Minerals

This article explores eight essential minerals crucial for maintaining good health, detailing their roles in the body and the potential risks of deficiencies. It also provides practical advice on incorporating these vital nutrients into your diet through everyday foods and supplements.

Iodine is one of those “Goldilocks” nutrients that can be problematic if you don’t get enough or if you get too much. And if you don’t eat animal products, there are only a few reliable sources. So should you supplement? Should you consume iodized salt? Read on to get the facts about iodine: why it’s critical to your health, and how to ensure your consumption is “just right.”

Copper is one of those quiet, essential nutrients that you don’t hear much about. Without it, though, you can’t survive. And both too little, and especially too much, can damage your heart, brain, bones, skin, and immune system. So how much do you really need? What are the best sources? How easy is it to get enough on a plant-based diet? And how can you avoid copper toxicity?

The word “antioxidant” is thrown around a lot in the health and wellness space. But what does it really mean? Why are antioxidants good for you? Are there any you should avoid? And which foods and beverages pack the most beneficial antioxidant punch?

Selenium, once thought to be poisonous, is now recognized as an essential nutrient. It plays a key role in many aspects of your health, including metabolism, immunity, and protection against various diseases. But can you get too much of this nutrient? What are the best food sources of selenium, and can you get enough from a plant-based diet?

Electrolytes are more than just ingredients in colorful sports drinks. They play a crucial role in hydration, and they’re also necessary for nerve function and muscle contractions. In this article, we explore the many ways electrolytes are essential for bodily functions and how to maintain a healthy electrolyte balance with your food and beverages.

Potassium is an essential nutrient for health, participating in every biological process that relies on electrical signals, including heartbeat, muscle firing, and nervous system activity. But many people in the modern world are potassium deficient, which has contributed to an epidemic of high blood pressure and other chronic diseases. So why is this? Is potassium hard to obtain from food or necessary to supplement? Get the facts on this critical mineral and electrolyte.

Potassium is an essential nutrient for humans, animals, and plants. In synergy with sodium, potassium plays a role in maintaining the body's fluid balance and the health of your heart and kidneys. In this article, we’re going to look at the benefits of getting enough potassium, how much you need, and whether dietary sources are adequate and safe, especially from plant-based foods.

Zinc gets good press for its role in shortening the common cold, and its possible contribution to COVID-19 prevention. But boosting the immune system is not all that zinc does for your body. So how much do you need, where should you get it, and how much is too much? This article answers these questions and more.

Far less talked about than some of the other vitamins and minerals, magnesium is a critical nutrient that we need to optimize our health and function at our best. Here are some of the most important magnesium health benefits, the best sources to include in your diet, as well as a few potential risks.

Osteoporosis is a disease that weakens bones. It can cause them to become so brittle that they fracture easily. Osteoporosis-related fractures especially impact the hip, wrist, or spine, and in severe cases, can be caused by a cough or even by bending over. Fortunately, there are important lifestyle habits you can practice to preserve your bone strength and keep osteoporosis at bay. Here’s what the science tells us.

What do salads, sandwiches, and salaries have in common? They all take their names from one of the most historically and nutritionally important foods in the human diet: salt. Salt has played an outsized role in military campaigns, sometimes driving them and sometimes acting as a weapon. In this article, we’ll focus on a modern dilemma in the realm of nutrition: should we avoid salt and sodium, is it completely bad for us, or is there a healthy place for salt in our diets?