Basic Minerals Necessary For Good Health

If instead of cheerfulness you feel complete apathy and indifference to everything, you should check the level of basic minerals . Their deficiency is no less dangerous for the body than a lack of vitamins.

According to the data of specialists, people are most often deficient in magnesium , iron and calcium . Let's learn how to recognize a deficiency of these minerals and how to correct it.

Why do people lack minerals ?

The answer is very simple: due to the lack of a balanced diet. It is not for nothing that great ancient healers, such as Hippocrates and Avicenna, began treating patients not only by asking about the symptoms of the disease. They were primarily interested in what people eat. The forefathers of medicine knew that a healthy diet should consist of a variety of whole foods. Health problems primarily indicate an unbalanced diet. It was relevant a millennium ago, and it is still relevant today.

There is another reason. The mineral content of vegetables has decreased by 80-90% over the past 100 years. This happened due to modern methods of farming. The soil has ceased to be fertile as a result of intensive processing and widespread use of synthetic fertilizers. Because of this, it is better to buy fruits and vegetables rich in trace elements from local farmers, rather than from large supermarket chains.

Deficiency of minerals can also be related to the fact that the body does not absorb them well. Unfortunately, this often happens in people with diseases of the digestive tract, liver, diabetes or after treatment with antibiotics and diuretics. In this case, even with a multifaceted diet and a sufficient amount of consumed minerals , their lack will be felt .

Magnesium deficiency

In the team of nutrients that take part in metabolism, magnesium is the captain. Under his guidance, food is transformed into energy and contributes to the proper functioning of the brain and heart, as well as the assimilation of other elements.

If there is not enough magnesium , this process slows down, and the cells do not receive adequate nutrition. They show their dissatisfaction quickly and vividly: arrhythmia (accelerated or, conversely, slowed heartbeat), headache, chronic fatigue. But do we always pay enough attention to our body?

Such signals should not be ignored, because complications can be serious. For example, headaches will turn into migraine attacks. Magnesium affects the functioning of neurons in the brain, and a lack of this mineral almost always leads to malfunctions in mental work. The formation of dopamine and serotonin - the so-called hormones of happiness - also decreases. This is a direct path to anxiety, stress and depression.

Numbness, tremors, and limb spasms can add to the bouquet of complications. Magnesium also affects this, because the mineral is responsible for nerve impulses.

First of all, take a blood test to make sure that magnesium is really lacking. Although, today magnesium deficiency is massive, since the mineral can be recommended to almost everyone.

You should not panic and run to buy dietary supplements and multivitamins in the pharmacy, which suffer from the bioavailability and compatibility of microelements .

Consult your doctor and add the following foods to your diet: pumpkin seeds, dark chocolate, bananas, spinach, buckwheat, and almonds. They are real record holders for magnesium content , and with regular consumption can replenish its reserves.

Magnesium in supplements should be taken only after a confirmed deficiency . The mineral tends to accumulate in the body, and its excess has a negative effect on the work of the heart and lungs.

Iron deficiency

Bridget Zeitlin, MD, calls iron "a gray cardinal, without which life itself would be impossible." The mineral really controls the main processes: synthesizes hemoglobin, which provides cells with oxygen, and removes carbon dioxide from the body.

That is why our brain and body strongly react to the lack of this trace element . Thoughts begin to get confused, it becomes more difficult to concentrate on work, dizziness and shortness of breath appear, a lack of strength is constantly felt.

Also, external symptoms indicate iron deficiency . If an aristocratic pallor appeared on the face, and the gums became blond or slightly pink, this can be another alarming indicator.

Such signals should not be ignored. If the situation is triggered, then iron-deficiency anemia may develop and oxygen saturation of cells will be globally disturbed. This will lead to neuroses, a decrease in immunity, which increases the risk of infectious diseases and complications after them. The digestive tract is also affected, adding problems with the assimilation of other trace elements from food. Hair will begin to fall out, nails will become brittle, cracks and sores will appear on the skin that will not heal for a long time.

As in the case of magnesium deficiency , go for a blood test. Lower than normal indicators often require correction, which requires additional sources of iron .

Liver, boiled tongue, sardines and clams are great options. These products contain heme iron , which is well absorbed by the body.

The mineral is also present in plant products: green leafy vegetables, seeds and nuts. However, here the iron is non-heme, and it is absorbed much worse. After all, be sure to add foods rich in vitamin C to your diet - bell peppers, currants, citrus fruits. Ascorbic acid will help absorb iron from food.