Get to Know Your Minerals

Although humans have been consuming minerals for thousands of years, modern science is just beginning to understand their significance to our health. The human physiology is unable to manufacture minerals like it manufactures certain vitamins. Iron, magnesium and other minerals can only be found in the soil. Plants absorb them directly from the soil and we acquire them through the various steps of the food chain.

Minerals are constituents of the bones, teeth, muscle, blood, and nerves. They are vital to our overall mental and physical well-being. They take part in digestion, assimilation, muscle response and the production of hormones. If the body becomes deficient in one or more of these essential nutrients, a variety of symptoms can occur. Calcium deficiency, for example, may result in the softening of the bones and osteoporosis, while iron deficiency is commonly linked to anemia. In order to prevent mineral deficiencies and the resulting symptoms, the body needs to maintain the correct balance of minerals. Since they are synergistically related, no single mineral can function without the others.

Listed below are some of the most important minerals and the benefits of each:

CALCIUM

• Builds and maintains bones and teeth.
• Helps regulate the passage of nutrients in and our of the cells walls.
• Helps maintain proper nerve and muscle function.
• Reduces blood cholesterol levels.

CHROMIUM

• Important in the metabolism of carbohydrates and fats.
• Helps to regulate the amount of glucose in the blood.
• Is needed for insulin to work properly.

COPPER

• Needed for the formation of blood vessels.
• Helps keep bones, vessels, nerves and the immune system healthy.
• Aids in the formation of many enzymes.

IODINE

• Helps with the regulation of thyroid hormones.
• Needed for normal growth and development.

IRON

• Essential in the formation of hemoglobin (carries oxygen in the blood) and myoglobin (carries oxygen in the muscle).
• It is part of several enzymes and proteins.

MAGNESIUM

• Required for regulation of normal heart rhythm.
• Aids in regulation of blood pressure and water balance in cells.
• Helps bone growth and function of nerves, bones and muscles.

MANGANESE

• Important in the blood breakdown of amino acids and the production of energy.
• Necessary for the metabolism of vitamin B1 and vitamin E.
• Activates various enzymes which are important for proper digestion and utilization of foods.

MOLYBDENUM

• Activates certain enzymes in the body.
• Necessary in energy metabolism.
• Aids in blood, cartilage and bone formation.

POTASSIUM

• Helps maintain acid-base balance.
• Vital for muscle contraction and nerve impulse.

SELENIUM

• Helps with proper function of the heart.
• Prevents oxidation of unsaturated fatty acids.
• Needed for proper immune function.

ZINC

• Is important for the activity of enzymes.
• Necessary for cell division, growth, and wound healing.
• Help proper function of the immune system.
• Plays a role in taste and smell acuity.

These minerals as well as a proprietary blend of 60 trace mineral are provided in Waiora's Essential Daily Nutrients. Click here for more information on this exciting product