Minerals are inorganic substances that your body needs for a variety of functions. Your bones and teeth, for instance, need minerals like calcium and phosphorus in order to grow and stay strong. Minerals are also essential components of body fluids and tissues. Without iron, your body won’t be able to create hemoglobin, the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen from the lungs to other organs and tissues. Every cell in your body requires oxygen to function. [1]
Minerals can’t be produced by the human body. Therefore, you need to get minerals from the foods that you eat. Fortunately, plants are very good at absorbing minerals from the soil. [2] You can get generous amounts of minerals by eating a variety of fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes and other plant-based foods. Another great way to increase your mineral intake is to supplement with mineral supplements when you don’t consume enough of them through your daily food intake.
Minerals you should take daily
All minerals play important roles inside your body. While some minerals are only required in small amounts (microminerals or trace minerals), others are needed in large quantities (macrominerals). A balanced diet should provide generous amounts of macrominerals, with smaller quantities of microminerals. [3]
Here are the macrominerals you should be getting from your diet every day:
- Sodium
Sodium plays many key roles in your body. For starters, it helps maintain normal fluid levels outside of cells. As an electrically charged mineral (electrolyte), sodium also helps regulate the movement of molecules in and out of cells. In fact, sodium is essential for the transmission of nerve impulses throughout your body as well as the normal contraction of your heart and other muscles. Sodium is also essential for nutrient absorption in the intestine and nutrient reabsorption in the kidneys. [4]
Unlike other minerals, sodium absorption in the small intestine is extremely efficient, and any excess is excreted by the kidneys. However, your kidneys also actively reabsorb sodium as part of their normal physiological function. This is why you only need to get a very small amount of sodium from your diet. Whatever benefits sodium offers are negated when there’s too much of it in your bloodstream.
- Chloride
Chloride is one of the most important electrolytes in your blood. This negatively charged ion works with other electrolytes, such as sodium and potassium, to help regulate the volume of fluids in your body and maintain the blood’s acid-base balance. Your blood needs the right amount of acidic and basic (alkaline) compounds to function properly. Even the slightest change to your blood’s acid-base balance can have significant effects on your vital organs. [5]
Chloride concentrations in your body typically mirror those of sodium, increasing and decreasing for the same reasons and in direct relation to sodium. That’s because most of the chloride in your body comes from the salt that you eat, which is made up of sodium and chloride ions. Chloride is absorbed in your intestine when you digest food, and any excess is removed from the body through your urine.
- Potassium
Potassium is essential for the normal functioning of your cells. It supports healthy heart function, ensures the proper functioning of your muscles and nerves, and is necessary for the synthesis of protein and the metabolism of carbohydrates. Potassium also helps transport nutrients into cells and waste products out of cells. As sodium’s counterpart, potassium helps maintain normal fluid balance inside and outside cells and supports healthy blood pressure levels already within the normal range. [6]
Additionally, potassium helps blunt the negative effects of excess sodium on blood pressure by causing the kidneys to excrete more sodium in urine and helping blood vessels relax. When your cells pump out sodium to release excess water, they, in turn, accept potassium from outside to maintain the correct sodium to potassium ratio. [7]
- Calcium
Calcium is best-known for supporting strong bones and teeth, but almost every cell in your body uses calcium in some way. For instance, your muscles need calcium to contract, while your nerves need calcium to carry messages between your brain and other body parts. Calcium is also needed by your blood vessels for proper blood circulation. Additionally, calcium is involved in the production of hormones and enzymes that aid in key bodily functions. [8]
- Phosphorus
Phosphorus is a mineral found in your bones. It is just as important as calcium when it comes to supporting healthy bones and teeth. Phosphorus also plays an important role in how your body uses carbohydrates and fats, and helps in the production of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the primary carrier of energy in cells. Additionally, phosphorus helps activate many enzymes and B vitamins by binding to them. [9]
- Magnesium
Magnesium is involved in more than 300 different chemical reactions in your body. Your muscles need this mineral to contract, while your nerves need it to send and receive messages. Your heart also needs magnesium to beat steadily. Magnesium works closely with calcium and phosphorus to support healthy bones and teeth. Additionally, your body uses magnesium to produce energy, synthesize proteins and DNA, and maintain healthy blood sugar and blood pressure levels already within normal range. [10]
- Sulfur
Sulfur is a major constituent of two important amino acids, namely, methionine and cysteine. Methionine is an essential amino acid, meaning you need to get it through your diet. Methionine plays a critical role in the synthesis of new proteins inside your cells, a process that continuously occurs as older proteins are broken down. [11]
Methionine, a minor constituent of fats, bodily fluids and bones, is also involved in the production of cysteine, another sulfur-containing amino acid that your body needs to make proteins. Cysteine is also important for the synthesis of glutathione. Also known as the “master antioxidant,” glutathione is a powerful antioxidant that protects your cells from highly reactive molecules called free radicals.
