Minerals are the essential for life and they are vital for the many chemical and electrical actions in our cells. Our heart, hormones and total circulation cannot go without them.
Without minerals our cells can’t maintain the cell wall pressure, and they become weak and susceptible to infection and disease.
A deficiency in sodium, potassium and chloride can cause fatigue, muscle weakness and electrical disturbances to the heart, and can be felt in erratic, rapid or skipped heart beats.
There are over 50 elements that we hear very little about, but they are needed every day to stay healthy. Germanium, chromium, iron, iodine, selenium, zinc and even lithium are a few of these.
These minerals and trace minerals are needed as catalysts for a huge variety of functions; protein metabolism, glucose metabolism, oxygen uptake, immune functions, sexual functions, growth and even metabolic rate are all dependent on adequate trace elements.
So how do we know if we are getting adequate amounts of these minerals and trace minerals?
Minerals are found in a variety of foods and in water and sea salts so if we use a wide variety of unprocessed foods we will come close to getting what we need.
Getting enough nutrients is a great reason to follow one important bit of nutritional advice, and that is to select our daily foods from whole foods.
Whole grains, nuts, seeds, beans, fresh fruits and vegetables, mushrooms, shellfish, herbs and spices are the richest sources of trace minerals.
If you think your diet may be lacking in nutrients, make a few changes toward fresh and some raw foods every day, and on those days when you can’t, pick a good multivitamin/mineral supplement that supplies a good variety of minerals and trace minerals.
