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Where to find it: prunes, apricots, bananas, leafy green vegetables, meat, shrimp, soybeans, milk, whole-grain cereals, wheat germ, nuts and seeds.
Manganese
What it does: builds bones; helps produce energy from food; helps produce fatty acids and cholesterol; maintains the nervous system; aids in the production of sex hormones; acts as an antioxidant.
What it may do: help prevent cancer and heart disease through its antioxidant function.
RDA: none established; experts recommend 2.5 to 5 milligrams.
Where to find it: tea, whole-grain cereals, eggs, nuts (especially pine nuts, macadamias, hazelnuts, and walnuts), peas, beets, leafy green vegetables, tofu and other soy products.
Phosphorus
What it does: maintains muscle and nerve function; builds strong bones and teeth, helps produce energy from food; and helps form genetic material, cell membranes, and enzymes.
RDA: 1 gram.
Where to find it: almost all foodscalcium-rich foods are the best source.
Potassium
What it does: balances body fluids, maintains nervous system.
What it may do: reduce high blood pressureresearch has shown that patients given higher levels of dietary potassium were able to reduce their use of blood pressure medication by more than 50 percent.
RDA: 3,500 milligrams.

 
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