Essential Minerals
Essential minerals are vital nutrients that support key bodily functions such as building strong bones and teeth, maintaining proper nerve and muscle function, and regulating metabolism and hydration. They include major minerals like calcium, potassium, and magnesium, as well as trace minerals like iron and zinc. These minerals are crucial for overall health and must be obtained through a whole foods rich diet.
Calcium is known for its role in bone health; however, it does so much more than that. Along with bone health, it is crucial for your nervous, muscular, and cardiovascular systems, as well as hormone balance. It allows your muscles to contract properly, for signals to travel through your nerves correctly, and for your blood to clot as it should.
Types of Calcium: Calcium carbonate, calcium gluconate, calcium lactate, and calcium citrate. These are found in dietary supplements and can help prevent and treat deficiencies.
Food Sources:
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Animal Sources: Dairy products, such as milk, cheese, yogurt, and ice cream, as well as animal and fish products, including eggs, beef, pork, salmon, and other types of fish.
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Plant Sources: Flour, pasta, rice, and bread, as well as beans, lentils, broccoli, carrots, tomatoes, pineapples, and bananas.
Signs of Calcium Deficiency (hypocalcemia): Muscle cramping, dry skin, brittle nails, increased PMS symptoms, bone fractures, and hypertension.
​Signs of Calcium Toxicity (hypercalcemia): Nausea, vomiting, low appetite, constipation, increased thirst, increased urination, muscle weakness, muscle twitching, fatigue, confusion, and even depression.
Magnesium is essential for over 300+ enzymatic reactions in the body. It helps regulate other ions in your body, works with calcium to support your bones and muscles, and also aids in carbohydrate metabolism. Magnesium is a necessary electrolyte for everyone, especially those who are very physically active.
Types of Magnesium: Magnesium citrate, magnesium oxide, magnesium glycinate, magnesium sulfate, magnesium hydroxide, magnesium gluconate, magnesium chloride, and magnesium lactate. These can be found in dietary supplements to help prevent and treat deficiencies, and may also help lower anxiety levels to promote better sleep.
Food Sources:
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Animal Sources: Yogurt, milk, salmon, and chicken.
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Plant Sources: Seeds like pumpkin and flax, nuts like almonds, cashews, and Brazil nuts, carbohydrates like buckwheat, bread, potatoes, rice, beans, and greens like spinach, collard greens, and Swiss chard, as well as avocado, broccoli, dark chocolate, and raw cacao powder.
Signs of Magnesium Deficiency (hypomagnesemia): Weakness, tremors, facial twitching, depression, diarrhea, and vomiting
​Signs of Magnesium Toxicity (hypermagnesemia): Hypotension, muscle weakness, back pain, and confusion.
Potassium is one of the main electrolytes in your body. It and sodium work closely together to regulate your fluid balance, acid-base balance, muscle contractions in both your heart and skeletal muscles, and nerve impulses.
Types of Potassium: Potassium citrate, potassium chloride, potassium gluconate, and potassium phosphate.
Food Sources:
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Animal Sources: Dairy products like yogurt and milk, proteins like trout, bison, beef, pork, and lamb.
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Plant Sources: Fruit like bananas, grapefruit, cherries, cantaloupe, and vegetables like potatoes, squash, mushrooms, and avocados.
Signs of Potassium Deficiency (hypokalemia): Muscle twitches, arrhythmias, and brain fog.
​Signs of Potassium Toxicity (hyperkalemia): Cardiac arrhythmias.
We all know that salt is what you put in and on your food. What you may not know is that sodium plays a crucial role in many bodily functions. It works closely with potassium to regulate your water balance, acid-base balance, muscle contractions in skeletal and cardiac muscle, nerve impulses, and blood pressure regulation.
Types of Sodium: Sodium chloride, sodium glutamate, sodium bicarbonate, and sodium nitrate. These are found in your food and dietary supplements.
Food Sources:
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Main Sources: Celtic sea salt, Himalayan pink sea salt, and fleur de sel. These salts also contain calcium, potassium, magnesium, iron, and zinc.
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Animal Sources: Beef, seafood, bacon, butter, specifically salted butter, cheese, and milk
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Plant Sources: Fruits and vegetables like avocados, Brussels sprouts, cherries, grapes, and pickles.
Signs of Sodium Deficiency (hyponatremia): Disorientation, confusion, muscle weakness, and muscle cramps.
​Signs of Sodium Toxicity (hypernatremia): Increased thirst, appetite loss, urine output, and muscle twitches. ​
Phosphorus is an essential nutrient in the human body. You probably know that calcium plays a role in your bone health, but you probably didn’t know that phosphorus does as well. Phosphorus supports healthy cell growth and repair, as well as kidney function. It is found in hydroxyapatite, the primary component of bones and teeth. It is also involved in the structure of certain proteins and the energy production in your body, in the form of adenosine triphosphate (ATP).
Types of Phosphorus: Phytate, sodium phosphate, phosphatidylcholine, and phosphatidylserine.
Food Sources:
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Animal Sources: Yogurt, milk, salmon, cheese, and chicken.
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Plant Sources: Oatmeal and lentils
Signs of Phosphorus Deficiency (hypophosphatemia): Muscle pain, bone pain, muscle weakness, numbness, weak reflexes, confusion, and irritability.
