Here’s the best-kept secret in nutrition: minerals. They are the spark of life and are even more important than vitamins. You see, plants manufacture vitamins but minerals must be obtained from the soil—and minerals are NOT in the soil any more. This is why EVERY BODY needs to know about minerals.
The secret—that minerals are more important than vitamins—has been kept under wraps for over 80 years according to this overlooked document issued by the United States government way back in 1936:
“Our physical well-being is more directly dependent upon minerals we take into our systems than upon calories or vitamins, or upon the precise proportion of starch, protein, or carbohydrate we consume.”
—U.S. Senate Document Number 264, Published in 1936.
Many of us are aware that we can live for a prolonged period of time without food—but NOT without water. This is because water provides our bodies with the minerals of life. And where can you get the minerals of life these days?
Aside from their role in promoting blood formation, fluid regulation, protein metabolism, and energy production, minerals are also co-factors for enzyme catalysts for every biochemical response in the body.
Do you know which mineral is involved in over 350 biochemical processes, including muscle contraction, nerve conduction, the prevention of anxiety, irritability, asthma, and panic attacks? All of the other major minerals (like calcium, potassium, and sodium) are dependent upon its presence in order to function.
The correct answer is magnesium—and it’s widely considered to be the most important mineral in the body.
Even sleep can be affected by the lack of magnesium. People who are magnesium deficient tend to fall asleep readily but wake up periodically. They toss and turn and wake up exhausted. I recommend keeping a bottle of magnesium right on your nightstand. Magnesium is designed to support nighttime rest or occasional sleeplessness.
Another major player is zinc. This mineral is involved in over 100 biochemical processes, like the stimulation of taste, smell, wound healing, immunity, and the maintenance of thick hair (without split ends) and enhancement of healthy blood sugar levels?
Minerals are also critical for the maintenance of strong bones and teeth. Did you know that our bones need both calcium and magnesium? In fact, the research of Dr. Mildred Seelig—recognized as one of the world’s most distinguished magnesium experts, boasting 40 years of research—suggested that a 1:1 ratio of both calcium and magnesium is essential for bones, teeth, and the prevention of hypertension and hardening of the arteries.
Excess calcium—without equal amounts of magnesium—can result in calcified arteries and heart valves, migraines, cataracts, gallstones, kidney stones and irritability. Some researchers even suggest that a 2:1 ratio in favor of magnesium to calcium is even better for overall health, including bone density.
Magnesium gives your bones the flexibility and strength of ivory. Ivory is a combination of 50% magnesium and about 50% calcium. Chalk, on the other hand, is 100% calcium and looks dense on the outside but is very porous and weak and easily breakable.
So, while you may have associated only calcium with bone health for years, make your new mantra that it should not be taken on its own. If it is, it will pull magnesium out of body parts in order to assimilate it—creating a further magnesium deficiency.
Minerals also shine in the maintenance of organ and glandular strength.
The key minerals for the liver—the body’s head honchos for detoxification of all wastes—are potassium and sulfur. The liver contains twice as much potassium as sodium. Sulfur is an important nutrient because it is needed to make glutathione, the liver’s most important antioxidant for neutralizing those nasty free radicals that are associated with every degenerative disease from cancer to heart disease. The thyroid gland needs both iodine and selenium to make thyroid hormones while the adrenals need zinc for the production of adrenal cortical hormones.
If you’re seeking relief from stress and frustration, call on minerals. The copper-zinc ratio is THE most important ratio when it comes to behavior. Elevated copper and deficient zinc have been associated with hyperactivity, ADD, violence, and depression. The Pfeiffer Treatment Center in Naperville, Illinois found that 80% of hyperactive patients and 68% of behavior disordered patients have elevated blood copper levels.
Many high copper depressives experience severe PMS, are intolerant to estrogen, and have a family history of postpartum depression. This group also has a high incidence of acne, eczema, sensitive skin, sunburn, headaches, and white spots on their fingernails. The ideal ratio in the blood stream of zinc to copper is 8 parts zinc to 1 part copper.
For a complete list of the most mineral-rich foods on the planet (and what they do for our bodies), pre-order your copy of The NEW Fat Flush Foods—arriving May 2017!