Vitamins, shove over. Actually, leave the room for a bit – we want to give someone else a chance to shine.
Minerals might be less of a focus for health food marketing, but that doesn’t mean you should neglect them. While vitamins are organic substances, minerals are chemical elements (hey, oxygen is one!) essential to your body’s basic biological functions. And you need both to thrive.
Thankfully, dietary minerals are ridiculously abundant in fresh fruit and veg, meat, eggs, dairy, grains, nuts and legumes. In other words, real food! But do you know your magnesium from your potassium? Here’s a guide.
Calcium.
It does a body good. Calcium is essential for strong bones and teeth, a well as normal blood clotting and heartbeat. You can find it in dairy products, bony fish, eggs and a number of vegan sources.
Copper.
Yeah, it’s not just making your decor look fancy. Copper is needed for forming blood cells and metabolising glucose and cholesterol, and it’s an antioxidant. Get it from mushrooms, greens and nuts.
Iodine.
If you don’t have this in your diet, your thyroid is going to suffer (ahoy, slow metabolism). Sea veggies are a great source… and who ever needed an excuse to eat sushi?
Iron.
Feeling less like Iron Man and more like Tony Stark? Iron deficiency can lead to fatigue, poor concentration and all-round ickiness. Load up on red meat, fish and vegetarian sources like spinach.
Magnesium.
Low magnesium can leave you with cramps, insomnia and fluctuating blood sugar levels. Go for nuts, green veggies, tomatoes and good quality dark chocolate (YES!) to top up.
Manganese.
Manganese is a co-factor in many of the functions going on in your body. You can easily boost your levels by eating brown rice, spelt, rye and tempeh.
Phosphorus.
Phosphorus is needed for strong bones, teeth and cell membranes – so, um, everything? Meat, dairy and grains all contain this glowing element.
Potassium.
This is a way better electrolyte than Gatorade. And contrary to popular belief, the richest source isn’t bananas – go for white beans, leafy greens and baked potatoes with the skin on.
Selenium.
We only need a very small amount of selenium – you can get your entire daily intake in two Brazil nuts. It’s an antioxidant and plays a key role in the function of your thyroid.
Sodium.
We don’t think you need telling how to eat salt! The stuff in the shakers is needed for fluid balance in your body (don’t let any diet tell you to cut it out completely).
Zinc.
It’s not just the fluoro stuff you painted on at swimming carnivals. Zinc helps your immune system to do its job, as well as heal wounds – it’s found in oysters, red meat and pumpkin seeds.
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