But before you just start randomly popping pills to get more minerals into your body, recognize that the plants and animal foods that contain minerals have the right balance found in nature. Calcium, for example, which is the most abundant mineral in the body works best when the ratio of Calcium to Phosphorus is 1 to 1/2. When there is too much Phosphorus, osteoporosis can result. There is a lot of Phosphorus in soda which is one reason that it is so harmful to consume large amounts of soda as this upsets the body's natural Calcium/Phosphorus balance. Good sources of Calcium are Kelp, Cheddar Cheese, Carob flour, Dulse (seaweed), Collard Greens and Kale. Some care must be taken to make sure that minerals are absorbed properly as some plant compounds such as Phytates and Tannins can bind to minerals to make them hard for the body to absorb. Juicing, which separates the fiber, can be an effective way to get the Calcium in greens because the body is better able to absorb the minerals that are in the juice.
Magnesium is also a good "friend" to Calcium and Phosphorus and Magnesium and Potassium are "electrical buddies" in that both are involved in maintaining the electrical charge of cells, particularly in the muscles and nerves. Good sources of Magnesium are Kelp, Wheat Bran and Germ, Almonds, Cashews and Molasses.
Another group of "friends" are Potassium, Sodium and Chlorine as these are electrolytes-- mineral salts that can conduct electricity when dissolved in water. Electrolytes are always found in pairs. A positive molecule such as Potassium or Sodium will always have a negative molecule such as Chloride.
Sulfur is found in higher concentration in the structure of joints, hair, nails and skin. Sulfur rich foods include eggs, legumes, whole grains and garlic.
Among the trace minerals are Boron (in prunes, raisins and almonds) and Chromium which helps regulate blood sugar (found in Brewer's Yeast and Calf's liver). Copper is helpful in the manufacturing of hemoglobin. Copper and Zinc are also "good buddies." Foods high in copper are even higher in Zinc. Iodine is essential for Thyroid health and can be found in iodized salt, sea vegetables and seafood. Iron plays a central role in the hemoglobin molecule. The most common mineral deficiency is Iron and this is especially so among vegetarians. Good sources of Iron are clams, Molasses and beef liver. Some research has shown that the body is better able to absorb iron from animal sources. Manganese has an important role in many enzymatic functions. Molybdenum is helpful in the detoxification process and good sources are legumes and whole grains. Selenium has cancer fighting properties and can be found in Brazil Nuts. Silicon is helpful for bone growth. Vanadium has some controversy as to whether it really is even an essential trace mineral but is suggested to be helpful in hormone, cholesterol and blood sugar metabolism.
Finally, there are several nonessential minerals that have not been shown to have an important known effect on human nutrition. However, there may certainly be some benefits that are not fully understood yet. Many of the nonessential minerals are considered toxic chemicals such as Mercury, Nickel, Lead and Aluminum.
As with most things, following the laws of nature turns out to be a good idea. If you eat a whole foods based diet, you will be getting minerals in the right balance. Just follow the "buddy system" and know that you will be getting a good mix of minerals if you eat whole foods!
Of course the better the quality of the soil, the more minerals that will find their way to our food. Just yet another reason why we need to care about our environment and food systems so that we can all get the minerals that we need to thrive.
Posted by Natural Chef student Donna Bauman
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