What Do Minerals Do For Your Body?

Sometimes, vitamins get all the press. Vitamins are an essential part of our daily nutrition, but they're not the only thing! Don't forget about minerals, another piece of the nutritional puzzle. Is there a difference between vitamins and minerals? Minerals play an essential role in many of our body's processes, so it's important to keep them in mind when putting together a supplement routine to suit your daily needs best.^†

Most multivitamins include minerals alongside a variety of vitamins, but why? What do minerals do for the body? We're here to help you understand essential minerals for health, what they do in our body, and how you can get them through diet or Nature Made^® supplementation.

What Are Minerals and Why Do We Need Them?

Minerals, don’t they come from the earth? Initially, yes! Essential minerals play a necessary role in our bodily functions. Our bodies can't produce minerals, so we have to get them from other sources in regular and adequate amounts.

The best way to get minerals is through food sources; eating a balanced diet with nutrient-rich foods high in essential minerals is a great way to support your daily health. Minerals are found in the earth, so they're contained in a variety of plant-based foods that pull in minerals from the soil. A few steps up the food chain, some animal foods are also a source of minerals in our diet. But sometimes you can’t get every essential mineral every day. That's when supplementation can help. But what minerals should you look for? And what do they do?

Types of Minerals

You're probably familiar with the two categories of vitamins: water-soluble vitamins and fat-soluble vitamins. It may come as a surprise, however, that there are different ways to categorize dietary minerals as well. Rather than categorizing them based on their solubility (like vitamins), one way to categorize minerals is by how much of them our body needs. The two major categories of minerals are macrominerals and trace minerals.

• Macrominerals are minerals that we need larger amounts of; some of these macrominerals are Calcium, Magnesium, and Potassium.
• Trace minerals are minerals that are still essential to our health, but our body only needs small amounts of them. Iron, Zinc, and Selenium are just some of the trace minerals our bodies need.

This is why you might notice very different dosage amounts between minerals in a multivitamin; macrominerals will have much larger doses than trace minerals.

5 Essential Minerals and Their Role in Your Health

While there are more essential minerals than we can dig into in this blog, let's focus on five prominent examples and explain what do minerals do for the body.

#1 Calcium: Bone Health^†

Got Calcium? One of the most well-known essential minerals, due to its prominence in some dairy foods, Calcium plays a valuable role in bone and tooth health. Calcium makes up a significant portion of our bones and teeth; providing your body with regular sources of this essential mineral helps support healthy bone development and strong bones.^†

Our Calcium with Vitamin D3 Softgels provide a daily source of Calcium alongside Vitamin D to help improve Calcium absorption. Now, that's what I call synergy.^†

#2 Magnesium: Nerve, Muscle, Bone & Heart Health^†

Magnesium is another essential mineral found in whole grains, dark green leafy vegetables, nuts, and beans. What does Magnesium do for the body? Magnesium is required for over 300 enzymatic reactions in the body! But what, precisely, does it support?^†

Magnesium helps support muscle relaxation, essential heart and nerve function, and bone and teeth health. If that sounds good to you, and you feel that you might not get enough Magnesium in your daily diet, fear not. Nature Made^®'s Magnesium Collection, including High Absorption Magnesium Citrate Gummies, can help you get a daily dose of this essential mineral.^†

#3 Potassium: Heart Function^†

Want to learn about Potassium? "K." While that may not be the most enthusiastic affirmation, you may be more eager when you hear what it can do for your body.

Potassium helps support muscle and nerve function, and it helps support heart function by helping to control the heart muscle activity. Are you more interested now? If you are, check out Nature Made^®'s Potassium Gluconate Tablets, which provide a dose of this essential mineral in a convenient form.^†

#4 Iron: Cognitive Function^†

We may know Iron as a key metal in the historical development of human technology, the “Iron Age” of yore. Similar to its role in human history, Iron plays an essential role in humans, in the function of our bodies. Iron is an essential mineral that is particularly important for women in their reproductive years. It’s is vital for red blood formation and supports healthy cognitive function.^†

Nature Made^® provides some Iron Supplements, including a selection of Women's Multivitamins with some that contain Iron to help you meet your needs during your childbearing years.

#5 Zinc: Immune Support^†

What are you Zinc-ing about? The benefits of Zinc? Well, if you're not yet, you will by the end of this paragraph. Zinc is an essential mineral that provides antioxidant support to protect cells from oxidative stress and supports a healthy immune system.^†

Not only that, but Zinc also helps support healthy skin and is vital for normal growth and development. Nature Made^®'s Zinc Supplements Collection provides a selection of sources for this essential nutrient, including delicious fruit-flavored Zinc Gummies.^†

How to Get Enough Minerals in Your Diet

As we know, one of the best ways to get any nutrient is through a balanced diet. So, let's see some tips on how to work in essential minerals into your daily diet.

Foods with Essential Minerals

When you want to add food with essential minerals to your diet, it's best to understand what mineral you are looking for and where it can be found.

Here are some examples of food sources for each mineral:

Calcium

• Milk
• Yogurt
• Cheese

Magnesium

• Leafy green vegetables
• Nuts
• Beans
• Brown Rice
• Oat Bran
• Whole Wheat

Potassium

• Bananas
• Potatoes
• Citrus
• Tomatoes
• Prunes
• Spinach

Heme Iron (Better Absorbed)

• Lean red meats
• Poultry
• Fish

Non-Heme Iron

• Dried fruits
• Dark green leafy vegetables
• Lima beans

Zinc

• Shellfish
• Beef
• Whole grains
• Breakfast cereals

You may have noticed that a lot of these minerals come from all sorts of different foods, that's why it's essential to eat a balanced diet with a variety of foods to provide your body with sources of essential vitamins and minerals.

When to Consider Supplements

While it's always best to get your nutrients from your diet, that's not always an easy thing to do. If you find that your diet doesn't always include sources of essential vitamins and minerals, you might be interested in supplementation. This can be helpful if things like dietary restrictions or lack of availability of certain foods make it challenging to fill potential nutritional gaps. The best time to take vitamins and minerals is with a regular, daily meal.

If you are interested in starting a supplement routine or adding any new vitamin or mineral supplements to your pre-existing routine, it's best to consult with your primary care provider; they can help give you personalized advice.

Can You Take Too Many Minerals?

So, if these minerals are good for you, can you take too many of them? The answer is the same as “can you take too many vitamins?” Yes. Minerals can cause unwanted effects if they are taken in excess, so you should always follow the suggested use on the label. If you have more questions on the proper mineral supplement dosages, consult your healthcare provider.

Supporting Your Health with Nature Made^®

Minerals! They're not just for the earth; they're for you! By providing your body with a steady support of minerals through diet or supplementation, you support your body's everyday functions. Whether it's Calcium for bone health, Iron for cognitive function, Magnesium for nerve, muscle, and heart health, or any of the other essential minerals that help our body function.^†

Look at your current diet and see if you are getting the mineral support you need every day. What happens to your body when you start taking vitamins and minerals? Like vitamins, mineral needs can change depending on your age, gender, and life stage. Consulting with a doctor or registered dietitian can help you determine which supplementation might be right for you.

Check out Nature Made^®'s selection, including our Multivitamin Collection, which includes multiple minerals and vitamins in convenient packages.

† These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.