Minerals Explained
Minerals – Iron, Potassium and Phosphorous
Iron
Iron is an important mineral that is needed in a healthy diet, people who don’t receive enough iron in their diet become tired easily because their bodies are starved of oxygen.
What foods contain iron?
Iron is found in oysters, meat, poultry and fish as well as in leafy green vegetables, dried fruit and wine.
How much iron do we need?
The average adult will need 100mg of iron per day, some factors can prevent us from receiving the correct amount of iron in our diet for example those that donate blood and sometimes because of this your Doctor will recommend iron tablets or iron supplements.
Are there any side effects from taking iron supplements?
If your Doctor has prescribed iron as a supplement then he will have given you clear instructions on the daily amount needed to be taken, however iron tablets can have some side effects the most common being constipation.
If you are taking supplements then be sure to drink plenty of fluids throughout the day and increase the amount of fibre you have in your daily diet.
Drinking a lot of coffee, foods that are high in fibre and calcium supplements all affect the absorption of iron into your body and taking Vitamin C supplements will slightly increase the absorption.
Potassium
Potassium is a trace mineral that is essential for good health and strong bones; it helps to regulate the blood pressure and helps the cellular enzymes to function properly.
What foods contain potassium?
Around 400 milligrams of the following foods contain potassium
- 1 medium banana
- 1 8oz cup of orange juice
- 1 medium baked potato
- 1 cup of tomato juice
- 1 large nectarine
- 8oz of honeydew melon
How much potassium do we need?
Eating between five and nine servings of fruit and vegetables every day will ensure that the body receives enough potassium, the minimum amount of potassium that we need per day is around 2,000 milligrams.
Phosphorous
Phosphorous is essential for skin and bones and also makes up part of DNA and RNA; it serves as the main regulator of energy metabolism in cells and helps the body with the absorption of glucose.
What foods contain phosphorous?
Almost all foods contain phosphorous, including milk, meat, fish and eggs.
Excellent sources of phosphorous can be found in the following foods
- 1 cup of all bran cereal – 792mg
- 3 small pancakes – 430mg
- 1 8oz cup of milk – 245mg
- 8oz of bran flakes – 174
- 1 large egg – 90mg
- 120z of coca cola – 63mg
How much phosphorous do we need?
The recommended daily allowance of phosphorous is 700 milligrams a day for adults and 1,250 for children.