1.9* g/day
• 9 - 13 years: 2.3* g/day

Adolescents and Adults

• Males and females age 14 to 50 years: 2.3* g/day
• Males and females 51 to 70: 2.0* g/day
• Males and females 71 and over: 1.8* g/day

*Adequate intakes (AI)

The best way to get the daily requirement of essential vitamins is to eat a balanced diet that contains a variety of foods.

Vitamins

Vitamins are substances that your body needs to grow and develop normally. There are 13 vitamins your body needs. They are vitamins A, C, D, E, K and the B vitamins(thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, biotin, vitamin B-6, vitamin B-12 andfolate). You can usually get all your vitamins from the foods you eat. Your body can also make vitamins D and K. People who eat a vegetarian diet may need to take a vitamin B12 supplement.

Each vitamin has specific jobs. If you have low levels of certain vitamins, you may develop a deficiency disease. For example, if you don't get enough vitamin D, you could develop rickets. Some vitamins may help prevent medical problems. Vitamin A prevents night blindness.

The best way to get enough vitamins is to eat a balanced diet with a variety of foods. In some cases, you may need to take a daily multivitamin for optimal health. However, high doses of some vitamins can make you sick.

vitamins

Dietary Supplements

 Supplements

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Dietary supplements are vitamins, minerals, herbs, and many other products. They can come as pills, capsules, powders, drinks, and energy bars. Supplements do not have to go through the testing that drugs do.

Some supplements can play an important role in health. For example, calcium and vitamin D are important for keeping bones strong. Pregnant women can take the vitamin folic acid to prevent certain birth defects in their babies.

To take a supplement as safely as possible

• Tell your health care provider about any dietary supplements you use
• Do not take a bigger dose than the label recommends
• Check with your health care provider about the supplements you take if you are going to have any type of surgery
• Read trustworthy information about the supplement

Beef

Beef Strip Steak — 5 ounces cooked weight
Protein Foods Group: counts as 5 ounce equivalents of protein foods

What Foods Are in the Protein Foods Group?

All foods made from meat, poultry, seafood, beans and peas, eggs, processed soy products, nuts, and seeds are considered part of the Protein Foods Group. Beans and peas are also part of the Vegetable Group. For more information on beans and peas, see Beans and Peas Are Unique Foods.

Select a variety of protein foods to improve nutrient intake and health benefits, including at least 8 ounces of cooked seafood per week. Young children need less, depending on their age and calorie needs. The advice to consume seafood does not apply to vegetarians. Vegetarian options in the Protein Foods Group include beans and peas, processed soy products, and nuts and seeds. Meat and poultry choices should be lean or low-fat.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Commonly eaten protein foods

•         Meats*

  
  

  Lean cuts of:

  • beef
  • ham
  • lamb
  • pork
  • veal
  
  

  Game Meats

  • bison
  • rabbit
  • venison
  
  

  Lean Ground Meats

  • beef
  • pork
  • lamb
  
             

       Organ Meats

  • liver
  • giblets

        Poultry

• chicken
• duck
• goose
• turkey
• ground chicken and turkey

Eggs*

• chicken eggs
• duck eggs

Beans and Peas

• bean burgers
• black beans
• black-eyed peas
• chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
• falafel
• kidney beans
• lentils
• lima beans (mature)
• navy beans
• pinto beans
• soy beans
• split peas
• white beans

Processed Soy Products

• tofu (bean curd made from soybeans)
• veggie burgers
• tempeh
• texturized vegetable protein (TVP)

• Nuts and Seeds*

  • almonds
  • cashews
  • hazelnuts (filberts)
  • mixed nuts
  • peanuts
  • peanut butter
  • pecans
  • pistachios
  • pumpkin seeds
  • sesame seeds
  • sunflower seeds
  • walnuts

  Seafood*

  
  

  Finfish such as:

  • catfish
  • cod
  • flounder
  • haddock
  • halibut
  • herring
  • mackerel
  • pollock
  • porgy
  • salmon
  • sea bass
  • snapper
  • swordfish
  • trout
  • tuna
  
  

  Shellfish such as:

  • clams
  • crab
  • crayfish
  • lobster
  • mussels
  • octopus
  • oysters
  • scallops
  • squid (calamari)
  • shrimp
  
  

  Canned fish such as:

