Microminerals

All minerals are equally important for life, regardless of the amounts that the body needs to ingest daily. Microminerals participate in the production of blood elements, facilitate wound healing, have antioxidant effects, prevent the appearance of some types of cancer, among many other functions.

Microminerals: are those minerals that our body requires in doses of less than one hundred milligrams per day. This group includes iron, zinc, iodine, selenium, fluorine, manganese and copper. Iron (FE): Most of the iron in the body is found as part of two proteins:

• Hemoglobin: protein in charge of transporting dioxygen from the respiratory organs to the tissues.
• Myoglobin: muscle cell protein. It stores oxygen in the muscles.

Functions:

• Involved in the transport of oxygen necessary for cellular maintenance.

• It plays a fundamental role in the formation of collagen.

• It is a component of myoglobin.

• It collaborates in many chemical reactions.

Recommended amounts: 14 to 18 milligrams per day in women and 8 to 14 milligrams per day in men.Consequences of iron deficiencies:

• Iron deficiencies is one of the most prevalent nutritional deficiencies in the world, causing anemia mainly in children, women of childbearing age, pregnant women and the elderly.

• When the diet does not provide enough iron, iron reserves gradually diminish, eventually leading to iron deficiency anemia, causing fatigue, dizziness and headaches, among other symptoms.

Foods containing iron: iron in food is found in two forms:

• Heme iron: it is found as part of the two proteins contained in animal tissues, hemoglobin and myoglobin. It is found in blood, heart, kidneys, liver, red meat, poultry and fish. This iron is much better absorbed than that found in plant foods.

• Non-heme iron: it is contained in foods of vegetable origin, such as nuts and legumes.

Zinc (ZN): Virtually all cells contain zinc, but the highest concentrations are found in bone, the prostate gland and the eyes. About 60% of all that exists in the body is found in muscle tissue.

Functions:

• It is essential for the immune system, for growth and development.

• It is involved in the sense of taste, smell and vision.

• Facilitates wound healing.

• It has antioxidant action.

• Contributes to the normal development of the fetus.

• Participates in the synthesis of keratin.

Recommended amounts: 11 to 12 milligrams per day are recommended. Foods containing zinc: it is present in a large number of foods, mainly associated with proteins such as red meat, fish, milk and legumes. Iodine (I): most iodine is found in the thyroid gland.Function:

• It is the essential constituent of hormones synthesized in the thyroid gland, hormones that have the following functions.

• Ø Regulates body temperature, metabolic rate, reproduction, and growth.

• Intervene in neuromuscular processes.

Recommended amounts: about 15 milligrams per day are recommended.Consequences of iodine deficiencies:

• It causes hypertrophy of the thyroid gland known as goiter.

• It can alter fetal development.

Foods containing iodine: the most important sources are fish, shellfish, seaweed and iodized salt. Fluoride (F): This mineral prevents cavities and fortifies bones.Foods containing fluoride:

• It can be found in tea, fish, cabbage and spinach.

• Some toothpaste manufacturers incorporate it in their formulas in order to prevent cavities.

• In some countries it is also added to public water.

Selenium: together with vitamin E, it is an antioxidant that delays the aging of tissues and prevents the appearance of certain types of cancer. Daily recommendations: about 0.55 milligrams per day is recommended. Foods containing selenium: it is found in protein-rich foods such as meat, fish and cereals. Manganese (MN): performs structural and enzymatic functions in the body.Functions:

• Involved in the functioning of the immune system.

• Involved in the regulation of blood sugar.

• It is present in various enzymes.

Foods containing manganese: cereal grains such as wheat and brown rice, hazelnuts, soybeans, lentils, oysters and mussels. Copper (CU): copper contributes to the maintenance of blood vessels and bones, being an essential element for human health.

Functions:

• Contributes to the formation of red blood cells.

• It intervenes in the immune system.

Foods containing copper: it can be found in foods such as liver, kidneys, nuts and drinking water. Dietary fiber: Every day more and more doctors and nutritionists recommend including foods containing dietary fiber in our diet. Although it is not strictly a nutrient, since it does not participate directly in the basic metabolic processes of our organism, dietary fiber promotes beneficial physiological effects and also contributes to avoid chronic degenerative diseases. Dietary fiber: is a complex group of substances that are part of foods of plant origin, which cannot be digested and absorbed by the small intestine, undergoing complete or partial fermentation in the large intestine. Components of dietary fiber:

• Cellulose: forms part of the cell walls of vegetables. It can be found in whole grain flour and in vegetables such as green beans, spinach and artichokes.

• Hemicellulose: a mixture of glucose, galactose and other substances that is part of the insoluble fiber in vegetables. It can be found in whole grains of cereals and in bran.

• Pectic substances: these are polymers found in the peel of fruits such as apples or in the pulp of citrus fruits, strawberries and carrots. They are fermented by intestinal microorganisms and thus increase fecal volume.

• Resistant starch: in potatoes, for example, a part of the starch can be difficult to digest, this so-called "resistant starch" can, however, be degraded by the microflora in the large intestine and thus has similar properties to dietary fiber. It is found in tubers such as potatoes and seeds.

• Inulin: is a carbohydrate that is not digestible by digestive enzymes. It is found in onions, garlic, thistle and artichoke.

• Lignin: is a compound that has a large amount of phenylpropyl acids and alcohols, forming an insoluble fiber with the ability to bind and drag other substances through the digestive tract. It is found in the hardest and woodiest part of vegetables such as chard and lettuce.

• Gums: soluble fibers, formed by uronic acid, xylose, arabinose or mannose, such as guar gum, gum arabic and tragacanth.

• Mucilages: polysaccharides secreted by plants. Some have a laxative function. Found in acacia and tomato seeds.

Functions of dietary fiber:

• Intervenes in the decrease of intestinal transit, increases the frequency of evacuation and prevents constipation.
• They slow down the absorption of sugars and fats ingested, which reduces the final energy intake.
• Pectins, soluble in water, help to reduce cholesterol levels, which contributes to the prevention and treatment of high cholesterol levels.
• It is believed that the volume of fiber that travels through the colon, by trapping bile acids and carcinogenic substances, reduces the risk of colon cancer.
• It increases satiety and helps control obesity, which reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease.
• Improves gastrointestinal health and functionality.

• Promotes the growth of desirable bacterial flora.