Minerals Quiz Answers

Minerals Quiz Answers

TRUE or FALSE Question #1:  Minerals are inorganic elements that come from the earth.

Answer: TRUE.

The major difference between vitamins and minerals is, while vitamins are organic compounds, minerals are single, inorganic elements that are found in the soil. If you took chemistry in school, you will remember the “Periodic Table of the Elements” which shows all of the elements that have so far been discovered. Each of these elements exists as single atoms of matter that can bind with other atoms to become molecules of various compounds.

Vitamin molecules are made up of atoms of Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen, sometimes with the addition of another element, such as Nitrogen. On the other hand, minerals, such as Calcium, are basic elements.


TRUE or FALSE Question #2:   Minerals cannot be manufactured by your body and therefore must be obtained from the food you eat.

Answer: TRUE.

Minerals are inorganic elements needed by your body for numerous functions and they must be supplied by your diet for good health. They cannot be manufactured by your body and therefore must be obtained from the food you eat.


TRUE or FALSE Question #3:  High cooking temperatures can destroy the mineral content of food.

Answer: FALSE.

Vitamins can be easily destroyed by heat or light, but even if you burn a plant to ashes, the ashes will still contain the same basic elements that were in the living plant. However, although cooking temperatures don’t destroy minerals, you can lose them by cooking foods, such as vegetables, in water and then dumping out the water. The nutrients will go down the drain. Consider eating vegetables raw, steaming, or lightly cooking them.

TRUE or FALSE Question #4:  You can only get minerals from plant foods.

Answer: FALSE.

Minerals are found in varying degrees in most of the food groups. Fruits… Vegetables… Cereals… Grains… Meat and other Protein foods… Dairy products…

Plants obtain nutrients from the soil in which they grow, and subsequently, you can get them from the plant foods you eat. You can also get nutrients indirectly from animal foods, because the animal has eaten the plants and stored the nutrients in its body. Another source of minerals is the water you drink, with the type and amount depending on your particular water supply.


TRUE or FALSE Question#5. Mineral supplements may be toxic in large doses.

Answer: TRUE.

All nutrients, even water, can be toxic if you overdo. In the case of minerals, because of the propensity for supplementation with pills, there is a greater potential for getting too much. If you get your nutrients from food, toxicity is very rare. If you supplement with pills, be aware of the dose and realize that any nutrient can become toxic if taken in mega doses.

TRUE or FALSE Bonus Question: The major minerals that you need for good health are Calcium, Choride, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Sulfate and Sodium.

Answer: TRUE.

Nutrient minerals are usually divided into two groups—major and trace. This categorization is not based on importance, since they are all important, but rather on the amount present in your body, as well as the amount you need for good health. In other words, the majors, like calcium, are found in larger amounts in your body and you need to obtain a greater amount from your diet than you do with trace minerals, such as copper.

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What your score means

If you had 0-1 Correct Answers: You may be feeling a little run-down if the mineral content of your diet is as low as your score!

If you had 2-3 Correct Answers: You seem to know the difference between animal, vegetable and mineral, and I hope you continue learning about the mineral category!

If you had 4-5 Correct Answers: You obviously are in your element, and probably eat enough of them too!

If you had all 6 Correct Answers: You are either a "mineralogist" or just very knowledgeable about healthy eating!


Did you miss the other Nutrition Quizzes?

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