Minerals the Facts

ReviveGuides
Minerals
TheFacts

Revive
Health Care
What is Calcium?
Calcium is a mineral that's enormously useful to the body. It has many different
uses. Perhaps the most obvious of this is the construction of teeth and bone; of all
the calcium in your body, more than 99o/o resides in the skeletal system, where it
combines with phosphate and works in conjunction with soft collagen to provide
the sturdy, yet slightly flexible material that we rely so much upon.
A lifetime shortfall in calcium consumption can cause
many adults to develop osteoporosis in later life. In
children, a lack of calcium can cause the bones to
become soft, which can in turn lead to rickets. In order to
avoid this condition, it's recommended that children
receive a diet that's balanced, and contains sufficient
levels of calcium and also vitamin D.
Fortunately, calcium is available from a range of
different sources. It's found most abundantly in dairy
products like milks and cheeses, but you can also find
it in green, leafy vegetables like broccoli and cabbage.
Top Benefits
• Maintains healthy
bones and teeth
• Helps the blood to
clot properly
• Keeps the heartbeat
consistent
• Boosts athletic
performance
• Helps wounds to
heal quicker

Revive
Health Care
What is Chromium?
In helping insulin to properly do its job, it's thought that chromium thereby keeps
the digestive system efficient, and helps maintain the levels of glucose in the
bloodstream and their correct levels. There is therefore speculation that the
substance might help sufferers of type 2 diabetes. As insulin also plays a key role
in the workings of our metabolism and storage of fats, proteins, and
carbohydrates, chromium helps with all of these functions.
Chromium can be obtained from many different dietary
sources. You'll find it in meat and whole grains, as well
as in certain vegetables -most notably broccoli and
potatoes. Several herbs and spices are known to be rich
in chromium, such as black pepper and thyme.
We only need a tiny amount of chromium in our diet at
just 0.025mg. In fact, it's speculated that much of the
chromium we get into our diets comes not from the
food itself, but from the tins we store it in, and the pans
and pots we cook it in -which are made
overwhelmingly of chromium.
•
•
•
•
•
Top Benefits
Maintains glucose levels
Keeps digestive system
efficient
Help raise 'good
cholesterol' levels
Maintains normal
metabolism
Helps store fats &
proteins

Revive
Health Care
What is Copper?
Copper helps us to manufacture blood cells, both red and white, and help to
release iron and make the haemoglobin that carries oxygen from our lungs to
every cell in our bodies. Copper also helps with digestion - specifically, it allows us
to absorb iron from the food we eat. Copper is thought to be particularly important
for growing infants. It helps the brain and immune system to develop, and for the
bones to form strongly.
Due to its role in iron absorption, a deficiency of copper
can cause anaemia. Another possible side effect is
osteoporosis, a gradual softening of the bones typically
found in older people. It is often caused by a lack of
crucial dietary minerals such as copper which plays a
crucial role in constructing firm and healthy bones.
Copper is found in a wide variety of different foods. The
most potent sources are shellfish like oysters, but you'll
also find it in nuts, beans, potatoes, dried fruit, cocoa,
black pepper, yeast and organ meats like kidneys and
liver. Copper is also present in vegetables - specifically
the dark, leafy, green sort.
•
•
•
•
•
Top Benefits
Helps manufacture
blood cells
Aids in digestion
Helps to release iron
Develops brain &
immune system
Helps bones form
strong

Revive
Health Care
What is Iron?
Iron is needed to construct red blood cells. Red blood cells carry oxygen through
the bloodstream to other cells in the body. Due to cells all over the body requiring
oxygen, iron helps with wealth of bodily functions.
People who don't get enough iron aren't able to create
enough red blood-cells to transport oxygen around their
bodies. This is a condition known as iron-deficiency
anaemia, which will manifest as a lack of energy - you
might feel more tired than usual, and this effect will be
particularly apparent during exercise.
Fortunately, there are many different ways to get iron into
your diet. These include nuts, dried fruit, beans, whole
grains and red meat. You'll also find it added to speciallyfortified
breakfast cereals. Men need just under nine
grams daily of iron in order to maintain healthy body
function. For women, this amount should be slightly
higher in order to counteract the loss of blood cells
through menstruation. If you're prone to heavy periods,
then you might consider taking an iron supplement.
Top Benefits
• Body growth and
development
• Carries oxygen
• Vital for muscle
health
• Vital for brain
function
• Prevents symptoms
of anaemia