  • anchovies
  • clams
  • tuna
  • sardines

      Selection Tips

• Choose lean or low-fat meat and poultry. If higher fat choices are made, such as regular ground beef (75 to 80% lean) or chicken with skin, the fat counts against your maximum limit for empty calories (calories from solid fats or added sugars).
• If solid fat is added in cooking, such as frying chicken in shortening or frying eggs in butter or stick margarine, this also counts against your maximum limit for empty calories (calories from solid fats and added sugars).
• Select some seafood that is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, such as salmon, trout, sardines, anchovies, herring, Pacific oysters, and Atlantic and Pacific mackerel.
• Processed meats such as ham, sausage, frankfurters, and luncheon or deli meats have added sodium. Check the Nutrition Facts label to help limit sodium intake. Fresh chicken, turkey, and pork that have been enhanced with a salt-containing solution also have added sodium. Check the product label for statements such as “self-basting” or “contains up to __% of __”, which mean that a sodium-containing solution has been added to the product.
• Choose unsalted nuts and seeds to keep sodium intake low.

What Foods Are Included in the Dairy Group?

All fluid milk products and many foods made from milk are considered part of this food group. Most Dairy Group choices should be fat-free or low-fat. Foods made from milk that retain their calcium content are part of the group. Foods made from milk that have little to no calcium, such as cream cheese, cream, and butter, are not. Calcium-fortified soymilk (soy beverage) is also part of the Dairy Group.

Key Consumer Message

Switch to fat-free or low-fat (1%) milk.

FAT FREE
MILK

Selection Tips

• Choose fat-free or low-fat milk, yogurt, and cheese. If you choose milk or yogurt that is not fat-free, or cheese that is not low-fat, the fat in the product counts against your maximum limit for "empty calories" (calories from solid fats and added sugars).
• If sweetened milk products are chosen (flavored milk, yogurt, drinkable yogurt, desserts), the added sugars also count against your maximum limit for "empty calories" (calories from solid fats and added sugars).
• For those who are lactose intolerant, smaller portions (such as 4 fluid ounces of milk) may be well tolerated. Lactose-free and lower-lactose products are available. These include lactose-reduced or lactose-free milk, yogurt, and cheese, and calcium-fortified soymilk (soy beverage). Also, enzyme preparations can be added to milk to lower the lactose content. Calcium-fortified foods and beverages such as cereals, orange juice, or rice or almond beverages may provide calcium, but may not provide the other nutrients found in dairy products.

Commonly eaten dairy products

• • Milk*
    all fluid milk:

    • fat-free (skim)
    • low fat (1%)
    • reduced fat (2%)
    • whole milk
    • flavored milks:
      • chocolate
      • strawberry
    • lactose-reduced milks
    • lactose-free milks

  • Milk-based desserts*

    • puddings
    • ice milk
    • frozen yogurt
    • ice cream

  • Calcium-fortified soymilk
    (soy beverage)

• • Cheese*

    • hard natural cheeses:
      • cheddar
      • mozzarella
      • Swiss
      • Parmesan
    • soft cheeses:
      • ricotta
      • cottage cheese
    • processed cheeses:
      • American

  • Yogurt*
    all yogurt:

    • fat-free
    • low fat
    • reduced fat
    • whole milk yogurt

"Oils" ?? iS gOoD oR baD

What Are "Oils"?

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Oils are fats that are liquid at room temperature, like the vegetable oils used in cooking. Oils come from many different plants and from fish. Oils are NOT a food group, but they provide essential nutrients. Therefore, oils are included in USDA food patterns.

Some commonly eaten oils include:

• canola oil
• corn oil
• cottonseed oil
• olive oil
• safflower oil
• soybean oil
• sunflower oil

Some oils are used mainly as flavorings, such as walnut oil and sesame oil. A number of foods are naturally high in oils, like:

• nuts
• olives
• some fish
• avocados

Foods that are mainly oil include mayonnaise, certain salad dressings, and soft (tub or squeeze) margarine with no trans fats. Check the Nutrition Facts label to find margarines with 0 grams of trans fat. Amounts of trans fat are required to be listed on labels.
Most oils are high in monounsaturated or polyunsaturated fats, and low in saturated fats. Oils from plant sources (vegetable and nut oils) do not contain any cholesterol. In fact, no plant foods contain cholesterol.
A few plant oils, however, including coconut oil, palm oil, and palm kernel oil, are high in saturated fats and for nutritional purposes should be considered to be solid fats.
Solid fats are fats that are solid at room temperature, like butter and shortening. Solid fats come from many animal foods and can be made from vegetable oils through a process called hydrogenation. Some common fats are:

• butter
• milk fat
• beef fat (tallow, suet)
• chicken fat
• pork fat (lard)
• stick margarine
• shortening
• partially hydrogenated oil