Minerals Needed for Good Health

Living a healthy life is a major challenge in our lives today. In spite of if all the hype about a healthy diet, exercise and numerous supplements, good health in the true sense of the word still remains a cause of concern for all of us. All attempts to rid our bodies of diseases result either in partial success or in some other side effects. Every time the concept of a healthy mind in a healthy body evades us. To understand why this happens we must have an idea of what constitutes the human body and how it functions.

The human system requires various nutrients and micronutrients to function in an optimal manner. One of these micro-nutrients is minerals which are vital to the proper functioning of the body. Minerals are needed to maintain the delicate cellular fluid balance, to form bone and blood cells, to provide for electrochemical nerve activity, and to regulate muscle tone and activity (including organ muscles like the heart, stomach, liver, etc.). Any imbalance in minerals causes a malfunction which in scientific terminology is called disease. Here it is important to note that while our body is capable of synthesizing several essential compounds on its own, it is not capable of synthesizing its own minerals. These minerals have therefore to be supplied through the diet. But the unhealthy modern lifestyles and depleted foods are unable to provide sufficient supply of these minerals. In case of processed foods which are so much in vogue these days the processing leaches out the minerals required by our bodies thus necessitating supplementation. A normal diet does not contain the recommended daily dose (RDA) of most minerals and this makes supplementation crucial.

Research shows that an inadequate supply of minerals leads to a variety of diseases including depression, low back pain, arthritis, poor digestion and cardiovascular disease. Not surprisingly these studies also relate mineral deficiency to inadequate diet----foods which are nutrient-poor, highly processed foods including white flour, refined sugar and harmful fats. Thus we see that minerals are exogenously sourced micronutrients crucial to the smooth execution of innumerable functions within the human body. These essential atomic particles are integral to maintaining tissues, producing energy, synthesizing hormones and repairing cellular damage. Minerals also commonly partner with enzymes