Minerals

Calcium

• Needed for forming bones and teeth
• Helps nerves and muscles function

Canned salmon with bones, sardines, milk, cheese, yogurt, Chinese cabbage, bok choy, kale, collard greens, turnip greens, mustard greens, broccoli, and calcium-fortified orange juice.

Chloride

• Needed for keeping the right amounts of water in the different parts of your body

Salt, seaweed, rye, tomatoes, lettuce, celery, olives, sardines, beef, pork, and cheese.

Copper

• Helps protect cells from damage
• Needed for forming bone and red blood cells

Organ meats, shellfish (especially oysters), chocolate, mushrooms, nuts, beans, and whole-grain cereals.

Fluoride

• Needed for forming bones and teeth

Saltwater fish, tea, coffee, and fluoridated water.

Iodine

• Needed for thyroid gland function

Seafood, iodized salt, and drinking water (in regions with iodine-rich soil, which are usually regions near an ocean).

Iron

• Helps red blood cells deliver oxygen to body tissues
• Helps muscles function

Red meats, poultry, fish, liver, soybean flour, eggs, beans, lentils, peas, molasses, spinach, turnip greens, clams, dried fruit (apricots, prunes, and raisins), whole grains, and fortified breakfast cereals.

Magnesium

• Needed for forming bones and teeth
• Needed for normal nerve and muscle function

Green leafy vegetables, nuts, bran cereal, seafood, milk, cheese, and yogurt.

Phosphorus

• Needed for forming bones and teeth
• Needed for storing energy from food

Milk, yogurt, cheese, red meat, poultry, fish, eggs, nuts, peas, and some cereals and breads.

Potassium

• Needed for normal nerve and muscle function
• Needed for keeping the right amounts of water in the different parts of your body

Milk, bananas, tomatoes, oranges, melons, potatoes, sweet potatoes, prunes, raisins, spinach, turnip greens, collard greens, kale, most peas and beans, and salt substitutes (potassium chloride).

Selenium

• Helps protect cells from damage
• Needed for thyroid gland function

Vegetables, fish, shellfish, red meat, grains, eggs, chicken, liver, garlic, brewer's yeast, wheat germ, and enriched breads.

Sodium

• Needed for normal nerve and muscle function
• Needed for keeping the right amounts of water in the different parts of your body

Salt, milk, cheese, beets, celery, beef, pork, sardines, and green olives. (Many people get too much sodium. For tips on cutting back, see Reducing your sodium.)

Zinc

• Needed for healthy skin
• Needed for wound healing
• Helps your body fight off illnesses and infections

Liver, eggs, seafood, red meats, oysters, certain seafood, milk products, eggs, beans, peas, lentils, peanuts, nuts, whole grains, fortified cereals, wheat germ, and pumpkin seeds.