All minerals are tiny bits of inorganic elements that come from the soil or water and are eaten or absorbed by plants and animals. Sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium are among the essentials minerals that scientists know are responsible for helping your body function and stay healthy, the FAQS website reports. The site adds that you need trace minerals, such as zinc, copper and selenium, in very small amounts and that more research is needed on their benefits.
Potassium
Potassium helps your muscle and nervous systems function and helps maintain the balance of water in the blood and the body tissues, the KidsHealth website explains. The U.S. Institute of Medicine notes that without enough potassium, your blood pressure increases, your sensitivity to salt increases and you are at greater risk for kidney stones, bone loss and heart disease, especially stroke.The Institute recommends that men and women age 31 to 50 consume 4.7 grams, or 4,700 milligrams, of potassium each day.
Foods High in Potassium
Canned tomato paste has the highest content per measure on the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Nutrient Database for potassium. Other foods high on the list include: dried fruits such as raisins and apricots, potatoes, halibut and Pacific rockfish, beans of all sorts, spinach, iceberg lettuce, pumpkin, mushrooms, bananas and yogurt.
Sodium
Like potassium, sodium is an essential mineral that helps the body maintain its water balance. People adapt to widely different sodium levels because the kidneys can excrete excess sodium in urine and sweat, according to Harvard Health Publications. Indeed, the Institutes of Medicine report that the Yanomamo Indians in Brazil get less than .2 g each day while natives of Japan get 10.3 g daily.
High sodium is a major cause of high blood pressure, or hypertension, in Americans, leading to increased risks of heart attacks and stroke. Harvard Health Publications report that adults need only 2.3 g, or 2,300 mg, of sodium a day and that those at high-risk for hypertension need only 1.5 g, or 1,500 mg.
Foods High in Sodium
The USDA database entry for sodium lists dry onion soup mix as the food highest in sodium per measure, with table salt, sauerkraut, and tomato products close behind. Other foods high in sodium include baking soda, canned beans and many types of fast foods.
Determining Amounts in Food
The USDA database has lists for sodium and potassium, sorted either alphabetically, indicated by "A," or sorted by nutrient content per weight, indicated by "W." The alphabetical list for sodium starts with alcohol, with beer at 355 mg of sodium per 12 ounces, then moves to 1 apple, with 138 mg.
References
- FAQS.org: Minerals
- KidsHealth: Minerals
- Institute of Medicine of the National Academies: Dietary Reference Intakes for Water, Potassium, Sodium
- U.S. Department of Agriculture National Nutrient Database: Potassium
- Harvard Health Publications: Salt and your Health: The Sodium Connection
- U.S. Department of Agriculture National Nutrient Database: Sodium
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