Minerals
Click here to return to nutrition listing.
Please refer to our Health precautions section before proceeding.
As most people know, minerals and trace minerals are in essential factor in the proper function and structure of all living cells. Similar to vitamins, minerals function as Coenzymes, promoting the body performance, energy, growth and healing.
As in other areas of bodily function proper chemical balance is essential. An imbalance of minerals in the body often leads to various types and illnesses. Maintaining mineral balance is essential to good health. Both macro and micro (trace) minerals are stored in bone and muscle tissue. Though mineral toxicity is possible, massive amounts are needed to induce toxicity.
Minerals found throughout the body or originally came from mother earth, in the form of rock. As erosion breaks down the mineral salts of rocks into smaller and smaller particles, the small particles eventually end up as soil from which all living organisms such as plants grow. Microbes in the soil utilize the mineral salts, and eventually pass them along to the plant structure through the root system. As plants grow, nutrients including minerals are taken up through the roots and are deposited in the cellular structure of the plant. When the plant is digested by humans or animals, the minerals are easily absorbed into our systems. Absorption of minerals taken in from live plant food is significantly more efficient than taking mineral supplements. Plant synthesis is very efficient, while mineral synthesis using supplements is much less efficient.
Minerals are broken into two classes, macrominerals, and micro (trace) minerals. Macro minerals include calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, and phosphorus. Typically, macro minerals are needed in the tissues in larger amounts then trace minerals. Micro (trace) minerals include, boron, chromium, copper, germanium, iodine, iron, vanadium, and zinc.
Although it is possible to receive adequate amounts of minerals through diet alone, supplementation is generally thought off as being essential to good health. Many researchers as well as the federal government indicate there is a very low mineral content in the farm soils of the United States and other parts of the world. It is because of the typically low trace minerals content in the soils from which our vegetables are grown that often times, nutritionists suggest trace mineral supplementation. Farmers are concerned with rate of growth of their products and pay little or no attention to minerals, other than those that promote growth of their products. Since farming depletes the soil of minerals and farmers do not generally replace the used up minerals, the end product, which is the vegetables and fruits we eat have a very low trace mineral content. Supplementation is the logical option.
It is essential to take supplemental minerals in balanced amounts, because cells of the body compete for minerals that are needed. Too much of one mineral can cause cells to ask for and look for other minerals, which if not present, can create an imbalance in the mineral and trace mineral makeup of the cellular structure.
Conditions