Iron: To get your daily source of iron, you can turn to whole grains, oats, green leafy vegetables, tomatoes and tomato products (especially when cooked in cast iron cookware), lentils, cashews, dried fruits, blackstrap molasses, and many fortified cereals. While "heme iron" iron from animal sources is generally considered better absorbed than "non-heme" iron, the actual percentage of heme iron in animal products is only about 30 to 40 percent. Plus, eating your non-heme iron sources with vitamin C will enhance absorption. If you are not opposed to eating eggs, you can get a decent amount of iron from those as well (but be aware that the iron is located in the yolk, not the white).
Iodine: Most Americans and Canadians rely on fish and iodized salt to get enough of this nutrient (at present salt in the UK is not iodized; iodized salt is available in Australia but not widely used in commercial food processing). Sea salt, oddly enough, does not contain large amounts of iodine -- the process of drying the salt turns iodide into a gas! Cow's milk contains modest amounts of iodide via "contamination" from dairy equipment. Sea vegetables such as kelp, nori, dulse, and wakame are, however, most excellent sources of iodine. Many other grains, vegetables and fruits may also contain traces, depending on the mineral content of the soils they are grown in. (Again, not a reliable source in the UK.) If you consume large amounts of soy products or vegetables from the Brassica family (e.g. broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels Sprouts, cabbage, mustard greens, turnips, and kale), be aware that these foods contain substances called goitrogens, which in large amounts can inhibit the body's use of iodine. This doesn't mean you need to give up your tofu or broccoli; it simply means that you need to eat a varied diet.
Zinc: Like iron, it is generally considered better absorbed from animal sources, but this just means you have to be a little more careful. Great sources of zinc include oats, peanuts, pumpkin seeds, some varieties of nutritional yeast, soy beans, and tofu. Cow's milk also contains zinc, but be advised that the calcium and other substances in milk interferes with your body's ability to absorb the zinc. Phytates in whole grains, particularly from unleavened breads (yeast breads are okay), may also inhibit zinc absorption. Again, this just emphasizes the need for a varied diet.
Vegetarians need not be concerned about chloride, chromium, copper, fluoride, manganese, molybdenum, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, sodium, or other minerals any more than do their meat-eating counterparts. For more information about sources and functions of all of these minerals, click here
Evan Keraminas
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