Eat with understanding
Minerals
14 stories
- CalciumWhat counts is how much calcium the body actually absorbs. Oxalate and phytate lock calcium into insoluble salts that pass straight through: spinach…Minerals · Minerals5 stations
- MagnesiumA magnesium ion sits at the center of chlorophyll, so green leaves always carry some; by weight, pumpkin seeds and nuts are the richest. Refining…Minerals · Minerals6 stations
- Potassium & SodiumPotassium stays inside cells and sodium outside, and that difference is the electrical charge nerves fire and muscles contract with. The…Minerals · Minerals6 stations
- PhosphorusPhosphorus's most central role is as the backbone of ATP, the energy currency: the molecule cells use to store and move energy is built from phosphate…Minerals · Minerals5 stations
- IronHeme iron from meat and fish is taken in with its porphyrin ring and is little affected by the rest of the meal. Non-heme iron from plants must first…Minerals · Minerals8 stations
- ZincZinc in animal foods is mostly bound to protein and is released and absorbed easily; zinc in plant foods is held by phytate, and much less gets in. So…Minerals · Minerals6 stations
- CopperCopper is the metal core of several enzymes.Minerals · Minerals5 stations
- ManganeseManganese is among the nutrients you least need to manage on purpose.Minerals · Minerals5 stations
- ChromiumChromium is a trace element the body needs in tiny amounts.Minerals · Minerals5 stations
- MolybdenumMolybdenum never works on its own; it is the metal set inside an enzyme.Minerals · Minerals5 stations
- FluorideFluoride does most of its work on the surface of the teeth: it makes the outermost layer, the enamel, more resistant to acid, so decay has a harder…Minerals · Minerals5 stations
- SeleniumThe selenium in plants follows the soil, so the same grain from another region can differ a lot. Animals keep their selenium fairly steady, so people…Minerals · Minerals5 stations
- IodineIodine is the raw material for thyroid hormone, and you can neither do without it nor overdo it. It is concentrated in the ocean and scarce in inland…Minerals · Minerals5 stations
- Testing for Deficiency · why blood numbers aren't your storesWhen the calcium line on your health-check report reads normal, it tells you almost nothing about whether your bones have enough calcium.Minerals · Minerals7 stations