Getting the nutrients and minerals we need through the modern diet is almost impossible. In this latest generation, the quality of our food and its production methods have drastically reduced the nutritional balance that was once ideal and complete. One of the important but small components that promote that healthy balance is the spectrum of trace minerals our cells need to function and thrive.
Perhaps you have been explained in your elementary science class that when the universe was born, it contained all the matter that would ever exist: today there is neither more nor less matter than at the beginning of time. Within the natural order of our planet, resources are transformed and transported in many ways.
Just as the water cycle transfers water from the sky to the ground and from there back to the sky, the trace minerals that once enriched the soils around the planet have also been transferred.
However, trace minerals do not have the unique properties of water. Once they leave the ground, there is no natural mechanism to return them to their original location.
Increasingly scarce trace minerals
For many years, weather, natural disasters, and human farming techniques have brought most trace nutrients from the depths to the surface of the soil. This is why rain, floods and other means of transfer have washed away these nutrients.
But as we already know, these have not disappeared, it is simply a matter of knowing where to look to be able to recover them once again. Enriched soil carryover has accumulated these minerals in specific locations over time, which are now collective deposits of trace minerals that all creatures require for maximum health and longevity.
Because the soil where our food is grown no longer contains these minerals, the extraction and production of trace mineral supplements has become crucial.
Benefits of trace minerals
We all had to memorize at some point the Periodic Table, the complete list of known elements, which includes the trace elements and the ionic minerals necessary for life to exist.
Since our bodies use these elements on a daily basis, it is vital that we regularly replenish their supply so that all of our body systems and responses function properly.
The regular intake of trace minerals supports our body so that it can have a proper physiological function and avoid health problems.
Trace minerals are essential for numerous body functions and processes, including enzyme function, thyroid regulation, glucose absorption, blood clotting, tissue formation, oxygen transport in red blood cells, detoxification and many more.
A deficiency of any of the trace minerals can result in an imbalance of other minerals and prevent us from taking advantage of their benefits, making the body more vulnerable.
An example of an imbalance can be an overly acidic environment - these are conditions in which harmful organisms thrive and duplicate and can cause a variety of health problems, from fatigue to chronic health conditions. However, having the right amount and balance of trace minerals promotes a healthy pH balance or alkaline environment, which is good for healthy cells and for optimal bodily functions.
The essential trace elements
There are more than seventy known trace minerals. The scientific community has begun to study the importance of trace minerals and how they interact with the human body.
Researchers are learning more every day about what trace elements are necessary to establish and maintain a healthy balance in the body, and what health problems could result from a mineral imbalance.
We know that a large percentage of people have some level of mineral deficiency and that this imbalance can manifest itself in symptoms as simple as food cravings or as severe as chronic fatigue.
These are the important functions that only some of the trace minerals we need to function and maintain a healthy and long life perform:
Boron
Helps reduce inflammation and degeneration, improves bone growth and health, promotes central nervous system function, promotes healthy cell growth, contributes to hormone production, and supports immune response and modulation of oxidative stress.
Chrome
Improves the ability of cells to absorb glucose, stimulates fatty acids and synthesizes cholesterol
Cobalt
Promotes the formation of red blood cells and is an important part of B-12
Copper
Supports the formation of red blood cells and connective tissue, stores and releases iron to form hemoglobin, and contributes to the functions of the central nervous system
Iodine
Promotes proper thyroid function, controls how quickly the body uses energy, and produces protein
Iron
Carries oxygen in red blood cells
Manganese
Essential for enzyme systems; promotes brain function
Molybdenum
It is part of the enzyme systems; detoxification processes
Selenium
An antioxidant that combines with vitamin E and protects cells from free radicals.
Zinc
Provides enzymatic functions such as nucleic acid synthesis, supports immune function, and promotes insulin storage
The importance of ionic minerals
Every second of every day your body depends on ionic minerals, minerals with a positive or negative electrical charge that allow them to bind with water and be absorbed by the body.
Ionic minerals conduct and generate billions of tiny electrical impulses that are a vital part of muscle function, including that of the heart.
These minerals help the brain to function and cells to use osmosis to balance water pressure and absorb nutrients.
To ensure that you are getting the ionic minerals and electrolytes your body needs, choose only ionic mineral supplements or supplements that contain ionic minerals.
Due to the scarcity of many of these nutrients in soils used for agriculture, we can no longer trust that a healthy diet can guarantee the consumption of each of these trace minerals. This is why you should consider starting to take trace mineral supplements.
Experts recommend at least 30 minutes of physical activity five days a week, but emphasize that the more you exercise, the better able you are to maintain a weight loss. Participants in the weight control survey walked for at least 60 minutes daily or burned the same calories with other activities so aim for 60 to 90 minutes of physical activity every day.