Spinach is a also good source, while eggs, brown rice, avocado, broccoli and peanut butter provide medium doses. Calcium is a vital component of healthy bones and teeth and is the most abundant mineral in the human body. Lack of it can cause osteoparosis, a brittle bone syndrome most common among menopausal women. Research has shown that vegetarian women are less at risk of osteoparosis than omnivorous women. Meat, as it happens, is a very poor source of calcium.
Vitamin D helps the absorption of calcium from the gut.
Zinc is present in every part of the body and is vital for the healthy working of many of its functions, including a major role in enzyme reactions, the immune system and resistance to infection. It plays a crucial role in growth and cell division, in insulin activity and liver function. Men need more zinc than women because semen contains 100 times more zinc than is found in the blood, and so the more sexually active he is the more zinc he will require. Good sources of zinc are diary products, especially cheese, green vegetables, chickpeas, beans and lentils, yeast, nuts and seeds, and wholegrain cereals. The body cannot synthesise enough of its own vitamins and is dependent on food intake for maintaining healthy levels.