Are You Vitamin Rich, But Mineral Poor?

There was a time when simply eating a healthy diet and avoiding all “the bad stuff” ensured that we got all the minerals needed to stay healthy - research today shows that this may no longer be the case as the nutrient content of our food is on the decline.

Soil is the primary source of minerals on which every living cell depends for its structure and function. Vitamins, enzymes, amino acids (protein) and a host of other biologically active substances are essential for our bodies to function properly. They virtually all include minerals as an integral part of their chemical structure. Dr Linus Pauling, twice Nobel Prize winner, said “you can trace every sickness, every disease and every ailment to a mineral deficiency”. Yet, all over the world, minerals are disappearing from agricultural soils at an alarming rate. In 1992, the official report of the Rio Earth Summit concluded “there is deep concern over continuing major declines in the mineral values in farm and range soils throughout the world”. This statement was based on data showing that over the last 100 years, average mineral levels in agricultural soils had fallen worldwide – by 72% in Europe, 76% in Asia and 85% in North America. What has caused this staggering decline?

The combined effect of soil mineral depletion and the reduced availability of those minerals that remain is that most of the food that we eat is mineral deficient. This table summarizes the reductions in the average mineral content of 27 vegetables and 17 fruits, between 1940 and 1991. The results of the latest research are expected to show mineral values in continual decline.

Minerals are needed for the proper formation of blood and bone, the maintenance of healthy nerve function, heartbeat regulation, reproduction and fetal development. They are essential to the process of growth, healing and energy release. And, it is not just the presence of minerals in the body that is important – they must be in the correct ratio to each other. The level of each mineral has an effect, directly or indirectly, on every other, so if one is out of kilter the whole system is affected. For example, magnesium is required for 300 enzyme reactions and zinc for 200. 

Minerals are an essential part of our natural diet and a lack of them may in part account for our increasing susceptibility to the “diseases of civilization” – such as heart disease (magnesium), cancer (selenium), diabetes (chromium) and mental illnesses (zinc).

The truth is… for most people, the best way to get the 90 essential nutrients into a daily diet is through supplementation.  This can reestablish the nutritional foundation that is missing in most of us.  Chances are that within 90 days the body will swing back into balance and begin moving toward health.

If you need help or assistance finding a high quality mineral supplement, please ask a member of our staff!

Speak up and educate others,

Dr. Craig Burns