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Minerals
Minerals play an important role in helping maintain
a balance between alkalinity and acidity. There are two kinds of
minerals in our food: acid-forming
minerals and alkaline-forming minerals.
Acid-forming minerals include chlorine, phosphorus and iodine.
Alkaline include sodium, potassium, calcium,
magnesium, zinc and iron.
When the first two of these alkaline minerals are in balance, then
our cells are able to absorb and utilize the highest amount of nutrients
and are thus in their healthiest condition. If they’re sick, we’re
sick.
Unfortunately, given the depletion of minerals in the soil as a
result of overfarming, and the processing and refining of our food,
which strips valuable vitamins and minerals away, most of us don’t
get enough minerals in our diet. That’s particularly problematic
if you’re even slightly acidic. For you really need to optimize
your intake of these minerals, which are so essential to supporting
your body’s entire buffering system. For
instance, if you’re overly acidic, the calcium so critical to your
bones won’t stay in your bones, but will go to support your body’s
buffering system, insuring there’s enough calcium in blood and cells.
For more on minerals, read on:
Alkaline Minerals
Acid Minerals
Alkaline Minerals
Boron
Calcium
Chromium
Copper
Iron (in some cases)
Manganese
Magnesium
Molybdenum
Potassium
Selenium
Zinc
Boron
Boron is a trace mineral important in the absorption of calcium,
magnesium, and phosphorus from foods, helping
slow the loss of these minerals through urination. It also appears
to elevate levels of estrogen and testosterone, helping with some
menopausal symptoms.
Helps with: Bone health,
arthritis, hot flashes
Recommended daily intake: 3 mg. For osteoporosis, up to 6
mg a day.
Best food sources: apples, grapes, almonds, legumes, honey
and dark green leafy vegetables.
Calcium
Calcium is the most abundant mineral in the human body, with 99
percent found in our bones and teeth. But it also plays a critical
role in regulating cellular processes, and if there isn’t enough
in our blood, then our body will “steal” it from bones
and teeth to make up the difference. It helps reduce PMS-related
moodiness and fluid retention, preventing cramps and muscle pain.
By soothing emotional irritability, it also prevents the fatigue
many women suffer. And because it reduces blood cholesterol levels,
it’s an important player in maintaining a healthy heart.
Helps with: Bone health,
heart health, stress, nervous
tension and anxiety, fatigue,
perimenopause and PMS.
Taken at night with magnesium, may provide a
more restful sleep.
Recommended daily intake:
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Teenagers: 1,300 mg |
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Adult women with healthy bone:
1,000 mg before menopause; 1,200 to 1,700 afterwards if you’re
not taking estrogen; 1,000 to 1,500 if you are. |
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Adult women with bone loss: 1,500-2,000
mg. |
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Postmenopausal women and older
men: 1,200 to 1,700 mg to help prevent osteoporosis. If you
consume a lot of protein, caffeine, sugar and alcohol, you’ll
need the higher dose. Take 500 mg at a time, since that’s all
your body can absorb. |
Best type to take: Calcium citrate is absorbed
about 25 percent better than other forms of calcium. However, calcium
carbonate is the most concentrated form of calcium, with twice as
much elemental calcium as calcium citrate. So both are good ways
for women to get the calcium they need. Take calcium carbonate at
mealtime, when stomach acid levels are highest; take calcium citrate
or ascorbate either at or between meals.
Best food sources: Dairy products, leafy green vegetables.
Good to know:
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If you have chronic stress or
low stomach acidity, take your calcium before bed. |
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If you take both buffered vitamin
C and calcium nutrients, add up the total amount of calcium
you take in from both sources, because you need to balance your
calcium with your magnesium for a 2:1 or 10:4 ratio. |
Chromium
Chromium is an essential mineral that helps our body turn glucose
from food into energy. Because of its effects at stabilizing blood
sugar, it can also help prevent the mood swings and anxiety blood
sugar fluctuations typically cause.
Helps with: Stable blood sugar levels, preventing hypoglycemia
(low blood sugar), mood swings, anxiety.
Recommended daily intake: 80 to 100 mcg for most people.
If you’re low in chromium, you may need 150 mcg. Someone with hypoglycemia
may need as much as 200 to 400 mcg several times a day.
Best food sources: Brewer’s yeast, lean meats (especially
processed meats), cheeses, pork kidney, whole-grain breads and cereals,
molasses, spices, and some bran cereals.
Copper
Copper is a trace mineral important in the production of bone, and
also vital in iron absorption. It also helps make ATP, the “gasoline”
for our cells, and is needed for the production of phospholipids,
which insulate and protect nerves.
Helps with: Bone health,
immune system, anemia
Recommended daily intake: 2-3 mg, particularly if you’re
also supplementing with zinc, as supplemental zinc
depletes copper
Best food sources: Seafood (especially raw oysters), organ
meats (beef liver, kidneys, heart), nuts, legumes, chocolate, bran
cereals, fruits and vegetables, blackstrap molasses.
Iron
Iron is critical in the formation of hemoglobin, which colors red
blood cells and enables cells to transport life-giving oxygen throughout
our body. Without enough iron, you may get anemia, or feel very
tired and “blah.” Women are particularly at risk for anemia
because they lose so much blood during menstruation. And during
perimenopause, when excessively heavy bleeding is common, that risk
increases. But iron is also a double-edged sword: both too much
and too little are dangerous. Too little may result in anemia; too
much, heart disease.
Helps with: Fatigue, heavy
menstrual bleeding, PMS.
Recommended daily intake: Depends on gender and age. To see
if you need supplemental iron, click here.
