YOUR BODY’S NEED FOR MINERALS
Minerals are important constituents of bones, teeth, soft tissue, muscle, blood, and nerve cells. They act as catalysts for such biological and electrical reactions as muscle contraction, transmission of messages and energy through the nervous system, production of hormones, digestion, and the utilization of nutrients in foods. Like vitamins, minerals function as coenzymes, enabling the body to perform functions like energy production, growth and healing. Minerals are essential for proper tissue fluid balance, electrical activity across cell membranes and regulation of pH of the tissues and blood.
Organic versus inorganic minerals:
Minerals can be organic or inorganic. Inorganic minerals are elements derived from rock and have no carbon. Having carbon defines a substance as organic. When inorganic minerals are complexed with carbon based substances they become organic. Minerals appear to be best utilized by the body when they are complexed with carbon based nutrients such as amino acids, enzymes, vitamins and other organic elements. Plants take up inorganic minerals from the soil and complex them with various organ substances. This makes minerals bio-available to the plants and subsequently to those who eat the plants or eat the organisms that eat the plants.
Inorganic metallic minerals have a positive electromagnetic charge. Plants take inorganic minerals and through photosynthesis and other processes turn the positive electromagnetic charge into a negative electromagnetic charge. It is this change to a negative electromagnetic charge that allows minerals to be utilized by plants and also in the human body.
Macro and micro minerals:
There are two basic classifications of minerals as they relate to human health. Macro-minerals are those of which the body requires more than 100 milligrams per day. Micro-minerals (trace minerals) are those of which the body requires less than 100 milligrams per day. The macro-minerals include calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, sulfur, chloride and phosphorus. Except for sulfur, these minerals are often referred to as electrolytes as they play a major role in facilitating electrical impulses in the body. Among the micro-minerals used by the body are chromium, selenium, zinc, iron, boron, silicon, manganese iodine, copper and many more.
Our mineral intake is dependent on the mineral content of the soil. Over the years there has been a gradual depletion of minerals in the soil due to chemical farming where only a few inorganic minerals are returned to the soil. Crops grown on such soils have been found to be deficient in minerals and other nutrients which in years past were in the soil when organic manures and cover crops were the primary means of fertilization. Available minerals are less than 20% of what they were a hundred ago on farm lands using chemical fertilizers.
The best way to get your minerals is to eat a wide range of fruits and vegetables along with whole grains and beans that have been grown in soils that are not chemically fertilized and are instead treated with various manures and green cover crops.
If your diet is largely made up of foods grown on chemically fertilized soils (which is true of most Americans), there is a good chance you are not getting the minerals your body needs in order to maintain health. One option you have is to take a mineral supplement. Here is where it gets a little tricky.
Minerals in supplements come in various forms. Some companies simply use inexpensive inorganic elemental minerals (also called metallic minerals) to make their product. In order for such inorganic minerals to be utilized, our body must produce sufficient hydrochloric acid (HCL) in the stomach to break them down and then complex them with organic substances present in the digestive tract. If this doesn’t happen, the minerals are not absorbed. As we grow older, this process becomes less efficient.
Some companies attach chelating agents such as amino acids, citric acid or picolinate acid to their mineral products. Chelation is a process whereby minerals are “grabbed” by amino acids and other agents and thereby transformed into organic complexes. These agents make the minerals more available for absorption.
Colloidal Minerals:
Colloidal minerals are minerals of very small particle size suspended in a liquid medium. Because of their small particle size, these minerals stay in suspension and don’t settle out. It is believed that because of their small particle size, these minerals are readily utilized by the body.
Some companies use inorganic minerals to make their colloidal product. Despite their small particle size, such inorganic minerals must still be acted upon by HCL in the stomach, complexed with organic material in the digestive tract and converted to a negative electromagnetic charge in order to be utilized by the body.
Most colloidal mineral products are made using minerals derived from plant material and are therefore organic. Here the plant has already processed the minerals into a bio-available form including converting the minerals to having a negative electromagnetic charge. Plant derived colloidal minerals are more readily utilized by the body.
Ionic Minerals:
Some products feature ionic minerals. Ionic means they have both positive and negative electromagnetic activity. These types of minerals have been shown to be 10,000 times smaller in particular size than colloidal minerals and as such become dissolved in a liquid medium. While colloidal mineral particles float in suspension between water molecules, ionic mineral particles actually become part of the water molecule due to their positive/negative electromagnetic charges.
Because ionic minerals are in a soluble state having both positive and negative charges, they can easily bind with other molecules to form complexes. They are virtually in a predigested form and don’t require HCL for absorption. Ionic minerals are absorbed through the gut by becoming attached to carrier proteins in the intestinal wall. Both ionic and colloidal mineral products are usually in a liquid form but can be processed into tablets as well.
When buying a mineral supplement, it is best to limit your choices to either a chelated form of mineral preparation, a plant derived colloidal product or an ionic water soluble product. Always read the label to determine what form the minerals are in. While individual minerals can be taken to deal with specific deficiencies or health concerns, it is best to ingest a wide range of minerals to maintain the best of health.
At Milk ‘N Honey we carry a variety of mineral products including a product called "Concentrace Trace Mineral Drops" from the company Trace Mineral Research. This is an ionic water soluble mineral product having more than 72 different minerals.
For those interested in learning more about minerals and their role in producing health, go to www.milkandhoneyhealthfoods.com/nutrition-101 and navigate to Minerals, Macro Minerals, Micro Minerals.