6 Minerals and the Foods To Open Detoxification Pathways and Cleanse Your System
By Andrew Jonasson
Silicon smooths and strengthens skin and hair. Zinc helps with skin as well and is another anti-aging mineral that you can find in many foods instead of many skin-creams.
Healthy Minerals
These are all natural products – silicon is the second most available element in the earth’s crust, iron is as central to life as carbon, and potassium is found in our bodies, underground, and in the trees.
It shouldn’t be hard to see why these minerals are needed and it shouldn’t be hard to get them either. If you’re having trouble, take a look through this list of necessary detoxifying minerals that will cleanse your system and have you feeling – and looking – great.
Silicon
Silicon isn’t just good for hair and nails – it helps you live longer. Silicon is known to increase your vitality by strengthening your muscles, connective tissues, and bones. It’s also been known to help with insomnia, which can lead to major problems.
Silicon is vital for strong bones and joints, and it helps your body use other vitamins and minerals like vitamin D, glucosamine, and calcium.
Silicon Helps With:
- Hair
- Skin
- Nails
- Bones
- Respiratory tract
- Blood circulation
- Atherosclerosis – when plaque forms in your arteries.
Zinc helps restore your collagen making skin healthy and preventing wrinkles, stretch marks and other signs of aging.
“Collagen can be thought of as the glue that holds the body together. Without it, the body would quite literally fall apart, however from the age of 25 the human body loses collagen at a rate of 1.5% annually.” –Phil Watson, founder of Changing Lives.
- Collagen production
- Skin
- Eyes
- Digestion
- Wound healing
- Immune function – your body needs zinc to form T-lymphocytes, cells that help your immune system fight cancer.
- Oysters
- Beef
- Wheatgerm
- Spinach
- Seeds – pumpkin and squash
- Nuts – cashews, pecans, almonds, walnuts, peanuts
- Pork
- Chicken
- Beans
- Mushrooms
Iron
Iron is the center of the hemoglobin molecule, which carries oxygen through your body. Healthy blood means healthy skin. It also means healthier muscles, organs, and internal systems. It is a modest detox, but ensuring you have enough iron in your body really helps to clean and restore your insides.
Getting enough iron also means your energy levels and immune function will be boosted. It does so, in part, by encouraging restful, healthy sleep.
Iron Helps With:
- Blood health
- Energy levels
- Development (in children)
- Hormonal balances
Foods with Iron:
- Red meat
- Poultry
- Fish
- Eggs
- Leafy greens
- Dried fruits
Magnesium
Magnesium is another important mineral – it opens up over 300 different detoxification pathways in your body and helps keep your bowels regular. Magnesium will also help keep your bones strong, helping them absorb calcium.
This mineral also helps to convert vitamin D to its active, hormonal form. You don’t even need to eat magnesium to get its detoxing power – Epsom salt is essentially magnesium sulfate. Just pour it into your bath to draw toxins from your body and feel refreshed.
Magnesium Helps With:
- Bones
- Skin
- Blood pressure
- Diabetes
- Mental health
- Metabolism
- Heart disease
- Diabetes – being magnesium deficient can really affect your body’s ability to accept and use insulin.
Foods with Magnesium:
- Beans
- Nuts
- Seeds
- Fish
- Whole grains
- Dark leafy greens
Potassium
Potassium is the balancing mineral, but we usually just use it to maintain proper fluid levels because it’s an electrolyte. But potassium balances the levels of other minerals, like sodium. So if you get too much or toolittle of a mineral, potassium helps your body process it.
Potassium is a conduit to using all other minerals properly. It’s also an electrolyte which spreads energy to muscles, cells, tissues, and organs, ensuring everything is working as it should. It also removes waste from your cells – potassium is the cellular detox mineral.
Potassium Helps With:
- Bones
- Digestion
- Cell health
- Heart health
Foods with Potassium:
- Bananas
- Avocados
- Mushroom
- Dark leafy greens
- Potato skins
- Fish
Calcium
Calcium is a strengthening mineral: gives strong bones, a strong posture, and works to bring order to the systems in our body. It helps maintain strong and healthy blood vessels, and a strong endocrine system which helps prevent diabetes.
Dairy is not the only place to find calcium. In fact, calcium is the most abundant nutrient in your body – but that’s probably because you have such healthy bones.
Calcium Helps With:
- Bones
- Muscle function
- Blood and heart
- Nervous system
Cancer – calcium and vitamin D are said to help with more than just strong bones – they’ve been known to lower the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and even cancer.
Food with Calcium:
- White beans
- Dark leafy greens
- Sesame seeds
- Nuts
- Canned salmon and sardines
SOURCES:
https://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/minerals/health-benefits-of-silicon.html
http://changinglivesstives.com/revitalise-collagen/
http://www.medic8.com/blood-disorders/iron-deficiency-anaemia.htm
http://drhyman.com/blog/2012/11/15/detox-made-safe-and-simple/
http://drpompa.com/additional-resources/health-tips/cellular-cleansing
http://greatist.com/health/18-surprising-dairy-free-sources-calcium
Andrew Jonasson who writes for Healthy Holistic Living where this article first appeared, graduated from Algonquin College’sAdvertising & Marketing program in Ottawa, Ontario. He now calls Toronto home. A type-1 diabetic, he knows the importance of living and eating healthily. A life-long student, Andrew will never graduate the school of life.