Revive
Health Care
What is Magnesium?
Magnesium is a mineral which is found abundantly
throughout the body. It helps the biochemical reactions
that synthesise new protein, build muscle and maintain
nerves to occur correctly. Magnesium helps us to produce
energy from the food we eat, and to build bone structures
and complex molecules like DNA and RNA, and
antioxidants like glutathione, which help protect our cells
against premature death. Magnesium also helps to draw
calcium and potassium from cell to cell, and thereby helps
to regulate muscle contraction.
•
•
•
•
•
Top Benefits
Build bone structures
Build muscle
Maintain nerves
Helps release calcium
Helps produce energy
Magnesium deficiency because of poor diet is very rare. Of all the magnesium we
eat, only around a third is absorbed by the body, with the remainder passing through
Magnesium can be found in a wide range of different foodstuffs. These include, fish,
meat and dairy - as well as in certain sorts of green, leafy vegetables, like spinach.
As a general rule, you'll find the substance in foods which are rich in dietary fibre,
like nuts, beans, legumes, whole grains, like brown rice, and in foods made from
wholegrains, like brown bread.

Revive
Health Care
What is Potassium?
Potassium is an electrolyte which, in the body, is found
almost exclusively in the cells. It plays a number of crucial
roles. It helps to regulate the fluid levels of your body,
thereby extending the lifespan of your cells. It helps to
manage blood pressure and preserve the function of the
heart. It helps to remove waste from the body, improves the
conductivity of the nerves, and helps to metabolise proteins,
fats and carbohydrates and convert them into energy.
Simply put, it's an indispensable resource for your body!
Those suffering from eating disorders like anorexia nervosa
might suffer from hypokalaemia as a result which can cause
weakness, tiredness and cramping in the legs and
abdomen as well as mental symptoms, like depression,
psychosis and hallucination.
•
•
•
•
Top Benefits
Manage blood pressure
Converts foods into
energy
Regulates fluid levels
Removes waste from
body
Improves nerves
conductivity
Perhaps most famously potassium-rich food is the banana, which is bursting with the
stuff, though it is also found it other forms of fruit, and in vegetables like broccoli,
potato, tomato and spinach. By weight, dried apricots are the richest in potassium.
You'll also find the mineral in pulses, nuts and seeds, as well as meat and fish. Any
plateful of food comprising a portion of meat, a portion of nuts, and a good serving of
assorted vegetables, is likely to be highly rich in potassium.

Revive
Health Care
What is Selenium?
Selenium plays a crucial role in supporting the immune
system, and allows it to do its job in protecting our bodies
from harmful pathogens. It also guards our cells and tissues
against damage caused by oxidation and infection. You'll
find this mineral in more than two dozen different proteins,
each of which is critical for reproduction, for synthesising
DNA and for metabolising the thyroid hormone.
Selenium is found in a variety of different food sources.
You'll find it abundantly in fish, meat and eggs. Specifically,
selenium is most concentrated in organ meats like liver and
kidneys.
•
•
•
•
•
Top Benefits
Supports the
immune system
Has antioxidant
properties
Maintains healthy
metabolism
Improves blood flow
Can help boost
fertility
The selenium content of foods is difficult to accurately measure, since it varies so
much from place to place. The mineral content of some soils is different than in others,
meaning that the amount of selenium in plants, and therefore animals, varies
accordingly. Selenium, being a trace element, is required by the body only in verysmall
quantities; if you regularly eat meat, fish or nuts, then this target is easily attainable
through diet alone. If, on the other hand, you largely avoid these foods, then you might
want to consider supplementation.

Revive
Health Care
What is Zinc?
One of Zinc's main functions is as a sort of binding agent for
proteins. It helps to orient them, and thereby allows them to
do their job properly. Zinc can also act as a signalling agent
within cells, triggering reactions to stressors like freeradicals
and inflammation. Despite it being a trace element,
it plays a crucial role in your bodily processes.
•
•
Top Benefits
Regulates immune
function
Aids in digestion
•
If you aren't getting enough zinc, you might first notice
problems with your skin, nails and hair- and wounds might •
be slow to heal. Zinc deficiency has also been known to
•
lead to eating disorders like anorexia nervosa, which can
have a profound effect on long-term health.
Aids in wound healing
Ensures proper growth
Helps treat the common
cold
There are many dietary sources of zinc, but by far the most concentrated of these are
red meat sources like beef, lamb and venison. White meat, fish, cheese, eggs and
milk also contain this crucial mineral - but if you're a vegan, you might instead turn to
high-bran breakfast cereal, nuts, beans, fruit and vegetables.

LanchesterHouse
MontgomeryStreet
Birmingham
WestMidlands
B111DT
Tel:01217731709
support@revivehealth.care
www.revivehealth.care
ReviveHealthCare© 2016