Kinds and Types of Minerals

Salts are of the following types. The various types of salts perform various types of functions.

1. Common Salt:

It is technically called Sodium Chloride and is the main constituent of various fluids of our body such as sweat, tears, blood, plasma, urine etc.

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Its loss is to be compensated by adding salt to food items. It regulates the supply of water to body tissues and helps produce various digestive juices.

2. Calcium:

It is also a form of salt which is responsible for maintaining the health of body to perform the following functions –

(a) Growth and formation of teeth and bones.

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(b) Rhythm of heart.

(c) Muscular activity.

(d) Response to nervous stimuli.

(e) Clotting of blood.

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(f) Health of body tissues.

Calcium Deficiency

Calcium deficiency may cause:

(a) Insensitivity of nerves to get excited to requisite and normal extent.

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(b) Diminished muscles activity.

(c) Skin diseases, such as, Scabies, Eczema and diseases like Asthma etc.

(d) Softening of bones may lead to disease like Rickets.

(e) Improper growth of teeth.

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Source of Salts

(a) Vegetables

(b) Dried Fruit

(c) Milk and Milk Products.

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(d) Meat

(e) Rice

(f) Carrot

(g) Turnip

(h) Wheat, etc.

3. Chief Minerals

Besides salts other minerals, such as, Iron and Iodine are also essential.

(a) Iron:

An essential substance of the red blood corpuscles. As a matter of fact, blood is red because of iron.

It is a part of Hemoglobin and is helpful in carrying oxygen to different tissues of the body. It helps in forming Bile and thus is very important for the children of growing age. Absence/lack of it turns body anemic and pale.

Sources of Iron

(a) Meat and animal organs like liver, kidney, egg, yolk.

(b) Vegetables and fruit such as almonds, dried beans and peas, carrot, apple, wheat, turnip, top greens, etc.

(b) Iodine:

Iodine forms thyroid glands and its deficiency leads to Goitre. Women suffering of this disease give birth to children who are mentally deficient. Iodine, therefore, is extremely useful for the functioning of the brain, and is available from fish and iodized salt.

Phosphates & Phosphorus

An essential requirement of the body, it helps in formation of bones, teeth and nervous system. Lack of it stunts the growth of the bones and teeth, and may cause nervous disorders.

Sources of Phosphates

(a) Cheese and curd. (b) Egg yolk, poultry, fish,

(c) Milk, almonds, wheat, cashew nuts, peas, beans, potatoes, vegetables and fruit.

Sulphur

This is also a mineral salt, which is essential for each body cell; maintains and helps maintain the health of brain, hair and nails.

Sulphur is available from eggs, radishes, cereals, cabbage, beans etc.