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.