TABLE OF CONTENTS The body needs a myriad of elemental minerals for correct function. Among these are potassium, sodium, calcium, zinc, phosphorus, magnesium, iron, manganese, selenium, and iodine. Zinc, for example, has structural, regulatory and catalytic roles in a number of enzymes, and also has a structural role in non-enzymic proteins. A deficiency of zinc can result in growth retardation and defects in the skin, intestinal mucosa and immune system (DoH, 1991b). Iron is a significant component of haemoglobin, the red pigment in blood cells responsible for transporting oxygen to all cells in the body, and a deficiency will result in anaemia, with tiredness and general lethargy being two of the symptoms. Calcium and phosphorus are major components in bones, and both sodium and potassium are required for maintaining ionic balance in cells, and particularly the correct functioning of nerve cells.
Some minerals are required in greater quantities than others and this requirement can vary considerably from one part of the population to another. For example, adolescents and breast-feeding women require more dietary calcium than other adults. The levels of minerals required per day are, generally, in the milligram range.
Unlike some vitamins, minerals are not destroyed by processing, and in some cases their bioavailability (i.e. the ability of the digestive system to extract and absorb them from the food) may be improved. However, they are prone to leaching out of food into cooking water on processing. Thus, avoiding cooking with excess water during commercial and domestic processing can significantly enhance...
