Vibrant health, not just the absence of disease or injury, is something that we all want. Good Health is one of the greatest blessings we can have, and is something that we can work toward as we cooperate with God in choosing a healthy lifestyle. One area of life style that greatly impacts our health is our diet. There are seven broad, needful categories to be considered when it comes to good nutrition, if we hope to experience vibrant health. Of these seven categories, we have already looked at carbohydrates, protein, fat, and vitamins. The three remaining are minerals, fiber, and water. In this article, we will look at minerals.
Minerals are inorganic substances that do not break down easily, maintaining their chemical structure. Most scientists divide minerals into two groups: macro or major minerals and micro or trace minerals. Macro-minerals are needed and stored by the body in larger quantities. Some examples of macro-minerals include calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, chloride, potassium, sodium, and sulfur. The body only requires a small amount of essential micro-minerals such as iron, copper, iodine, boron, manganese, zinc, cobalt, fluoride, and selenium. Both macro and micro minerals are essential for vibrant health and your body must get these from food and/or supplementation.
Your body uses minerals for many different jobs, including keeping your bones, joints, muscles, heart, and brain working properly. They have a role in the proper balance of water in the body, and are important for making enzymes and hormones, stabilizing proteins that make up skin, hair, and nails, and serve as antioxidants to support healthy cells.
In the perfect world that existed before sin entered, we would get all the macro and micro minerals (and vitamins) we needed by eating a wide variety of foods, particularly vegetables and fruit. However, over the years, studies have shown a significant loss of vitamins, minerals, and trace elements in many foods. Some macro and micro nutrients have lost 20-40% of their nutrient value over the last 50 years. These declines were attributed to agricultural practices and contributing environmental factors.
Foods that are high in minerals include nuts, seeds, cruciferous vegetables, beans, cocoa, avocadoes, berries, spirulina, starchy vegetables, tropical fruits, leafy greens, and ancient grains—amaranth, millet, quinoa, and sorghum.
With this background, let’s look at some of the essential macro and micro minerals.
Calcium is important for healthy bones and teeth and helps muscles relax and contract. It is important for nerve functioning, blood clotting, and maintaining healthy blood pressure. It is contained in fortified tofu and soy beverage, broccoli, kale, mustard greens, and legumes.
Magnesium is found in the bones and is needed for making protein, muscle contraction, nerve transmission, and immune system health. It is found in nuts and seeds, legumes, broccoli, leafy green vegetables, whole wheat bread, artichokes, and “hard” drinking water.
Phosphorus is important for healthy bones and teeth and is found in every cell of the body and is part of the system that maintains acid-base balance. It is found in green peas, broccoli, nuts, grains, legumes, and vegetables.
Potassium is needed for proper fluid balance, nerve transmission, and muscle contraction. Foods containing potassium are fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains and legumes.
Iron is a part of the hemoglobin molecule found in red blood cells which carry oxygen to every cell in the body. It is also needed for chemical reactions in the body and for making amino acids, collagen, neurotransmitters, and hormones. It is found in legumes, dried fruits, dark leafy greens, iron-enriched breads and cereals, and fortified cereals. Because iron is harder to absorb from plants, experts suggest vegetarians get twice the recommended amount, assuming the source is food. Many women of childbearing age don’t get enough iron, which can be a source of many problems for them.
Zinc is a part of the make-up of many enzymes and plays a role in the proper function of more than 300 hormones and enzymes. It is needed for making protein and genetic material and functions in taste perception, wound healing, fetal development, production of sperm, normal growth and sexual maturation, and immune system health. It is also a key part of the body’s most vital antioxidant system. It plays a part in carbohydrate metabolism and blood sugar support. It is found in leavened whole grains, vegetables, beans, and nuts. Because vegetarians absorb less zinc, experts suggest that they get twice the recommended requirement from plant foods. Older adults most often lack key nutrients such as zinc and other nutrients containing antioxidants. One government study of over 29,000 60+ aged adults revealed that 35-45% had zinc intakes insufficient to meet the estimated average daily requirements.
Iodine is found in thyroid hormones, which helps regulate growth, development, and metabolism. Foods containing iodine are foods grown in iodine-rich soil, iodized salt, bread, and dairy products.
Selenium acts as an antioxidant, neutralizing unstable free radicals that can damage cells. It also helps regulate thyroid hormone activity. It is found in walnuts, Brazil nuts, broccoli, spinach, green peas, beans, potatoes, bananas, grapefruit, and grains.
When it comes to nutrients such as micro-minerals, macro-minerals, and vitamins, each individual has different requirements. These vary according to age, sex, certain physiological states such as pregnancy, and general state of health. Those over 50 often have trouble meeting their needs for micronutrients. With aging, there is a reduction in the ability to absorb certain nutrients from food. Compounding the problem, medications may prevent proper absorption of vitamins and minerals.
Because of the current decrease of nutrient density in our foods, dietary choices, health conditions, and medications, you may not be able to rely on diet alone to provide you with all the macro and micro minerals and other nutrients you need, particularly if you are in an older age group. Each of these essential minerals is critical to some aspect of health. So evaluate your specific needs and liabilities, and address any problem areas you may have.
Sources: wikipedia.org/wiki/List_or_minerals_recognized_by_the_International_Mineralogical_Association; britannica.com/science/mineral-chemical-compound; nutramedix.com/blogs/nutrients-supplements/trace-minerals-an-overlooked-part-of-good-health; medlineplus.gov/minerals.html; myhealth.alberta.ca/Health/Pages/conditions.aspx?hwid=ta3912; healthline.com/nutrition/foods-with-minerals#3.-Cruciferous-vegetables