Vitamins, Minerals, & Supplements - Oh my! Tips

Adding Calcium to Your Diet

Dried figs have 120 mg. per 1/2 cup(125 ml.) of calcium. Choose them over other dried fruits.

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Iron

Some good sources of iron are: brewer's yeast, blackstrap molasses, wheat bran, nuts and seeds, fish, dark leafy green vegetables, kelp, wheat germ, beef, millet, parsley, raisins, legumes, eggs.

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Phosphorus

Phosphorus builds and strengthens bones and helps release energy from nutrients.

Good food sources of Phosphorus are milk, cheese, meat, fish, poultry, eggs, whole grains, legumes, nuts.

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Magnesium

Some good food sources of magnesium are: wheat bran/germ, almonds, cashews, pecans, walnuts, soy flour, millet, brown rice, chocolate, dark green vegetables, avocado, dried apricots, legumes.

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Adding Calcium to Your Diet

To add more calcium, choose blackstrap or cooking molasses over fancy molasses and use in baking when the recipe calls for liquid honey or corn syrup.

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Adding Calcium to Your Diet

Add more calcium to coleslaw by tossing in a handful of shredded bok choy or chopped kale.

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Chromium

Some good sources of Chromium are: brewer's yeast, beef, liver, whole wheat, rye, fresh chili, oysters, potatoes w/skin.

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Adding Calcium to Your Diet

Sprinkle sesame seeds over cookies, muffins, tea biscuits or bread before baking, or mix seeds with bread crumbs for a crunchy topping for casseroles. This will add more calcium to the dish.

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Absorption from Iron

To get more aborption from iron:

1. Pair Vitamin C rich foods (oranges, cantaloupes, green peppers, etc.) with whatever you are eating.

2. Add a little meat, poultry or fish (heme iron) to nonheme food, such as meat in a bean dish.

3. Drink coffee or tea between meals - - not with meals.

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Major Minerals

Major minerals (also known as macrominerals) are needed by the body in relatively large amounts.

They are:

Calcium
Chloride
Magnesium
Phosphorus
Potassium
Sodium
Sulfur

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Manganese

Some good sources of Manganese are: nuts, whole grains, sunflower seeds, legumes, carrots, potatoes, spinach, alfalfa.

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Sulfur

Sulfur is needed to make hair, nails and cartilage.

Good food sources of Sulfur are meat, fish, eggs, legumes.

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Flouride

Fluoride contributes to bone and teeth maintenance. Food sources of fluoride are fluoridated tap water, tea, sardines with bones.

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Adding Calcium to Your Diet

Serve sweetened plain yogurt with desserts in place of whipped or sour cream. (300 mg calcium per 3/4 cup/175 ml).

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Trace Minerals

Trace minerals are needed by the body in much smaller amounts, but are as important as major minerals.

The trace minerals are:

Chromium
Copper
Fluoride
Iodine
Iron
Manganese
Molybdenum
Selenium
Zinc

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Adding Calcium to Your Diet

Evaporated milk contains more than twice the calcium of regular milk. Use in sauces, soups, macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes, milkshakes and desserts.

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Selenium

Some good sources of selenium are: butter, fish, lamb, whole grains, brazil nuts, shellfish, swiss chard, turnips, onions.

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Potassium

Some good sources of potassium are: kelp, legumes, sunflower seeds, wheat germ, almonds, raisins, parsley, brazil nuts, dates, figs, avocado, bananas, potatoes, dark green leafy vegetables, yams.

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Chloride

Chloride is needed to regulate fluid and electrolyte balances; it forms part of gastric juice. Good food sources of chloride are salt and processed foods.

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Adding Calcium to Your Diet

Instant skim milk powder can be added to any liquid you use in baking. (315 mg calcium per 1/4 cup/50 ml powder).

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Adding Calcium to Your Diet

Almonds contain more calcium than any other nut (190 mg per 1/2 cup/125 ml). Substitute them in recipes that call for walnuts or pecans. Hazelnuts are the next best with 130 mg per 1/2 cup(125 ml). Add ground nuts to cookie-crumb crusts when baking.

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Zinc

Some good sources of Zinc are: oysters, ginger, red meats, pumpkin seeds, peas, brazil nuts, fish, whole grains.

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Folate

Folate helps reduce blood levels of the amino acid homocysteine. High blood levels of homocysteine increase risk of heart disease, especially in people who have normal levels of cholesterol. Approximately 50 percent of the folate in foods is lost in cooking, so be sure to include some raw leafy greens in your weekly food choices.

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Sodium

Sodium regulates fluid and acid-base balance.

Food sources of Sodium are salt and processed foods.

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Copper

Some good sources of copper are: oysters, raw nuts and seeds, legumes, whole grains, liver, avocados, potatoes.

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Antioxidants

Vitamins A and C and beta-carotene are antioxidants. Antioxidants help eliminate destructive compounds called free radicals, which are produced through normal body processes such as breathing. Typically the body's defense systems neutralize free radicals, but if too many free radicals are produced the body can't keep up. Alcohol, cigarette smoke and pollution can cause increased levels of free radicals. A diet rich in foods high in antioxidants, including fruits, whole grains, legumes and green leafy vegetables, can decrease risk of heart disease as well as other chronic diseases such as cancer.

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Calcium

Some good sources of calcium are: cheese, collard, sardines, goat's milk, cow's milk, broccoli, almonds, bok choy, soy foods, dandelion greens, brazil nuts, kelp, sunflower seeds, carob, spinach.

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