People look to certain foods and drinks to provide the minerals and vitamins they need to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Both minerals and vitamins are needed to keep the body up and running effectively. However, despite popular belief that the two are the same, the fact that our bodies thrive on vitamins and minerals is probably the only thing these two substances have in common.
Main Differences
Webster's dictionary describes a mineral as "an inorganic substance." The same cannot be said for a vitamin, which is considered organic. While minerals come from water, soil and rock, vitamins are found in animals and plants. The chemical makeup of a vitamin is much more complex than that of a mineral. When cooking, certain vitamins can be destroyed or drained from the foods, while minerals cannot. Most importantly, the human body needs all 13 vitamins to survive, while it does not require all the minerals for survival.
Macro Minerals
Your body needs macro minerals in high doses. These macro minerals come in handy to maintain healthy functioning in your cells. Calcium, magnesium, phosphorous and potassium are all considered macro minerals. Cheese and milk are rich in calcium; beans and cashews can offer generous doses of magnesium; meat, eggs and yogurt hold large amounts of phosphorous, and look to fruits and vegetables for potassium.
Trace Minerals
Trace minerals are only needed in small amounts. Copper, iodine, iron, manganese, selenium and zinc are all considered trace minerals. As of 1997, the University of Delaware College of Agriculture and Natural Resources recommended for men and postmenopausal women to consume no more than 10 mg per trace mineral.
Fat-soluble Vitamins
Vitamins A, D, E and K are all considered fat-soluble vitamins. Fat-soluble vitamins, although essential, are not necessarily needed on a daily basis. When you consume fat-soluble vitamins, they are stored within your fatty tissues and the liver until they are needed. They are also digested at a much slower rate than water-soluble vitamins. Vitamin A can be found in cheese and butter, as well as some plants including potatoes and apricots. D and E can be consumed in egg yolks. Eat dark green vegetables for vitamin K.
Water-soluble Vitamins
Water-soluble vitamins are B-complex and C. They are essential for human living and health and are used and replaced much more frequently than fat-soluble vitamins. Typically, they are drained out of your system to make room for storing food. Look to meat, milk, fish and vegetables for these vitamins; and don't forget citrus fruits for vitamin C. The Colorado State University explained in 2008 that at certain times of your life your body may crave certain vitamins more often than normally needed. One example is vitamin C, which your body craves during times of stress, illness or when you have injuries that are trying to heal.
References
- DifferenceBetween.net: Difference Between Vitamins and Minerals
- InspiredLiving.com: Nutrients - Macro Minerals
- University of Delaware, College of Agriculture and National Resources: Trace Minerals; Arlette Rasmussen; March 1997
- Colorado State University: Fat-Soluble Vitamins; J. Anderson, et al.; Aug. 2008
- Colorado State University: Water-Soluble Vitamins; J. Anderson, et al.; Aug. 2008
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