When it comes to nutritional benefits, vitamins have long stood front and centre. But what about those equally important essential mineral workhorses that labour undercover with no recognition?

I’m talking trace minerals, compounds needed – albeit in microscopic quantities – to keep your body running as nature intended. Unlike vitamins, there are no non-essential minerals, meaning you have to get them all via your diet.

Although trace minerals are, typically, harder to be lacking in, certain current food trends – swerving dairy, for example – could put you at risk of deficiency, symptoms of which include chronic fatigue, cognitive decline and depression.

Here are some of the key essential minerals to get yourself acquainted with:

1. Iodine: The Thyroid Manager
Not only is iodine crucial for neurological development, it also plays a major role in healthy thyroid function. Without it, your active thyroid hormone, triiodothyronine, wouldn’t exist.

Which food is it in?
White fish and dairy products.

2. Copper: The Fat Burner
Research has shown that copper is essential for metabolising fat. It’s also proven as a brain booster; deficiency has been linked to Alzheimer’s.

Which food is it in?
Sunflower seeds, cashew nuts, green olives and shellfish.

3. Selenium: The Immune System Helper
Selenium boosts immune system function and is a key player in egg formation and fertilisation.

Which food is it in?
Brazil nuts and eggs.

4. Molybdenum: The Liver Lover
Molybdenum supports an enzyme called sulphate oxidase, which is integral to the conversion of toxic sulphites into more inert sulphates, which the body can then excrete in the urine. 

Which food is it in?
Foods that grow above ground are higher in molybdenum than those that grow below. Think cauliflower, beans and oats.

5. Manganese: The Bone Booster
This one is essential for bone growth and can help to reverse bone mineral density loss when taken as part of a calcium, copper and zinc supplement. Manganese activates glycosyl transferases, an enzyme need for the formation of proteoglycan molecules present in cartilage. 

Which food is it in?
Tea is probably the simplest source for most people. Not a tea person? Try porridge with cinnamon or cloves instead.