Minerals - Essentials to Children's Diets

Minerals - cellular essentials of the body

Minerals are a type of micronutrient. They can be divided into 3 groups: (1) macrominerals and (2) microminerals and (3) ultra-trace elements and represent up to ~5% of body weight.

Minerals perform a lot of functions, contributing to healthy growth and development as well as general health. Minerals help you maintain strong teeth and bones, healthy hormone levels and nerve function, efficient digestion and more.

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Different Kinds of Minerals

Macrominerals are present in the body in relatively large amounts and their requirements are the greatest. Macrominerals include calcium, sodium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, chloride and sulfur and have daily requirements of >100 mg.

Microminerals include zinc, copper, iron, and fluoride and have daily requirements of <15 mg.

Ultratrace elements include iodine, selenium, manganese, chromium, molybdenum, cobalt and boron and their daily requirements are in mcg (where 1 mcg is 0.001 mg).

Mineral Use in the Body

The bioavailability of minerals is the rate at which your body absorbs them from the food you eat. It makes a big difference when planning a healthy diet because the mineral content of specific foods is not necessarily all absorbed.

For example iron, chromium and manganese generally have low bioavailability while sodium, potassium, chloride, iodide, and fluoride have a high bioavailability. All this needs to be taken into account to ensure you are getting enough of every essential mineral.

Mineral Sources, Functions and Deficiencies

Mineral	Foods	Function	Deficiency
Calcium	Dairy, dark green leafy vegetables, almonds, sardines, oysters	Bone mass gains and density	Low bone density
Chloride	Salt, seaweed, rye	Maintenance of blood volume and pressure	Fatigue, muscle weakness
Chromium	Oysters, liver, yeast, potatoes	Insulin action	Insulin resistance
Copper	Shellfish, chocolate, meat, legumes, whole grains, dried fruit	Energy production	Anemia, neutropenia, skeletal abnormalities
Fluoride	Drinking water, seafood	Incorporation in tooth enamel	Dental cavities
Iodine	Seafood	Synthesis of thyroid hormones	Goiter
Iron	Liver, seafood, lean meat, poultry, dark green leafy vegetables, dried beans	Red blood cell function, immune system, cognitive performance	Anemia
Magnesium	Nuts, seeds, legumes, whole grains, dark green leafy vegetables	Neuromuscular transmission – relaxation of muscles	Muscle spasms, tremors, nausea
Manganese	Whole grains, nuts, legumes	Formation of connective and skeletal tissues, growth and reproduction, carbohydrate and fat metabolism	Impaired growth
Molybdenum	Whole grains, legumes, milk and dairy, dark green leafy vegetables	Cofactor of enzymes	Neurological changes
Phosphorus	Meat, poultry, eggs, fish, dairy, nuts, legumes, whole grains	Energy production, strong bones and teeth	Neural, muscular, skeletal, hematologic and renal abnormalities
Potassium	Dark green leafy vegetables, dried fruit, bananas, orange fruit	Fluid balance, muscle and nerve contractions	Cramps, muscle weakness, abnormal heart palpitations
Selenium	Seafood, meat, poultry, Brazil nuts	Antioxidant effects	Keshan disease – a form of cardiomyopathy
Sodium	Celery, beets, salted foods, deli meats	Maintains water balance	Hyponatremia (fatigue, confusion)
Sulfur	Cheese, cruciferous vegetables, onions, leek, garlic, seafood, meat	Part of connective tissues to build joints, part of certain amino acids	Joint pain
Zinc	Meat, fish, poultry, whole grains, beans, shellfish	Function of immune system, breakdown of macronutrients	Impaired growth, hypogonadism (boys), mild anemia, slower wound healing, alopecia, skin lesions

Minerals in Children’s Diets

Like macronutrients and vitamins, the best way to ensure a child’s mineral requirements are met is with a healthy balanced diet.

During the first 6 months of age, breastmilk/formula satisfies all mineral needs. But as your child gets older and begins to eat more solids their requirements increase and it becomes more and more important to meet them with food.

This is particularly important for iron and zinc. These are crucial for growth in children while requirements are also higher due to the increased volume of blood in children over 2 years old.

Daily Requirements

	0-6 months	7-12 months	1-3 years	4-8 years	9-13 years (boys)	9-13 years (girls)	14-18 years (boys)	14-18 years (girls)
Calcium (mg)	210	270	500	800	1,300	1,300	1,300	1,300
Chloride (mg)	200	600	1,500	1,900	2,300	2,300	2,300	2,300
Chromium (mg)	0.2	5.5	11	15	25	21	35	24
Copper (mcg)	200	220	340	440	700	700	890	890
Fluoride (mg)	0.01	0.5	0.7	1	2	2	3	3
Iodine (mcg)	110	130	90	90	120	120	150	150
Iron (mg)	0.3	11	7	10	8	8	11	15
Magnesium (mg)	30	75	80	130	240	240	360	410
Manganese (mg)	0.003	0.6	1.2	1.5	1.9	1.6	2.2	1.6
Molybdenum (mcg)	2	3	17	22	34	34	43	43
Phosphorus (mg)	100	275	460	500	1,250	1,250	1,250	1,250
Potassium (mg)	400	700	3,000	3,800	4,500	4,500	4,700	4,700
Selenium (mcg)	15	20	20	30	40	40	55	55
Sodium (mg)	100	400	1,000	1,200	1,500	1,500	1,500	1,500
Sulfur	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
Zinc (mg)	2	3	3	5	8	8	11	9

As it’s found in so many foods, and due to a lack of research, there are no specific recommendations for sulfur.

The table above may look a little overwhelming. Fortunately, you don’t need to walk around with a calculator while you’re shopping, preparing, or serving food. You just need to ensure that both you and your children are following a healthy, balanced meal plan. This means your diet includes all food groups with approximately the right amount of servings.

If you or your child are on a specific diet that excludes a certain food group or type of food (e.g. vegan, vegetarian, dairy-free) you should discuss this with your pediatrician/dietitian to be sure your child is getting enough of all essential minerals for optimal growth and development.