Before we get to the nitty gritty of trace minerals, let’s talk about hydration.
We all know that we need water to survive, but do you know why?
Water aids in nearly all of your bodily functions. It aids in digestion, it’s essential for breathing, it helps you regulate your body temperature, and detoxifies your body – just to name a select few. All in all, it does some truly amazing things for the body that is essential for survival.
Unfortunately, dehydration is common in today’s society and 5% of the worlds population dies each year from simply not drinking enough water. To keep your body properly hydrated, you should be drinking 34 ounces of water for every 50 pounds of body weight. Let’s do the math… if you weight 150 pounds, that would mean you need to drink 102 ounces of water on a daily basis. Water intake is personal to each person, not just 8 glasses per day! Calculate your daily ounce requirement, fulfill it everyday, and watch the beauty of hydration unfold. Many times, my clients find their energy goes up just from hydrating properly!
But being hydrated doesn’t mean simply drinking more liquids. Soda, fruit juice, caffeinated teas, and coffee do not count towards your fluid intake. These liquids actually make you urinate more frequently and rid your body of electrolytes – dehydrating you even more!
So what types of fluids should you be drinking?
The best option for rapid hydration is coconut water. It is truly amazing! It contains electrolytes that perfectly match the electrolyte profile of our blood plasma. It’s great for post-workout hydration! It was even used as IV fluid during World War II because it’s that amazing.
Clearly, regular filtered water is another option. You might have a filter in your home or you could buy bottled water. But a very important thing about filtered water, it is missing essential trace minerals. If you are drinking regular, filtered bottled water, you will be missing out on the trace minerals that your body needs.
So what are trace minerals?
Minerals such as magnesium, chloride, sodium, iron and zinc are examples of trace minerals. Within your body at any given second, there are a multitude of chemical and electrical processes taking place.Without trace minerals, theses processes wouldn’t be able to work properly. Your blood wouldn’t get the iron it needs, your bones wouldn’t be supplied with calcium and your muscles wouldn’t get the sulfur that they need. And another really important function of trace minerals… they are necessary to absorb nutrients from food. This is highly important because you aren’t what you eat, but you are what you absorb. Food means nothing if you aren’t absorbing the nutrients from it! So if you’re feeling a lack of energy or fatigue, you could simply need more trace minerals.
Did you know that 90% of Americans have a mineral imbalance and deficiency?
With filtered water and diets high in processed food products, most Americans aren’t getting enough minerals – or they are getting too much of one and not enough of the others. Take sodium for example… having the proper balance between sodium and potassium in the body regulates blood flow. If you have too much sodium, blood pressure goes up which can lead to serious problems like heart disease. Potassium helps decrease blood pressure by relaxing the blood vessels and excreting excess sodium. As you can see, mineral imbalances can have a huge role in overall health. This is why getting an adequate and balanced supply of trace minerals is so important.
You might be asking, “Where can I get trace minerals?”
- Trace minerals are present in natural foods like nuts, seeds, grains, etc., but the Standard American diet is lacking in whole foods that you can find yourself with a mineral imbalance pretty quick. With processed foods, the food is stripped of all the minerals and you end up eating empty calories. Enjoy a diet rich in whole, unprocessed foods in their natural state to get an abundance of minerals in your body. My done-for-you meal plans are a great way to incorporate more whole foods into your diet in a easy and simple way.
- Change up your salt. White table salt is stripped of the natural trace minerals found in sea salt. The white processed salt you see on restaurant tables or in the store is straight up sodium, sometimes with iodine added. This is a fast way to throw off your sodium/potassium levels I mentioned earlier. Using natural sea salt, like Himalayan pink salt, will supply you with the natural trace minerals found in salt. Ditch the white salt and go for the pink stuff! It tastes much better too and you can use it abundantly without fear of high sodium levels.
- You can add minerals to your water by using trace mineral drops. This is what I started out doing when I first learned of the importance of trace minerals. You can use it to remineralize filtered water from your home or filtered bottled water. This is the brand I like.
If you use the code “HYDRATEWITHLAUREN!!” in the coupon code box at checkout, 10% of profits from that order will go to The Gentle Barn. It’s a charity that rehabilitates abused and neglected animals while also teaching children how to care for and show love towards animals. It’s a truly amazing charity that you can read more about here.
Now it’s time to get your trace minerals on!
The importance of trace minerals is clear. If you suspect you aren’t getting enough trace minerals, choose your favorite way listed above and start implementing it today.
If you would like more support navigating your health so you can live your best life possible, apply for a free Start-Up Session with me and let’s chat!
With joy and health,
