Minerals are responsible for many functions within the body as well as helping to turn food into energy and repair cell damage. If you get the right amount of these micro-nutrients the body can repair bones, give you strong teeth and prevent birth defects as well as keeping your immune system in top shape so disease is kept away.
Minerals are essential nutrients that the body needs to survive. We can get these minerals by eating a diet rich in plant life. The trace minerals in our body are: iron, zinc, copper, selenium, iodine, fluorine and chromium while the major minerals are: sodium, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, manganese, sulphur, cobalt and chlorine. We have to replace these minerals every day to keep our body functioning in a healthy mode.
Minerals have many roles in our body:
- Bone and Teeth health
- Energy production
- Nerve and Muscle function
- Immune health
Calcium: strengthens our bones and teeth and is needed to help regulate the heartbeat and the muscle and nerve functions.
Chloride: is needed for proper fluid balance and stomach acid helping to maintain an acid-base balance.
Copper: is required in the production of red blood cells. It also helps the body to utilize iron, reduces tissue damage caused by free radicals, helps to maintain your bone health, and it keeps your thyroid gland functioning normally.
Iodine: helps regulate growth, development and metabolism. It is needed to keep the thyroid functioning properly.
Iron: is a part of proteins and enzymes found throughout your body, including hemoglobin and myoglobin, both of which help carry oxygen in the blood. Iron is required for red blood cell formation.
Magnesium: in the body serves several important functions: it helps with contraction and relaxation of muscles; it is needed so that many of our enzymes can function in the body, production and transport of energy, and production of protein.
Manganese: helps bone growth and cell production.
Phosphorus: is an essential nutrient required for proper cell function, and regulating calcium. It helps to strengthen bones and teeth and helps to store energy in our cells.
Potassium: is classified as an electrolyte and is very important to the body. It has various roles in metabolism and body functions and is essential for the proper function of all cells, tissues, and organs:
Selenium: helps to prevent damage to our cells and aids the thyroid gland to function properly.
Sodium: helps to keep the water levels balance in our body’s blood and tissues. It also aids in nerve transmissions and muscle contraction.
Sulphur: is found in protein molecules. It is required for the enzymes that speed body chemical reactions.
Zinc: helps the taste and smell capabilities in our body and aid our wounds to heal. It also aids in normal growth and sexual maturation.