​Signs of Phosphorus Toxicity (hyperphosphatemia): Muscle cramps, memory problems, arrhythmias, dry and brittle nails, dry skin, and coarser hair than usual.
You might be more familiar with the role of sodium chloride, as it is found in your table salt. Chloride, however, plays other roles in your body. It is essential for maintaining osmotic pressure, acid-base balance, muscle function, healthy sleep cycles, healthy digestion, brain function, and the production of hydrochloric acid.
Types of Chloride: Sodium Chloride, Potassium Chloride, and Calcium Chloride.
Food Sources:
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Animal Sources: There are no animal sources of chloride
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Plant Sources: Snacks include salted nuts, such as peanuts and almonds, as well as condiments like pickles, mustard, and ketchup, and seaweed.
Signs of Chloride Deficiency (Hypochloremia): Fatigue, weakness, muscle cramps, confusion, shortness of breath, headaches, irritability, and dizziness.
​Signs of Chloride Toxicity (Hyperchloremia): Muscle weakness, excessive thirst, fatigue, high blood pressure, and dry mouth.​​​
Iron is found in your blood and is crucial in the production of red blood cells, the transportation of oxygen, healthy muscle function, and the synthesis of neurotransmitters such as GABA and dopamine.
Types of Iron: Transferrin, Ferritin, Gastroferrin, Ferrous Iron (Fe2+), Ferric Iron (Fe3+), Heme Iron, Nonheme Iron, Ferrous Sulfate, and Ferrous Gluconate. Which can be found in food or dietary supplements.
Food Sources:
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Animals Sources: Iron is not only found in red meat but also crab, clams, lamb, shrimp, bison, and organ meats.
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Plant Sources: Sesame seeds, cashews, cereal, spinach, beets, mushrooms, leeks, potatoes, beans, sweet potatoes, and prune juice. ​
Signs of Iron Deficiency and Anemia: Fatigue, weakness, headaches, dizziness, irritability, cold hands and feet, rapid or irregular heartbeats, pale skin, brittle nails, and strange cravings like ice or dirt. Women, especially athletes, are more at risk of developing a deficiency.
Signs of Iron Toxicity and Hemochromatosis: Trouble breathing, low blood pressure, dehydration, fast and weak pulse, bloody stool, diarrhea, nausea, blue colored lips and fingernails, and pale skin. ​​​
You might’ve heard about zinc being an ingredient in sunscreen, but it is also an essential nutrient for the human body. It is important for the functioning of your immune system, wound healing, protein synthesis, cell growth, healthy skin function, and your sense of taste.
Types of Zinc: Zinc Sulfate, Zinc Acetate, and Zinc Gluconate. These can all be found in dietary supplements that help support your immune system and treat or prevent deficiencies.
Food Sources:
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Animal Sources: Beef sirloin, pork chops, cheddar cheese, and Greek yogurt
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Plant Sources: Pumpkin seeds, lentils, roasted peanuts, rice, whole wheat bread, and blueberries.
​Signs of Zinc Deficiency: Skin rashes, hair loss, delayed wound healing, diarrhea, loss of appetite, delayed growth, impaired cognitive development, frequent infections, loss of taste and smell.
​Signs of Zinc Toxicity: Muscle weakness, excessive thirst, fatigue, high blood pressure, and dry mouth.​​​
Copper works closely with iron to produce red blood cells. Copper is essential for hemoglobin production, iron absorption, sugar metabolism, estrogen production, and catecholamine biosynthesis.
Types of Copper: Cupric oxide, copper gluconate, and copper amino. These can all be found in dietary supplements.
Food Sources:
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Animal Sources: Beef liver, oysters, ground turkey, Greek yogurt, organ meats, and cow's milk.
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Plant Sources: unsweetened baking chocolate, potatoes, cashews, whole wheat pasta, avocado, spinach, apples, beans, and mushrooms.
​Signs of Copper Deficiency: Fatigue, weakness, memory problems, frequent sickness, and pale skin
*People with celiac disease, menkes disease, or taking high doses of zinc supplements are at a higher risk for copper deficiency because their body's ability to absorb copper is disrupted.*
​Signs of Copper Toxicity: fatigue, loss of appetite, abdominal pain, jaundice, muscle stiffness, impaired motor coordination, speech difficulties, abdominal cramps or pain, nausea, and diarrhea.
*People with Wilson’s disease, a genetic disease that causes an accumulation of copper in the body, are at higher risk for copper toxicity*
Selenium is another trace mineral essential for certain body functions. It is important for thyroid function, reproductive function, immunity, and antioxidant function.
Types of Selenium: Selenites, selenocysteine, and selenocysteine.
Food Sources:
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Animal Sources: Pork chops, seafood, organ meats, turkey, beef liver, ham, chicken, eggs, yogurt, and milk.
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Plant Sources: Brazil nuts, oatmeal, brown rice, bread, spinach, and pistachios.
​Signs of Selenium Deficiency: Nausea, vomiting, headaches, altered mental status, fatigue, and seizures.
​Signs of Selenium Toxicity: Metallic taste in mouth, nausea, diarrhea, hair loss, nail brittleness or discoloration, skin rash or lesion, skin flushing, fatigue, irritability, and muscle tenderness.