‘The art of healing comes from nature, not from the physician. Therefore the physician must start from nature, with an open mind.” Paracelsus

Our body is made up of 5 elements. These are space, air, water, earth, and fire. Minerals in the body come with the Earth element. Minerals are inorganic substances required by the body in small amounts for a variety of functions. These include the formation of bones and teeth; as essential constituents of body fluids and tissues; as components of enzyme systems and for normal nerve function.

Some minerals are needed in larger amounts than others, e.g. calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, sodium, potassium, and chloride. Others are required in smaller quantities and are sometimes called trace minerals, e.g. iron, zinc, iodine, fluoride, selenium and copper. Despite being required in smaller amounts, trace minerals are no less important than other minerals.

Minerals are often absorbed more efficiently by the body if supplied in foods rather than as supplements. Also, a diet that is short in one mineral may well be low in others, and so the first step in dealing with this is to review and improve the diet as a whole. Eating a varied diet will help ensure an adequate supply of most minerals for healthy people.

Mineral deficiency is important to address as many diseases are due to Vitamin and mineral deficiency. It can be cured with the adequate balancing of all vitamins and minerals.  Usually, we treat the symptoms and ignore the real cause. For example, in the book Unconventional Medicines by Chris Kresser: If someone goes to the doctor with high cholesterol, the doctor would prescribe cholesterol-lowering drugs. It is unlikely that they would investigate further why the cholesterol is high.

There could be several reasons the cholesterol could be high. These could be poor thyroid function, heavy metals like lead and mercury could lead to high cholesterol. Rather than finding the root cause, modem medicines just work to reduce cholesterol. More than dietary and lifestyle changes, the root cause analysis is critical to get rid of the chronic disease permanently.

Mineral deficiency is one such root causes of many diseases.

Types of Minerals

Essential minerals — that is, those necessary for human health — are classified into two equally important groups: major minerals and trace minerals.

The major minerals, which are used and stored in large quantities in the body, are calcium, chloride, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, and sulfur.

The trace minerals are just as vital to our health as the major minerals, but we don’t need large amounts. Minerals in this category include chromium, copper, fluoride, iodine, iron, manganese, molybdenum, selenium, and zinc.

The following important information Sourced from  HealthLink BC, is vital for everyone to know.

Major Minerals
Mineral	Function	Sources
Sodium	Needed for proper fluid balance, nerve transmission, and muscle contraction	Table salt, soy sauce; large amounts in processed foods; small amounts in milk, bread, vegetables.
Chloride	Needed for proper fluid balance, stomach acid	Table salt, soy sauce; large amounts in processed foods; small amounts in milk, bread, and vegetables
Potassium	Needed for proper fluid balance, nerve transmission, and muscle contraction	Milk, fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes
Calcium	Important for healthy bones and teeth; helps muscles relax and contract; important in nerve functioning, blood clotting, blood pressure regulation, immune system health	Milk and milk products; fortified tofu and fortified soy beverage; greens (broccoli, mustard greens); legumes
Phosphorus	Important for healthy bones and teeth; found in every cell; part of the system that maintains acid-base balance	Milk, processed foods (including soda pop)
Magnesium	Found in bones; needed for making protein, muscle contraction, nerve transmission, immune system health	Nuts and seeds; legumes; leafy, green vegetables; chocolate; artichokes; “hard” drinking water
Sulfur	Found in protein molecules	Occurs in foods as part of protein: milk, legumes, nuts

Trace Minerals (microminerals)

The body needs trace minerals in very small amounts.

Mineral	Function	Sources
Iron	Part of a molecule (hemoglobin) found in red blood cells that carries oxygen in the body; needed for energy metabolism	Legumes; dried fruits; dark, leafy greens; iron-enriched bread and cereals; and fortified cereals.
Zinc	Part of many enzymes; needed for making protein and genetic material; has a function in taste perception, wound healing, normal fetal development, production of sperm, normal growth and sexual maturation, immune system health	Leavened whole grains, vegetables
Iodine	Found in thyroid hormone, which helps regulate growth, development, and metabolism	Foods grown in iodine-rich soil, iodized salt, bread, dairy products
Selenium	Antioxidant	Grains
Copper	Part of many enzymes; needed for iron metabolism	Legumes, nuts and seeds, whole grains, organ meats, drinking water
Manganese	Part of many enzymes	Widespread in foods, especially plant foods
Fluoride	Involved in the formation of bones and teeth; helps prevent tooth decay	Drinking water (either fluoridated or naturally containing fluoride), and most teas
Chromium	Works closely with insulin to regulate blood sugar (glucose) levels	Whole grains, nuts, cheeses
Molybdenum	Part of some enzymes	Legumes; bread and grains; leafy greens; leafy, green vegetables; milk

Note: This blog does not propagate of recommending non-veg food, hence sources of all non-veg animal-based foods are removed from the sources.

British Nutrition Foundation recommends detailed nutrition requirements. Those who are interested to read more here is a link to chapter 8 Vitamins, Minerals, And Chronic Diseases

from the book Eat for Life: The Food and Nutrition Board’s Guide to Reducing Your Risk of Chronic Disease.

“Most allopathic doctors think practitioners of alternative medicine are all quacks. They’re not. Often they’re sharp people who think differently about the disease. ” Mehmet Oz

Keep checking your vitamin and mineral deficiency annually. Many of the chronic diseases can be cured when you bring these within a healthy range.

You may also like to read: 13 annual health screening tests once you turned 30