Minerals come in two groups: bulk or macro-minerals and trace or micro-minerals. Macro-minerals or bulk include calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, sodium and potassium. Micro-minerals or trace -- which are found in our body or in foods in smaller quantities -- include copper, chromium, manganese, molybdenum, selenium, sodium, potassium, iodine, iron, zinc, etc.
Minerals are available in fresh research foods or in supplements, either single or in combination, with other nutrients. They are needed to maintain health, and/or to correct certain deficiencies caused by specific conditions or diseases or when the body is subjected to strenuous activities. But, again, like vitamins, most people do not get enough of these nutrients from our food supply. So it is important to add supplements to our diets.
The best way is always to seek to obtain them from food sources because they absorb better in combination with other food nutrients. It is worth taking the time to research which are highest in any given vitamins or minerals, making sure to add these foods to the daily diet. The next best way is to buy them in chelated form, which means that a process is added to the supplements that bind them to protein compounds to make them more absorbable.