Plants take up minerals from soil and water as they grow, and factors that can affect the mineral content of plant foods can be the condition of the soil, the growing conditions and even the type of plant--for example, rye grain can extract the mineral copper very efficiently from soil that is low in copper compared with wheat, according to the Government of Alberta, Canada's Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. Plant foods include fruit, vegetables, grains, legumes or beans, nuts, and seeds. Below are minerals found in varying degrees in plant foods, and some of the role these minerals play in the body:
Macronutrient Minerals
Certain minerals, such as calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and sulfer are found in large quantities in edible plants, and are referred to as macronutrients because they are needed in significant amounts in the human body.
Calcium is crucial to bone health in humans and magnesium--present in all green plant foods and required for the plant to produce the chlorophyll that makes plants green--is also important in bone health as well as protein synthesis. Phosphorus is also important in bone health, notes the Government of Alberta, Canada's Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. Potassium, involved in nerve impulse and muscle contractions--including heart muscle contraction)--is present in all plant foods, and sulfur, necessary for plant growth, has a role in most human body functions, according to the Government of Alberta, Canada's Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.
Boron, Chlorine, Copper and Flourine
The following are considered micronutrients because only small, or trace, amounts are necessary for human health. Boron, critical for normal plant growth, particularly in legumes, plays a role in bone health and chlorine, which helps prevent roots from rotting in wheat and barley, is important in regulating body fluids. Chromium can help with regulating blood sugar, according to the Government of Alberta, Canada's Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.
Copper, important in helping with chlorophyl production and reproductive growth in plants, plays a role in human heart and muscle health, and while it's unclear what role flourine plays in plants, this mineral helps keep teeth and bones strong, notes the Government of Alberta, Canada's Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.
Micronutrients: Iodine, Iron, Manganese and Molybdenum
Iodine, which can accumulate in some edible plants, such as the seaweed kelp, plays a role in thyroid function, although consuming too much iodine may cause thyroid dysfunction, according to the American Thyroid Association.
Iron, important in photosynthesis in plants, transports oxygen in human red blood cells and is important for immune system health in people, whereas manganese is crucial for growth in all cereal grains, and is involved in human bone and connective tissue health. Molybdenum, found in grains, is part of iron metabolism in the body, according to the Government of Alberta, Canada's Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.
Nickel, Selenium and Silicon
Nickel, found in beans, nuts and peas is involved in enzyme systems in the human body, and selenium,
may lead to heart weakness in people with deficiencies of this mineral. Silicon is involved in collagen health in humans and helps provide structure in some plants, notes the Government of Alberta, Canada's Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.
Sodium, Vanadium and Zinc
Sodium, important in crops such as beets, which originally grew by the sea, helps regulate fluid balance in the body, according to the Government of Alberta, Canada's Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. Excess sodium can lead to fluid retention and high blood pressure in the body, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Vanadium, provided by plant foods such as parsley, dill and corn, is a co-factor in human blood sugar and fat metabolism but there are no current dietary recommendations for this mineral. Zinc, important in bean and corn production, plays a key role in human hair growth and wound healing notes the Government of Alberta, Canada's Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.
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