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