Mineral Wealth

Hands up if you remember the Periodic Table of the Elements from school or college?  I remember learning it off by heart .. Hydrogen, Helium, Lithium, Beryllium, Boron, Carbon, Nitrogen, Oxygen and so on. There are about 118 elements and they are the fundamental building blocks of all life and everything else in the universe.  No doubt more may be discovered.

A small number of them are vital to be included in our diet as they are essential for certain chemical reactions in our bodies.  The minerals we need are naturally found in foods, although we can benefit from supplementing some of them sometimes.

The main ones are magnesium, potassium, zinc, sodium, calcium, phosphorous, iron and copper.

In this blog I'll take a look at the first four and continue with the others in a subsequent blog.

So, magnesium is found extensively in nuts and leafy vegetables.  It is quite often deficient in western diets owing to not enough nuts and green vegetables being in the diet.  Deficiency can result in increased blood pressure, reduced glucose tolerance and brain excitation.  Balanced levels of magnesium have been shown to offset depression and ADHD.  If using supplementation, the body only absorbs what it needs although excess can cause stomach pains and diarrhea.  The body needs about 200-400mg a day.  A serving of spinach or one ounce of almonds contains about 80mg of magnesium.

Potassium is an essential mineral found predominantly in fruits, vegetables and beans.  Again, deficiency is quite common in the western diet.  It is associated with maintaining electrolyte and fluid balance in the body and deficiency can cause irritability, increased blood pressure and fatigue.  There are legal limits on the amount of potassium that can be included in supplements owing to overuse potentially resulting in cardiac arrhythmia and possible hospitalization.  However, there does not seem to be any risk with potassium consumed from the fibrous foods it is found in.  Best to consume directly from foods such as bananas, broccoli, beans, potatoes, fish, avocados and mushroom, to name a few.

Zinc has numerous roles most notably as a structural element in protein compounds.  Meat, eggs and legumes are the best natural sources.  Oysters are a particularly good source.  Low levels can result in insulin sensitivity, lower levels of testosterone and reduced immune system effectiveness.  Zinc lozenges can be particularly effective against common cold symptoms. Depression and acne have also been shown to benefit from zinc supplementation when levels are low.  Zinc deficiency in children has been shown to impair growth.  Zinc is lost through sweat so that supplementation can be very important for athletes.  Supplementation should be around 100mg a day although consuming with calcium, magnesium and iron can hinder uptake.

Finally, for today, sodium.  Sodium is essential for maintaining fluid and electrolyte balance in the body, regulating blood pressure and nerve communication.  Deficiency is uncommon, although supplementation may be necessary after excessive vomiting or diarrhea or for athletes who consume large volumes of water.  Over consumption is far more common, particularly in salt rich western diets and can result in high blood pressure which in turn increases the risk of heart disease and stroke.  Rather than supplementation, foods high in sodium should be avoided or closely regulated - sauces, cured meats, bacon, salted snacks, fast foods and certain canned foods.