Disclaimer:
Information of the supplement below is not intended to cure any diseases or illnesses. Although supplement has positive impact towards health and performance, however, it is not for everyone and it is advised to consult with professionals before utilizing. It is also important to know that supplement is not designed to replace your daily habits. You will still need to eat whole food, sleep 7-8 hours, drink water, and daily exercises. While you are consider start utilizing supplement, it is also important to improve your overall lifestyle for its maximum effect.
We Are Mineral Deficient
If you have muscle cramp, high blood pressure, insulin resistance, sleep issues, dizziness, and so on, most likely you are mineral deficient. 1 in 3 adults are deficient in 10 minerals including magnesium, potassium, iodine, zinc, copper, manganese, selenium, boron, calcium, and iron. Before we go into detail of mineral supplement, lets dive into why we are deficient in minerals.
Why We Are Mineral Deficient
Majority of times people assume they are eating well, whether wit low carb, low fat, paleo, carnivore or vegan diet. Yet studies shows that 50% are deficient in magnesium, 1.9 billion people in the world are deficient in iodine, 5 million in the US are low in iron and 98% of Americans are consuming inadequate amount of potassium. With all the dietary guidelines and RDA (Recommended Dietary Allowance), why is this happening?
There are 3 major causes of the mineral deficiencies. First is food we are purchasing, and consuming are already depleted of nutrients. One is whether it is plant or meat, they are grown way faster than used to be due to mass production. Because of that, both plants and animals are not fully grown or forced to grow faster which consequently not saturated in nutrients that are needed for our health. Another factor is quality of soil, fertilizer, and food provided for the animals. This is not just affecting vegetables but also affecting food that animals consume which will determines the quality of the meat. Many of the fertilizers contains phosphorous that inhibits certain nutrient absorption.
Second cause is overconsumption of processed food. 60% of calories that majority of population consume is processed foods which are typically stripped out all the nutrients and fortified with what is missing by adding sugar and industrial salt and fat to make the taste better. Minerals that are depleted from these foods are magnesium, calcium, copper, and iron. These nutrients are also depleted from vegetables and meat along with cheese and milk.
Third cause of mineral depletion is chronic illnesses. According to studies 60% of population having at least one chronic disorder, 40% having more than one chronic disease and 80% of American who are over age 50 are on at least one medication. When you have gastrointestinal issues or insulin resistance, the body cannot absorb nutrients or send nutrients to the cells. Therefore, even if you are eating healthy, because of the chronic conditions that you may have may inhibit the intake of nutrients from food sources.
Medication is another issue. Have you ever wondered why majority of medication has similar side effects? High blood pressure medication, for example, depletes out magnesium which is important to retain potassium level in our body which also means that people who are on blood pressure medication are low in potassium as well. Interesting thing is magnesium is known to lower blood pressure which usually given to women during their pregnancy.
Can We Replenish Minerals By Food?
It is possible to replenish what minerals you may be deficient in. To do so, we need to be consuming whole natural food along with eliminating refined carbs and sugar and regular with exercise to reverse the condition called insulin resistance which 70% of U.S. populations are. When we are in insulin resistant the cells cannot receive nutrients that you are providing for the body. Role of insulin is to carry the nutrient from food to the cells, however, when you are insulin resistant the insulin receptor of the cells will not be activated to receive the nutrients.
We also need to understand that certain diet may lead to deficient in certain minerals. I do realize that the diet you are following may due to better fit to your lifestyle and belief. However, being mindful of what minerals and other nutrients you may be missing can help your body be more efficient with choice of food and possibly supplementing.
Animal (beef, chicken, pork) based diet may lack in magnesium, potassium, copper and calcium which all of these can be found in vegetables. For plant based diet may lack in iron, selenium, and zinc which can be found more in animal products.
If you are wanting to continue with what diet you are following, despite the possible deficiency, you can utilize supplement to replenish what you could be deficient in. Remember, RDA is set to make sure you do not get sick and not for your optimal performance, such as have more energy, utilizing fat as fuel, and better cognitive functioning. The body needs more than RDA suggest for optimal health.
You can also use natural salt like sea salt, Himalayan salt, Celtic salt to replenish what minerals you may be lacking. When taking more sodium, make sure to increase potassium intake by eating cucumber, spinach and other potassium rich food to balance out. Salt can also help the body absorb nutrients from the food as well as make the food taste better.
Fitness and nutrition "experts" are focusing so much on calories and macro splits, which are amount of protein, fat, and carbohydrate in ratio, and they tend to forget that it is the micronutrients such as vitamins and minerals that speed up the conversion of food energy to biological use. So it is possible for someone eating less calories and have sluggish metabolism which will lead to trouble losing weight because of under nourished and someone eating more calories but have very high metabolism and fit because of consuming more nutrients.
How to Supplement Minerals?
Although multi-mineral supplements are available and convenient, they can be low on certain minerals especially magnesium. If your diet is deficient in certain minerals, it may be more effective by taking specific mineral supplement to start with then move to multi-mineral supplements. For example, if someone is anemic, iron supplement may be suggested. Someone with osteopenia may benefit from magnesium and calcium.
Keep in mind that even if your diet is from whole natural food, if you consume caffeine, alcohol and exercise excessively, you can excrete minerals (example: sodium, iodine) through urine and sweat more than you normally would and may cause dizziness, muscle cramping and fatigue. Electrolyte supplements to mix with water or mineral water may also help replenish what you have lost.
If you are deficient in any of the minerals and planning to supplement, spread your intake throughout the day rather than taking it all at once. Some mineral, when taken at once may cause you to feel sick. You can also take them with meal to minimize that affect.
Kota Shimada
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