How's your mineral IQ? This may not be a perfect-cocktail party conversational warm-up material, but bear in mind, you need you minerals! These body regulators play a big role in keeping balance. Minerals have been proven to prevent every major form of disease, including cancer. So if your mineral IQ needs a boost, now is the time to do it.
Many of us neglect our minerals because they don't directly contribute to our energy needs. In this fast moving world of this 21st century, energy is seen as the key to practically everything. But what about sustaining the conditions that make your energy possible? Bottom line: minerals are vital substances.
Off hand, how many minerals do you know? If your know the most important ones like calcium, phosphorus, iron, copper, magnesium, sodium, potassium, chlorine, iodine, sulfur, fluorine, and manganese, that is a good start.
The next step is to make sure you are getting your RDA's worth. The RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance) was established in 1943 by the National Academy of Sciences. It indicates the amount of minerals you need daily in order to be, or to stay healthy.
Below, a checklist of some important minerals and their sources:
1. Calcium
Calcium gives you healthy bones and teeth. In fact, 99% of all calcium you take in goes to the bones and teeth. The rest helps the nerve, and aid in muscle contraction and blood clotting. Some megavitamin nutritionists claim that giving your child a good amount of calcium daily will help to make you less temperamental.
Children who are deficient in calcium are in danger of contracting rickets, while adults with a calcium deficiency may contract "osteomalacia" which is ricket's adult equivalent.
One main source of calcium is milk, one pint of which should give you almost three-fourths of an adult's daily calcium requirement. Other good sources are Cheddar cheese and green leafy vegetables such as mustard greens, broccoli, fish (especially sardines and pilchards, whose bones are eaten), sesame seeds, almonds, fortified cereals, and white flour.
2. Iron
Iron helps to form haemoglobin, the oxygen factor in your blood. The good news is, you need small amounts of it. But if serious blood loss occurs, you'll to take in a comparatively larger quantity in order to form new red blood cells.
A deficiency in iron can result in anemia, and in extreme cases it can affect your immune system. You can get iron from red meat, kidney, liver, oysters, cocoa, nuts, breakfast cereals, eggs and beans.
3. Phosphorus
Phosphorus is found in every cell in your body. It aids a large variety of blood processes including the metabolism of protein, fat, and carbohydrates. Almost all the chemical reactions that occur in your body make use of phosphorus.
A deficiency in phosphorus can cause a loss of appetite, weakness, bone pain, stiff joints, central nervous disorders, and respiratory failure. You can find phosphorus in nearly all foods, especially those that are high in protein such as meat, nuts, shellfish, and chicken.
4. Magnesium
Magnesium helps you to have healthy bones and teeth, and helps in the proper functioning of your muscles, nerves, metabolic enzymes, and vitamins B1 and B2. A deficiency of magnesium can cause anxiety, muscle cramps, insomnia, and an irregular heartbeat. Some food sources for magnesium are wholemeal flour, cereals, milk, eggs, shellfish, chicken and nuts.
So know the four, and there's more. Be healthy!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rosalinda_Flores-Martinez
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