Why is MINERAL BALANCE important?
ENZYME & HORMONE COFACTORS
There are nearly 100,000 enzymes and 50 hormones in the human body, many of which require specific minerals to function.
Thyroid hormones need iodine.
Cobalt is needed to synthesize vitamin B12 in the gut.
Selenium and zinc are needed for healthy sexual function in men.
The list goes on and on!
MINERAL BALANCE IS A GAME OF COFACTORS
Your body cannot synthesize minerals and must instead obtain them from food.
This means eating a nutrient-dense diet and optimizing digestion, hydration, and fatty acid balance.
MASTER REGULATORS
Calcium does more than just make strong bones.
It also helps maintain proper blood pH (which must be tightly regulated between 7.35 and 7.45).
If the blood becomes too acidic, calcium is pulled from your bones to make the blood more alkaline.
Conversely, if the blood becomes too alkaline, calcium is transferred back into your bones.
CELLULAR TRANSPORTERS
Minerals help facilitate the transfer of nutrients across cell membranes and ensure a proper balance of sodium and potassium inside and outside of cells.
SOURCES OF MINERALS
LEAFY GREEN VEGETABLES
vegetables—especially leafy greens—are packed with many essential minerals (choose local or organic when possible, enjoy with fat to help absorption)
SEA SALT, SEAWEED, & SEAFOOD
foods from the sea are an excellent source of macro- and microminerals (such as zinc from oysters and iodine from seaweed)
MINERAL WATER & BONE BROTH
you can drink your minerals too (clean mineral water and homemade bone broth are 2 easy ways to enjoy minerals)
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References
NTA Student Guide. (2019). Nutritional Therapy Association.
Jones, D. S., Bland, J. S., & Quinn, S. (2010). Textbook of Functional Medicine. Institute for Functional Medicine.