Inca Inchi snack is a product for immediate and direct consumption, it can be mixed with different cereals or dehydrated fruit with excellent results, providing a nutritional boost. Inca Inchi snacks have a natural savoury taste, with different   coverings for a variety of uses.  

Minerals are inorganic substances found in nature and foodstuffs; they are essential for the human body and have an important regulating function. The body cannot make them from other compounds and to ensure proper functioning must obtain them from food. Minerals are part of many structures, such as teeth, bones and blood, etc.

What are minerals for?

The body needs minerals for several vital functions; they are necessary to build tissue and bones and in the formation of hormones as well as in most of the chemical reactions involving enzymes. The therapeutic use of minerals is called oligotherapy.

Minerals have a regulating function, are required to obtain energy at cell level and they take part in chemical reactions. They help with the metabolism of the macronutrients: carbohydrates, protein and fat and form part of many molecules, including vitamins, amino-acids, blood cells, etc. The structural action of many minerals such as calcium, phosphorus, magnesium is important. Minerals are not an energy source, they provide no energy, no calories.

26 minerals, among the most frequently consumed and best known, are considered essential nutrients. Others such as cobalt or tin are important for the development of red blood cells, vanadium for metabolizing fats, nickel for hormones and silicon for growth and bone repairs.

Mineral requirements

Minerals are nutrients that the human body needs in relatively small quantities compared to the macronutrients (carbohydrates, proteins and lipids). Like vitamins, therefore, they are considered micronutrients.

Minerals are essential for the normal function of the metabolism. Water circulates around the body carrying electrolytes, which are minerals in solution. Both internal changes and water balance depend on their concentration and distribution. Approximately 4% of body weight consists of 22 elements known as minerals.

The requirement for each mineral depends largely on age, sex and the physiological and pathological condition of each person and may increase in specific circumstances (illness, etc.) Minerals are classified in accordance with the recommended consumption by healthy adults.

Apart from the mineral content of food, its bioavailability, is the actual quantity of a mineral that can cross the intestinal Wall and form part of our body. The bioavailability of minerals depends on a number of factors: the presence of bile salts and fibre, and elements present in the intestine that increase or reduce absorption and pH, etc.

Sources of minerals

Minerals occur naturally in the earth, rock, plants and also in food. Some sources are rich in certain minerals and it is rare to find a food that does not contain any. Pulses and seeds are foods rich in minerals. The composition of INCA INCHI SNACKS makes them a good source of minerals, as well as protein, omegas and antioxidants.

Minerals are widely distributed in foodstuffs and are relatively resistant to processing and cooking. They are unaffected by light and heat but can be lost in water used for cooking or retained in fibre that is not absorbed by the body, etc.

It is important to remember that mineral content varies with the food’s origin, and that some foods contain antinutrients that impede the absorption of minerals by forming complex compounds with them, as is the case with the phytic acid present in many vegetables.

A varied and balanced diet is the best way to obtain these valuable nutrients and to prevent shortages and excesses of minerals.

Mineral classification

Minerals are classified according to the body’s needs and not according to their greater or lesser importance to our health or to the size of the molecule: the body requires more than 100 mg/day of essential macrominerals and less than 100 mg/day of microminerals. When the requirement is less than 1 mg/day such minerals are known as oligoelements (‘oligo’ = little) or trace elements.

Some are thought possibly to be essential but their function is unknown, these are tin, silicon, nickel and vanadium. Minerals may also be contaminants, as is the case with mercury, cadmium, aluminium, lead, lithium, arsenic, boron and barium.

MACROMINERALS                                MICROMINERALS (less than 100mg/day):

(more than 100 mg/day):                   TRACE MINERALS (less than 1 mg/day):

○ Calcium      (Ca)                                   ○ Iron (Fe)

○ Phosphorus (P)                                   ○ Zinc    (Zn)

○ Magnesium (mg)                                ○ Fluorine (F)

○ Potassium (K)                                      ○ Iodine (I) trace element, less than 1mg per day

○ Sodium (Na)                                         ○ Copper (Cu)

○ Chlorine (Cl)                                         ○ Manganese (Mn)

○ Sulphur (S)                                            ○ Selenium (Se) trace element, less than 1mg per day

CONTACT US IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THE BENEFITS OF EACH MINERAL