Although you don’t need large amounts of microminerals, they’re just as important as macrominerals since they're also involved in many bodily functions. Here’s a quick look at microminerals and the roles they play inside your body: [12]
- Zinc – Zinc serves as a catalyst for a wide range of biochemical reactions inside your body. It is essential for cell growth and division, tissue repair and reproductive development. Zinc is also involved in the metabolism of protein, lipids and carbohydrates.
- Iodine – Iodine is a key component of the thyroid hormones, thyroxine and triiodothyronine. These hormones are key regulators of metabolism and are important for physical and mental development.
- Selenium – Selenium is a key component of crucial antioxidant enzymes, such as glutathione peroxidase. It helps protect healthy cells from damaging free radicals and supports optimal thyroid function. [13]
- Copper – Copper, the third most abundant dietary trace mineral after iron and zinc, is needed for the production of red and white blood cells. The body also needs copper to utilize iron efficiently.
- Manganese – Manganese is necessary for healthy bone formation and energy metabolism. It is also a constituent of an antioxidant enzyme that helps protect cells from oxidative stress.
- Chromium – Chromium works closely with insulin – the hormone that enables cells to absorb glucose from the blood – to support healthy blood sugar levels. Chromium is also involved in the metabolism of carbohydrates, fats and proteins.
- Molybdenum – In the body, molybdenum is converted into molybdenum cofactor, which activates four important enzymes. These enzymes help the body process proteins and genetic material like DNA, as well as break down toxic substances like alcohol. [15]
How to boost your daily mineral intake
Macrominerals and microminerals can be found in a variety of plant-based foods. In an ideal world, a diet rich in these foods would allow you to easily meet your daily mineral requirements. But due to commercial agricultural practices, which deplete the soil of its nutrient content, you can’t rely on just plant-based foods to get all the essential minerals that you need.
Over the years, the use of synthetic fertilizers has increased exponentially alongside industrial crop production. Some studies have found that the application of such fertilizers decreases the number of beneficial organisms in the soil. [16] Soil organisms, both large (e.g., earthworms) and small (e.g., bacteria), are important for soil health because they perform valuable functions, such as aerating the soil and making nutrients available for plants.
Monocropping, the conventional practice of growing the same crop on the same plot of land year after year, also severely depletes the soil of nutrients and reduces organic matter. Other agricultural practices, such as heavy irrigation and intensive tillage, are also detrimental to soil health and have contributed to soil erosion in many places. [17] Since plants get their nutrients from the soil, conventionally grown crops are less nutritious than organically grown ones.
Unfortunately, most of the fruits and vegetables sold in grocery stores today are conventionally grown. More and more people are also gravitating toward processed foods due to the convenience they offer. However, processed foods are generally inferior to whole foods because they are deficient in nutrients and chock-full of unhealthy ingredients like artificial coloring, added sugar and other chemical additives. [18]
Because of the prevalence of conventionally grown produce and processed foods, it’s hardly surprising that many Americans suffer from various macromineral and micromineral deficiencies. In fact, a recent report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that nearly 10% of the U.S. population is deficient in many essential nutrients, including minerals like iron, iodine, calcium, magnesium, potassium and copper. [19]
Aside from improving your diet by eating only certified organic produce, you can ensure that you meet your daily mineral requirements by taking mineral supplements. Health Ranger Select Concentrated Mineral Drops are a premium mineral-rich formula that you can easily add to your drinking water, juice or smoothie to provide your body with essential minerals that you may be lacking.
Derived from Utah’s pristine Great Salt Lake, Health Ranger Select Concentrated Mineral Drops can make it easy for you to get a pure, concentrated dose of essential minerals every day. Our premium mineral drop formula can also help replenish electrolytes that are naturally lost through perspiration and other bodily functions.*
In order to retain each mineral’s ionic properties, Health Ranger Select Concentrated Mineral Drops are naturally concentrated using just sunshine and a natural evaporation process. You can be sure that our premium mineral drop formula has not been exposed to artificial heat or any destructive processing.
Health Ranger Select Concentrated Mineral Drops contain no GMOs, gluten or any artificial ingredients or chemicals. Our premium mineral drop formula is also non-irradiated, non-China and is certified Kosher and Halal by our vendor. It is also meticulously lab tested for glyphosate, heavy metals and microbiology in our ISO-accredited laboratory.
Support your overall health and well-being with one of the cleanest concentrated mineral drop formulas on the market!
*These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. This product is not intended to treat, cure or diagnose any diseases.
References
[3] https://www.uofmhealth.org
[4] https://med.libretexts.org
[5] https://www.healthline.com
[7] https://healthyeating.sfgate.com
[11] https://www.healthline.com
[12] https://www.nutrition.org.uk
[14] https://www.scientificamerican.com
[15] https://www.healthline.com
[16] https://medium.com
[18] https://www.hsph.harvard.edu
[19] https://www.usatoday.com
