Micronutrients – Minerals
Minerals play a huge range of roles in the human body and they are
critical for human life. They can do functions as maintaining acid-base
balance, helping with growth and strength, or regulating enzymes.
Bioavailability is very important when we talk about minerals because
nearly all minerals with the exception of iron can be absorbed in their
free form. Unlike vitamins most minerals are found in the human body
as well as in food.
So in other words we can find them in the foods we eat, we can even
produce many of them in our body, but if the body is imbalanced and
unhealthy, we either produce too little or too much of the minerals
and that creates the problem.
In order to address the problem of the body creating not enough
minerals we need to be able to get them from foods and as they are
available in different foods we need to make sure that we can absorb
them properly.
Some minerals with high absorption or high bioavailability are:
sodium, iodine, potassium, fluoride and chloride.
Minerals with low absorption include: iron, zinc, manganese and
chromium.
We also have calcium, magnesium, and other minerals which are of
medium bioavailability.
Unlike with vitamins we have to be careful when we take mineral
supplements because they may have interactions with one another.
For example too much calcium diminishes the absorption of zinc,
iron, and manganese and in the same time if we take iron
supplements we may not be able to absorb zinc properly.
Here are some of the most beneficial and well-known minerals:
Calcium strengthen the bones, teeth and muscle tissue, regulates the
heartbeat and nerve function, and it also helps with blood clotting. We
can find calcium in milk and milk products. We can also find high
levels of calcium in spinach, kale, okra, collard greens, soybeans,
white beans, and some fish like sardines salmon and rainbow trout.
Iron it's a mineral, which improves the blood quality, helps formation
of hemoglobin, and increases our resistance to stress and
diseases. We can get iron by eating Meats, especially organ Meats,
as well as legumes. Another great source of iron is spinach.
Magnesium is very important in the metabolism of carbohydrates and
glucose and it's found in nuts, green vegetables and whole grains.
Potassium helps with the activity of the heart muscle and kidneys as
well as with the nervous system and it help keep the fluid balance in
the body. We can find potassium in lean meats, vegetables and fruits.
Zinc is important in the development of the reproductive system,
helps in healing from an infection or disease and it can be found in
lean meats, liver, eggs, Seafood, whole grains, beans and nuts.
Many of the vitamins and minerals we talked about like vitamin A,
vitamin C, vitamin E and selenium function as antioxidants in the
human body. Just like metal gets Rusty in time when it's exposed to
water and oxygen, in a similar way, the cells of the body can get
damaged from oxygen exposure. This damage it's called oxidation
and it can create numerous chemical reactions in the body causing
aging and different serious diseases.
So what antioxidants do is to prevent or even repair oxidative
damage. But everything has to be kept in balance because too many
antioxidants can become toxic and can increase the risks of some of
these diseases.
It's impossible to talk about nutrition without talking about the single
largest component of the human body, making up for approximately
50 to 70% of our body weight. I am talking about water.
Water, even though it provides no nutritional value and no calories,
it is the very important element in our life. if by any reason we lose
20% of the body water we could die. 10% loss the level of water in
the human body can cause very serious health problems.
Water has many important functions: it regulates body temperature,
protects vital organs, helps in the absorption of nutrients, it is the
medium for chemical reactions, and it helps us maintain the rights
blood volume in the body. When we exercise, we normally sweat
depending on the intensity of the exercise and even if we do not
sweat we are still using tons of water during the process of
exercising. For this reason it is extremely important to hydrate
properly before, during and after any exercise classes and throughout
the day.