Eating foods that contain essential minerals regularly, from cocoa to various vegetables, can improve your health. Minerals are inorganic substances, such as calcium, potassium, and zinc, that are essential nutrients for the body.
Although only needed in small amounts, minerals can improve the body’s metabolic system and play a role at various stages of metabolism, especially as a driving factor in the activity of enzymes. Minerals can be found everywhere, including food and beverages.
Therefore, to fulfill your nutritional intake every day, let’s find out what foods contain minerals below and their processing recommendations!
What Are Minerals?
Before discussing further the minerals in food, you should first understand the definition of these important substances.
Minerals are natural chemical compounds that have a crystalline arrangement. There are two types of minerals, namely:
- Macro minerals: Needed by the body in large amounts, or about 100 mg per day, consisting of iron, copper, fluoride, zinc, iodine, selenium, and manganese.
- Micro minerals: Needed by the body in small amounts or less than 100 mg per day, consisting of calcium, potassium, sodium, chloride, phosphorus, and magnesium.
The benefits of minerals are that they support the body’s metabolic processes. However, according to the National Health Service, there are three benefits of minerals that are important for the body, namely:
- Builds strong bones and teeth.
- Controls body fluids inside and outside cells.
- Converts food into energy.
Actually, the recommended amount of mineral nutrition intake to be consumed every day has been stated in the Regulation of the Minister of Health No. 28 of 2019, according to age group and gender.
Some of the minerals included are calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, iron, iodine, zinc, selenium, manganese, fluoride, chromium, potassium, sodium, chlorine, and copper.
Types of Foods That Contain Minerals
To optimize the benefits above, you must get minerals in food regularly, so that your body’s health will be maintained. Below are some foods that contain important minerals for the body:
1. Cocoa
First, the minerals in food can be found in cocoa. Cocoa is rich in minerals, especially iron, copper, potassium, calcium, and magnesium. These minerals in food can help you maintain healthy blood circulation, improve nerve function in the body, and reduce the risk of hypertension and atherosclerosis.
Not only that, the dark chocolate you usually find in the market also generally contains (70%–85% cocoa), where every 100 kcals contains 36 mg of magnesium, which is good for protein synthesis, joint relaxation, and energy production.
2. Eggs
Eggs are also among the foods that contain many minerals. In 1 egg weighing about 50 g, there are 129 mg of phosphorus, 71 mg of sodium, 59 mg of potassium, 43 mg of calcium, and 1.5 mg of iron.
Apart from minerals, eggs are also enriched with other important compounds, namely vitamins, healthy fats, antioxidants, and protein.
3. Meat
Meat is one of the foods that contains important minerals for the body, especially beef and lamb.
Beef and lamb are enriched with zinc, selenium, iron, and phosphorus. However, to avoid high cholesterol, you can choose fat-free cuts of meat.
4. Nuts
Nuts are one of the foods that are rich in mineral content. Especially for kidney beans, there are various important mineral compounds, such as potassium, phosphorus, calcium, zinc, sodium, and iron.
The mineral content in nuts can maintain heart health and care for the digestive organs in the body.
5. Seafood
Some seafood, such as shellfish, oyster, sardines, salmon, and tuna, are also known to be rich in the minerals selenium, zinc, copper, and iron.
For example, eating 84 g of oysters can fulfill the needs of zinc and copper, 30% selenium, and 22% iron.
The minerals in food derived from the sea can also boost immunity. In addition, seafood is also enriched with omega-3, which is good for maintaining cardiovascular, brain, and bone health.
6. Green Vegetables
You can get minerals in food not only from animal sources but also from green vegetables, such as water spinach, broccoli, spinach, beets, and arugula.
Regularly consuming green vegetables that are rich in minerals can reduce various kinds of disease risks and can be used as food for natural detoxification.
7. Mushrooms
Mushrooms contain minerals such as copper, potassium, selenium, and zinc. These minerals can be found in various types of mushrooms, such as shiitake, cremini, portobello, and white buttons.
8. Tropical Fruits
Apart from being rich in antioxidants and vitamins, tropical fruits, such as bananas, avocados, mangoes, pineapples, and guavas, are also rich in mineral nutrients. Some of the mineral contents include potassium, manganese, copper, phosphorus, and magnesium.
Some of the benefits that you can get by consuming tropical fruits are overcoming dehydration, improving skin health, and maintaining the digestive system.
9. Processed Milk
Milk is rich in nutrients, including protein, fat, vitamins, and minerals. The minerals found in milk are calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, and potassium.
Drinking milk regularly can improve the body’s immunity, strengthen bones, and maintain brain health. In addition to drinking milk, you can also consume other processed foods, such as yogurt and cheese, to fulfill your mineral intake.
10. Tubers
Foods that contain minerals can also come from tubers, such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, and lentils. Apart from being rich in minerals, sweet potatoes are also high in carbohydrates, so they can be used as an alternative to rice and pasta.
11. Berries
Various types of berries, such as strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries, also contain minerals that are very important for the body. Berries are a source of potassium, magnesium, and manganese.
Manganese is one of the minerals that is closely related to the body's immune system. In addition, this small fruit can also help maintain healthy tissues, bones, and trigger the manufacture of antioxidants to ward off free radicals.
12. Spirulina
Recently, spirulina has become one of the foods that has been in the center of attention. This is because spirulina is considered a superfood. After all, it has extraordinary nutrients.
Spirulina is a blue-green algae that is usually processed into additional ingredients such as toppings in smoothies, yogurt, and oatmeal.
Spirulina is rich in the minerals iron, magnesium, potassium, copper, and manganese. Daily consumption of spirulina can help you lower your risk of heart disease and lower your blood pressure.
Tips for Processed Foods That Contain Minerals
In addition to foods with mineral content, you should also remember other important substances, such as carbohydrates, proteins, and vitamins, to fulfill your daily nutritional needs.
Therefore, below are some recommendations for processed foods that contain minerals along with other important substances to try:
- An orange raspberry smoothie that is rich in minerals, vitamins, and protein.
- Vegetable soup with carrots, broccoli, potatoes, chili, and chicken broth that is rich in minerals, carbohydrates, and vitamins.
- Pasta with meatballs and spinach for a healthy meal for your little ones.
- Honey pumpkin soup is rich in potassium, calcium, magnesium, zinc, and vitamins.
- Grilled chicken with green vegetables salad to fulfill your carbohydrate, protein, fat, vitamin, and mineral intake.
- Chicken soup with water spinach, potato, and onion is rich in protein, vitamins, and minerals.
Daily Mineral Needs
The daily mineral requirements for each person can vary depending on age, gender, body weight, and certain conditions.
According to Medical News Today, here are the daily mineral intake amounts that are generally needed:
- Calcium: 1,300 micrograms.
- Chloride: 2,300 micrograms.
- Chromium: 35 micrograms.
- Copper: 0.9 micrograms.
- Iodine: 150 micrograms.
- Iron: 18 micrograms.
- Magnesium: 420 micrograms.
- Manganese: 2.3 micrograms.
- Molybdenum: 45 micrograms.
- Phosphorus: 1,250 micrograms.
- Potassium: 4,700 micrograms.
- Selenium: 55 micrograms.
- Sodium: 2,300 micrograms.
- Zinc: 11 micrograms.
That is the complete explanation of some foods that contain important minerals for the body and their processing recommendations.
Keep in mind, daily mineral needs for each person can vary, and don’t forget to balance your consumption with other healthy foods.
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