Do you have hair loss, acne or brittle nails?

We all hear about being deficient in vitamins but many rarely hear about their deficiency in mineral levels which can lead to a host of health concern. Actually if you regularly take vitamins you may be missing the key component to receive the benefit from those vitamins because the minerals and vitamins work hand in hand.  The minerals we consume assist in the integration process allowing our bodies to absorb the nutrients from the vitamin and without minerals we don't receive the full benefits which can lead to other health issues. Many things can be linked to our deficiency in minerals and our body displays outwards signs that shouldn't be ignored. 

There are 5 major minerals the body needs for optimal performance. 

1.   Iron    2. Magnesium  3. Potassium   4. Zinc   5. Calcium

Nails - Tiny white spots on the nails or nails that have raised ridges are thin and curving inwards are often signs of mineral deficiencies, specifically iron and zinc.  If you’re a nail biter, this may also be a sign of further mineral deficiencies. Thyroid health also plays a role here, and hypo- or hyperthyroidism are often associated with brittle nails or nails that split from the nail bed.  Brittle nails may also be associated with magnesium deficiency and hang nails are a sign that you may need to up your zinc intake.

Skin - Do you get small bumps on the back of your arms, thighs or buttocks? It could mean that you have lower levels of zinc or low in vitamins A, C and D. I personally have been prone to acne since puberty and I'm in my 30's and still get breakouts. From personal experience, I've seen a decrease in my breakouts when I have plenty of sun exposure and take my vitamin D regularly. I highly recommend this as a natural way to fight breakouts. I even get back acne and when I sit out in the sun and read, I notice a substantial improvement in my skin. Some sun exposure is good for us. It provides vitamin D naturally.  

Hair - Are you experiencing hair loss? It could be signs of low folic acid, iron and vitamin B. Make a spinach salad once a week and each pumpkin or sunflower seeds can help naturally increase our magnesium and iron intake.  

Muscle  - Ever get a charlie horse or eye twitching? You may need to increase your potassium by eating more bananas and again an increase in magnesium may fix that right up. Magnesium is an important mineral with many key functions, but is rarely caught as the culprit. Not only can magnesium deficiency contribute to muscle spasm, it can also contribute to fatigue, numbness, tingling and sometimes even heart rhythm abnormalities. The recommended dose of magnesium in adult men and women is 300 to 400 mg daily. 

So how do we increase our consumption with minor changes to our lifestyle? Make a bean soup once a week such as lentil soup. It's cheap to make, easy to store and gives us iron, zinc. magnesium. Eat some seeds too such as sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeks and nuts. Make a large salad and bring it with you for lunch for 2-3 days out of the week. Even a small portion makes a huge impact. Eat an orange for snack or make a smoothie with Kale for a green dose of calcium. Other greens which are high in calcium are broccoli, edamame, and collard greens.