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Micronutrients are vitamins and minerals that the human body needs in very small amounts in order to function properly. The food humans eat everyday is made up of tens of thousands of components: fats, fibers, spices, vitamins, preservatives and so many more. Of all of these components only 300 are considered nutrients: chemical substances that nourish the body. Of the 300 nutrients only 45 are considered essential. Essential nutrients are needed for body functions and cannot be made by the body so they must be consumed. Essential nutrients are classified into two groups: macronutrients and micronutrients. Macronutrients are needed in large amounts, measured in grams, (carbohydrates, protein, fats, water) and they generally provide energy and repair the body. Micronutrients are needed in very small amounts, milligrams or even micrograms per day. These vitamins and minerals enable the body to use the protein, fat, carbohydrates and water that are consumed and they are essential in all body functions from making bones to digesting food.

VITAMINS
Vitamins are organic substances, meaning they contain the element carbon. Most vitamins must be obtained from food , the exceptions being vitamins D and K. There are 13 vitamins needed by humans: A, C, D, E, K, and eight B vitamins (Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Pantothenic Acid, B6, B12, Folate, and Biotin). Vitamins regulate functions within the body's cells making them essential in every body function

Most vitamins, because they are organic substances, are sensitive to heat and light and loss occurs when food is stored, cooked, etc. The more stable vitamins are fat-soluble (A, D, E, K). These vitamins are stored for a long time in the liver and fat tissues of the body after they are consumed. The other vitamins are water-soluble (C and all B vitamins). They are stored for a very short time in various body tissues.

TRACE MINERALS

All minerals are elements of the earth's crust. Most of our diets are made up of organic compounds (molecules that contain carbon) but minerals are inorganic. Minerals are elements, the kind of elements we all learned about in Chemistry on the periodic table. They are some of the atoms that cannot be broken down into any other material. Minerals cannot be destroyed with exposure to light or heat, like vitamins can, but they can dissolve into water and be transferred, which is important to remember when preparing food. If you boil a carrot in water, throw the water away and eat the cooked carrot, most of the minerals are in the trash water and not the carrot.

Trace, or minor, minerals are needed in small amounts of milligrams or even micrograms per day. Trace minerals include: iron, zinc, copper, manganese, iodine, selenium, fluoride, chromium and molybdenum. Other minerals are termed major minerals because they are needed in amounts totaling more than 5 grams per day for an adult. "Unlike many of the vitamins (especially B complex and C), with trace minerals and magnesium (a major mineral) there is a very fine line between amounts that are needed for normal function and amounts that are toxic. (Complete Guide to Family Health Nutrition and Fitness, Reisser, Paul C. Tyndale Publishing 2006)" Because of this risk, doctors and nutritionists encourage obtaining trace minerals from food and discourage obtaining them from supplements if possible because of the possible risk of overdose over a period of time. You should avoid consuming more than 100% of the recommended daily allowance (RDA) on an ongoing basis.

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