- Women still menstruating: 18 mg
- Women with anemia or heavy menstrual bleeding:
As much as 30 to 70 mg
- Women in menopause or at the very end of perimenopause:
10 mg
- Female athletes in heavy training: 25 mg
Best type to take: Heme iron, the iron from meat sources
such as liver, is much better absorbed than non-heme iron from vegetarian
sources. To be absorbed properly, non-heme iron must be taken with
at least 75 milligrams of vitamin C.
Best food sources: Meat, chicken and fish, beans, clams,
greens, grains
Manganese
Remember famed basketball player Bill Walton? He kept getting
bone fractures until he began supplementing with manganese. We
need manganese for healthy skin, bone and cartilage, as well as
for helping our body turn glucose into energy. One study also
found that women with less manganese had worse PMS mood and pain
symptoms.
Helps with: Bone health,
nerve and brain function, memory, the mood swings and anxiety
fluctuating blood sugar levels can cause and PMS.
Recommended daily intake: 10-18 mg
Best food sources: Whole grains, fish, spinach, nuts and
legumes
Magnesium
We need this important mineral to maintain our energy and vitality.
Magnesium also helps us better absorb calcium, and helps prevent
calcium-containing kidney stones from forming. It improves energy
production in the heart, dilates coronary arteries, lowers blood
pressure, inhibits blood clotting and even reduces the size of
blockages. Studies find that people who die from heart attacks
have lower magnesium levels than people of the same age who die
from other causes. And numerous studies found that giving heart
attack victims intravenous magnesium during the first hour they’re
admitted to the hospital can reduce immediate and long-term complications,
as well as death rates.
Research also finds that women with PMS symptoms
are typically deficient in magnesium, which helps relieve cramps
and control premenstrual sugar craving. Magnesium also helps stabilize
moods by affecting brain chemistry. Combined with malic acid,
an enzyme found in apples, it plays an important role in combating
fatigue.
Helps with: Bone health,
fatigue, heart
health, insulin secretion, blood clotting and activating B
vitamins, PMS and headaches.
Recommended daily intake: Take in divided doses, 400 to
1,000 mg a day. It’s important to maintain a healthy calcium/magnesium
ratio of 2:1 or 10:4, with calcium predominate over magnesium.
So if you’re taking 1,000 mg of calcium, you should also be taking
500 mg of magnesium.
If you have PMS, however, reverse that ratio for the first 6 to
12 months of treatment.
Best type: Magnesium aspartate, found to decrease fatigue.
Good to know: Women with energy-sapping candida infections
should make sure they’re getting enough magnesium, since candida
can drain magnesium levels.
Best food source: Whole grains, potatoes, seeds, nuts,
legumes, dark green vegetables
Molybdenum
Molybdenum is an essential trace mineral whose deficiency in soils
negatively affects both plant growth and human health. Contained
in minute amounts in the liver, kidneys, adrenal glands, bones,
and skin, molybdenum is present in all tissues.
Helps with: Iron metabolism
Recommended daily intake: The amount provided by diet varies
widely, from 50 – 500 mcg daily. Supplement with 50 to 100 mcg
Best food sources: Whole grains including oats, buckwheat,
and wheat germ; lima beans, lentils, potatoes, spinach and other
dark leafy greens.
Potassium
This mineral has a powerful effect on energy and vitality. It’s
required for your body to be able to get energy out of the carbohydrates
and protein you eat. Along with sodium, it works to normalize
your heartbeat. It also helps make sure nutrients get into cells,
where they can be broken down for energy.
Helps with: Bone health, heart health, stress, fatigue,
regulating water balance, levels of acidity, blood pressure and
neuromuscular function.
Recommended daily intake: 100 to 300 mg per day as a supplement
in women with fatigue. A high potency multivitamin will generally
contain 50-99 mg. However, since 2000 to 5000 mg of potassium
is necessary for optimal health and well-being, most of ones potassium
needs to be taken in through the diet. Luckily, there are many
excellent food sources of potassium.
Best type to take: Potassium or potassium aspartate.
Best food sources: Whole grains, vegetables, fruits and
legumes
Good to know: Excessive use of coffee and alcohol increases
your loss of potassium.
Selenium
An essential mineral present in minute quantities in the body,
selenium works closely with vitamin
E, enhancing many of its functions. Some evidence also suggests
selenium may play a role in reducing the risk of certain cancers,
including prostate, colon, rectum, and lung, and reducing the
deaths from these and other cancers.
Helps with: Mood, immune system.
Recommended daily intake: 50 to 200 mcg per day.
Best food sources: Liver, kidneys, egg yolks, seafood,
whole grains, lean red meats, chicken and mushrooms.
Zinc
Zinc is found in every tissue and fluid of the body, and is involved
in more processes, systems and reactions than any other mineral.
It’s especially concentrated in our muscles, eyes, liver and,
in men, the prostate. If you have osteoporosis, you probably also
have low levels of zinc. Although the link between the two hasn’t
yet been solidified, one study found that combining minerals,
including zinc with calcium, was more effective in preventing
bone loss than supplementing with calcium alone. It’s also important
to have enough zinc because it competes with copper for binding
sites on cells in your body. Too much copper can increase estrogen
levels and the moodiness associated with PMS. Zinc also reduces
fatigue by enhancing immune function.
Helps with: Bone health,
fatigue, muscle strength
and endurance, PMS, wound healing,
absorption and action of vitamins, immune system.
Recommended daily intake: 10-25 mg
Best food sources: Dairy products, grains, meat, oysters
Good to know: The stress of heavy exercise may increase
the loss of zinc, and some athletes, especially women, may be
zinc deficient.
For more on nutrients, read on:
Essential Fatty Acids
Minerals
Vitamins
Antioxidants and free radicals
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