Minerals are so very important to keeping us on the healthy side of life. Sometimes it does not present itself until it is too late, or until a visit to the doctor with your yearly blood tests, and these are a necessary yearly event to find this out. If you are mineral deficient for a long period of time it is possible to develop certain diseases because of a deficiency.

As we all know, there is a disease called Scurvy that is a deficiency of the Vitamin C. There is another well-known deficiency called anemia which is a deficiency of iron. pellagra is another deficiency disease and this is a lack of the B Vitamin B3, which is called niacin. The symptoms of this are dementia, diarrhea, dermatitis, and death.

These are just a few of what we have found to date, but we are finding more and more with time.

Iron is traditionally, but not well-known, as helpful in the fight against pain.

Iron in biology is known as heme. It is a known component of hundreds of biological processes involved in metabolism, enzymes, and proteins in the body.

Biological iron is called heme because it is a component of hemoglobin, as well as myoglobin. These compounds are extremely necessary for transporting oxygen throughout your body.

Food sources of Iron are: heme sources: liverwurst (of course), cooked beef, cooked poultry, clams, pork liver, lamb kidney, cooked oysters, octopus, mussels, and fish...and non-heme sources:broccoli, kale, Asian greens, falafel, raw yellow beans, candied ginger root, dates, raisins, dried apricots, hazelnuts, peaches, pumpkins, prunes, whole grains, pears, kidney beans, lentils, lima beans, kelp, beets, almonds, blackstrap molasses, dulse, eggs, black-eyed peas, leaf vegetables, chickpeas, tofu, and spirulina.

The heme sources are more bioavailable for us to eat, but the non-heme sources can give us more iron if eaten with heme source foods like the beef and poultry.

Non-heme food sources can also give us more iron if eaten with vitamin C or lactic, malic, tartaric, and citric acids. Malic acid is found in apples. Citric acid is found in citrus fruits. Lactic acid is found in dairy foods. Tartaric acid is found in wines.

Food sources that inhibit the absorption of non-heme iron are phytic acids, which you can find in beans, rice and grains, polyphenols, which are in tea, wine, coffee, spices, and some fruits and veggies, and then also soy protein, like in tofu.

You can get more of this mineral from your diet by cooking in an iron skillet all the time.

A deficiency of iron can be caused by too much phosphorous. Most people do not read what is in the foods that they eat but if you look, you can read on the side of a soda can that it contains phosphorous.

You can make yourself anemic by drinking too much soda. The phosphorous can take the iron with it as you excrete it and then you will not have enough of this important mineral in your blood. This will cause your body's regulating system for your blood to take it from your bones, because it is much more important on a minute by minute level to have the correct composition of your blood than your bones.

Vegetarians should consume mostly kale, broccoli, and some Asian greens, because they will be better sources of non-heme iron.

Copper is also necessary for the proper metabolism of iron.

Some deficiencies of Iron are: called sideropenia...and sometimes hypoferremia...and can be restless leg syndrome, pica (which is a desire to eat nonfoods like dirt), fatigue (of course), weakness, heart palpitations, hair loss, paleness, dizziness, irritability, impaired immune function, grooved nails, and twitches.

If you are anemic, then you are also copper deficient.

People with even a slight deficiency of iron need to take a supplement to correct this problem, so that you do not become anemic.

There is also toxicity of iron which is called Hemochromatosis. This is a genetic disease and can be inherited.

Copper is a mineral that has been known to keep us from getting cancer, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, and also to protect us from free radicals.

Elastin is a skin protein that requires copper to balance itself with vitamin C and zinc to form this protein.

It has been shown to be necessary in the process of healing, the color our hair and the color of our skin, as well as the production of energy.

It is required for the formation of red blood cells, as well as hemoglobin and it is necessary for the formation of bone.

It is an essential mineral and it is involved in many enzyme reactions inside the body.

This mineral is a vital part of the necessary antioxidant called superoxide dismutase, and is essential to the proper functioning of the immune system.

Copper has been known to protect your nerve fiber, and to aid in protecting you from parasites.

Your brain contains the highest amount of the copper in your body, and next is the liver.

The proper amount of nutritional copper has traditionally helped to overcome such things as chronic inflammation, cancer, arthritis, gray hair, joint dysfunctions like rheumatism, arthritis, and bursitis.

Food sources of Copper are: broccoli, beans, Salmon, green leafy vegetables, mushrooms, oranges, garlic, soybeans, radishes, barley, beets, oats, lentils, liver, seafood, raisins, and pecans.

Better food sources are: green olives, wheat bran, avocado, sunflower seeds, nuts, and lobster.

Great food sources are: Brazil nuts, black pepper, cocoa, blackstrap molasses, beef liver, lamb liver, and oysters.

Do not eat foods with egg protein or milk protein at the same time you are eating foods that contain this important mineral, because these two foods block the absorption of copper.

Some deficiencies of Copper are: high triglycerides, fatty liver disease, not enough melanin synthesis therefore sunburn, a disease called NASH which is non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, and poor dopamine synthesis therefore depression.

Hemoglobin production is slowed when there is not enough copper, because it is required in the procedure.

There is also a disease called Wilson’s Disease. This is when there is too much copper storing in the tissues of the body.

Silicon is a mineral that is necessary for your bone formation, especially in the beginning stages of formation.

There are just a few things that are necessary for the body to make new cells of collagen for its biggest organ, which is the skin. These are Vitamin C, water, and silicon. It is a necessity for hair, skin, and nails. It also helps maintain the good health of your arteries. It has been shown to help with the prevention of Alzheimers Disease because of its ability to counteract the debilitating effects that aluminum has on the body. You need to eat foods that give you good health.

Food sources of Silicon are: the skin of the cucumber, kelp, oats, nettles, bell peppers, pomegranates, marjoram, strawberries, avocado, nopal cactus, celery, cauliflower, horsetail grass, New Zealand spinach, radishes, figs, nuts, sunflower seeds, flax seeds, alfalfa, whole grains, sesame seeds, brown rice, rice bran, and soybeans (which you should not eat soy unless it is fermented like soy sauce).

Some deficiencies of Silicon are: many, and schizophrenia, and even neurosis, have been known to be related to a deficiency of silicon. Some deficiencies have been known to be contributors to atherosclerosis, high blood pressure, osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, and other diseases that are associated with the aging process.

There are even cases where patients with a deficiency of silicon have had a desire for drugs and tobacco, and have been sensitive to noise, bug bites, emotions, loud conversations, and bleeding.

As these minerals are also quite necessary for your good health, I reiterate that an annual blood test from your doctor will keep you in good working health and will show any problems that you might have with a deficiency.

We now turn to two more important minerals you are a little more familiar with. We head to potassium, which is something your heart absolutely cannot survive without, and then manganese.