BALANCED DIET
Last week we informed you about which foods you can get your vitamins from. This week we are going to talk about the other important things that you need to get into your bodies in order for your bodies to function optimally. I am specifically talking about the minerals that our bodies require. Minerals are also important for the proper functioning of the human body. Without them, disease begins, and can eventually lead even to death.
The minerals that we hear about the most often are iron and calcium, but there are so many more that the body needs. Each one of them is imperative for the proper functioning of the organs. Some of them are needed in greater quantities than the others. For example, calcium is needed in far greater amounts than iron. But each of these minerals is extremely important, and without them we wouldn’t be alive. Thus, we have what are called “macro minerals”, which are the kinds of minerals that are needed in great amounts by the body, and “micro minerals”, which are also very important, but only needed in very small amounts.
FunctionMacro Minerals: The macro minerals that are imperative for the optimal function of our bodies are: calcium (this is particularly important for people suffering from diseases like osteoporosis, who need far more calcium than others) for strong teeth and bones, functioning muscles and nerves, helps to keep the balance of fluids in the body, and helps with proper blood clotting. Chloride, an electrolyte which helps the body to utilize the digestive system properly, control the carbon dioxide in our body (breathing system), helps regulate the balance of fluids in the body, and keeps the liver and joints healthy. Magnesium, for the proper functioning of the nerves and muscles in the body, helps in the forming of teeth and bones, helps in the processing of food energy, helps to control the temperature of the body, controls the blood pressure, strengthens the immune system, and general heart health.
Phosphorus, for the metabolism of protein, fat, and carbohydrate, helps to regulate chemical balance in the body, helps with the functioning of the nerves, and the proper function of the liver and kidneys. Potassium, which helps to keep the blood pressure regular, helps to maintain nerve and muscle function (including the heart), helps to control the balance of fluids in the body, and helps in kidney function. Sodium, for the proper functioning of the nerves and muscles, keeps the fluid in the body balanced, helps to control the blood pressure, helps int he transport of nutrients to the cells. Sulphur is important for general metabolism and the functioning of the nervous system, it helps in the formation of bodily organs such as hair, nails, cartilage, and other tissue, and helps in the detoxification of the body, in general.
RecommendThese are the minerals that we need more of. And in certain cases may even need to take supplements, although I don’t recommend supplements at all, preferring dietary intake of all vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients. So, eat up of the foods that contain these minerals, because they are imperative for our health.
Micro Minerals: The micro minerals that we need are also imperative for the optimal functioning of our bodies, but are needed only in trace amounts. Minerals like: boron, chromium, cobalt, copper, fluorine, iodine, iron, manganese, molybdenum, selenium, and zinc are included in this important list. While just enough of these minerals is good, too much can mean problems, so we don’t want to get too much of a good thing. We can get both macro and micro minerals from the following foods: milk, cheese, yogurt, and other dairy, meats, poultry, seafood (even the bones we eat in some kinds of fish, like sardines, anchovies, salmon, etc), vegetables, especially dark green leafy ones, like romaine lettuce, broccoli, kale and others, nuts and seeds, fruits, dried fruit (like dates, raisins and apricots, which are all abundant here in Kuwait), eggs, whole grains (like wheat, brown rice, oats, etc), beans, lentils, and other pulses or legumes, and much more. Basically, if the food item hasn’t been processed, added to, or changed, (other than cooking it, or adding other whole natural foods to it), you should be able to benefit from it.
All of the minerals and trace minerals mentioned above can be found in basically all of the whole, natural foods that we eat, and if you eat a very balanced diet you should have no trouble in getting all of the minerals that you need. In fact, we get too many of some of them, like sodium, for example. When we get too many minerals in our bodies we might get other problems so we need to take care that our diets are well balanced. So, eat fresh, whole foods, and eat well, to make sure that you are getting all of the important minerals that we need every day.
Last week we informed you about which foods you can get your vitamins from. This week we are going to talk about the other important things that you need to get into your bodies in order for your bodies to function optimally. I am specifically talking about the minerals that our bodies require. Minerals are also important for the proper functioning of the human body. Without them, disease begins, and can eventually lead even to death.
The minerals that we hear about the most often are iron and calcium, but there are so many more that the body needs. Each one of them is imperative for the proper functioning of the organs. Some of them are needed in greater quantities than the others. For example, calcium is needed in far greater amounts than iron. But each of these minerals is extremely important, and without them we wouldn’t be alive. Thus, we have what are called “macro minerals”, which are the kinds of minerals that are needed in great amounts by the body, and “micro minerals”, which are also very important, but only needed in very small amounts.
FunctionMacro Minerals: The macro minerals that are imperative for the optimal function of our bodies are: calcium (this is particularly important for people suffering from diseases like osteoporosis, who need far more calcium than others) for strong teeth and bones, functioning muscles and nerves, helps to keep the balance of fluids in the body, and helps with proper blood clotting. Chloride, an electrolyte which helps the body to utilize the digestive system properly, control the carbon dioxide in our body (breathing system), helps regulate the balance of fluids in the body, and keeps the liver and joints healthy. Magnesium, for the proper functioning of the nerves and muscles in the body, helps in the forming of teeth and bones, helps in the processing of food energy, helps to control the temperature of the body, controls the blood pressure, strengthens the immune system, and general heart health.
Phosphorus, for the metabolism of protein, fat, and carbohydrate, helps to regulate chemical balance in the body, helps with the functioning of the nerves, and the proper function of the liver and kidneys. Potassium, which helps to keep the blood pressure regular, helps to maintain nerve and muscle function (including the heart), helps to control the balance of fluids in the body, and helps in kidney function. Sodium, for the proper functioning of the nerves and muscles, keeps the fluid in the body balanced, helps to control the blood pressure, helps int he transport of nutrients to the cells. Sulphur is important for general metabolism and the functioning of the nervous system, it helps in the formation of bodily organs such as hair, nails, cartilage, and other tissue, and helps in the detoxification of the body, in general.
RecommendThese are the minerals that we need more of. And in certain cases may even need to take supplements, although I don’t recommend supplements at all, preferring dietary intake of all vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients. So, eat up of the foods that contain these minerals, because they are imperative for our health.
Micro Minerals: The micro minerals that we need are also imperative for the optimal functioning of our bodies, but are needed only in trace amounts. Minerals like: boron, chromium, cobalt, copper, fluorine, iodine, iron, manganese, molybdenum, selenium, and zinc are included in this important list. While just enough of these minerals is good, too much can mean problems, so we don’t want to get too much of a good thing. We can get both macro and micro minerals from the following foods: milk, cheese, yogurt, and other dairy, meats, poultry, seafood (even the bones we eat in some kinds of fish, like sardines, anchovies, salmon, etc), vegetables, especially dark green leafy ones, like romaine lettuce, broccoli, kale and others, nuts and seeds, fruits, dried fruit (like dates, raisins and apricots, which are all abundant here in Kuwait), eggs, whole grains (like wheat, brown rice, oats, etc), beans, lentils, and other pulses or legumes, and much more. Basically, if the food item hasn’t been processed, added to, or changed, (other than cooking it, or adding other whole natural foods to it), you should be able to benefit from it.
All of the minerals and trace minerals mentioned above can be found in basically all of the whole, natural foods that we eat, and if you eat a very balanced diet you should have no trouble in getting all of the minerals that you need. In fact, we get too many of some of them, like sodium, for example. When we get too many minerals in our bodies we might get other problems so we need to take care that our diets are well balanced. So, eat fresh, whole foods, and eat well, to make sure that you are getting all of the important minerals that we need every day.
No comments:
Post a Comment