Why Are Minerals Important?
Minerals aren’t optional.
They’re called ‘essential’ nutrients because they’re actually essential for correct functioning of the body.
Building Blocks of the Body
Sometimes people say that cells are the building blocks of the body, but it would be much more accurate to say that minerals are. The molecules that form cells are literally made from minerals. Not only are we made of minerals, but minerals are required for the millions of chemical reactions that
happen in our bodies everyday – reactions that create movement, sensation, digestion, etc. So if you don’t eat enough minerals, you can’t build your cells properly and your basic bodily functions will be affected.
Mineral Deficiency Often Goes Unnoticed
Sometimes people assume that if minerals are so important they would notice immediately if they weren’t eating enough. But our bodies are incredibly clever, and when minerals are not available, they will find substitutes to keep things ticking over in the hope that the right minerals will eventually turn up. This is called the Biological Replacement of Elements Theory (Dr Henry A Schroeder), and occurs due to ionic mimicry – the fact that other elements look chemically similar to essential minerals.
This means that your body will use other elements, like heavy metals, to plug the gap temporarily. At first it might sound odd that the body would deliberately use toxic metals, but if the choice is between ceasing to function, i.e. cell death, and continuing to function with side effects, the body’s choice is survival at all costs. The body is very good at coping with adversity, and the result is that you may go years, until your body is quite depleted, before you notice the effects as poor sleep, fatigue, annoying symptoms, or outright disease.
How to Address Mineral Deficiency
So how can you reverse this process of BRET, replenish body stores of minerals, and eliminate the toxic metals that have been propping you up? By consistently providing the right essential minerals in your diet over time. You can accomplish this through a mineral rich diet (lots of vegetables, adequate amounts of red meat, beans, and whole grains) combined with carefully selected supplements.
Once the right minerals are available, your body will swap out the toxic metals and replace them with the correct nutrients. This is true detox.
