Healing Foods

Posted on June 27, 2014 by majidalimd One comment

Minerals and Vitamins from Fresh Foods

Life Span Minerals and Aging-Oxidant Minerals

Life span minerals sustain life; aging-oxidant minerals cause premature aging.

Examples of life span minerals are iron, calcium, sodium, potassium, magnesium, zinc, selenium, molybdenum, chromium, copper, cobalt, boron and others. Examples of aging oxidant minerals are lead, mercury, aluminum, tin, cadmium, gold and others.

Our science and technology have brought forth many benefits for us. We recognize them fully. Our science and technology have also wreaked havoc on our ecology. We do not fully recognize this. Perhaps nowhere is the damage caused by technology to our ecology more damaging or pervasive than in the changes caused in the mineral content of our water, food and tissues. We are being systematically depleted of life span minerals as we are being overloaded with aging oxidant minerals.

Minerals are the life-blood of enzymes.

Enzymes sustain life by generating energy. Enzyme assemble molecules for building tissues. Enzymes split and re-shape molecules for remodeling tissues. Enzymes add molecules up for storing energy. Enzymes slice molecules to release energy for life functions. Enzymes are proteins that the body can freely produce. Minerals, by contrast, must be obtained from the food. Mineral deficiencies occur frequently when sufficient minerals are not present in food or are not absorbed.

Early symptoms of mineral deficiency are in reality symptoms of enzyme insufficiency.

The subject of mineral deficiency is a misunderstood subject. How do mineral deficiencies put our health in jeopardy? In scientific jargon, minerals are considered cofactors for enzymes. It means the enzymes depend upon minerals for their function. In mineral deficiency states, the enzymes become sluggish or paralyzed, enzyme detoxification systems are impaired, and a state of “absence of health” develops. This is the beginning of many chronic disorders. Since the early clinical symptoms of mineral deficiency actually appear as enzymatic dysfunctions, they often go unrecognized. A good example of this is the pervasive magnesium deficiency among Americans. If not reversed, this state of absence of health evolves into a full expression of clinical disease.

Pro-oxidant Minerals

Three essential minerals stand out in this special category: iron, copper and iodine. All three serve as cofactors for oxygen and facilitate oxidation of many molecules. The deficiency states of all three cause well-recognized disorders (anemia for iron, hypothyroidism for iodine and anemia for copper). The overload of all three causes many enzymatic dysfunctions. Thus, supplementation for these minerals should always be carefully supervised by a professional.

A practical point of considerable importance is that when these three minerals are taken as supplements, they should be taken separately from vitamin supplements, essential fatty acid and amino acid supplements. Most mineral supplements can be taken at night, while others can be taken in the morning.

Sodium: A Life Span Mineral Turned Aging-Oxidant Mineral

Sodium is an essential mineral for human metabolism. It has become an aging-oxidant mineral. It is an excellent example of how some life span molecules have been turned into aging oxidative molecules by standard American foods.

There is such an excess of table salt (sodium chloride) in our common foods that salt has become one of the major risk factors for hypertension (high blood pressure), heart disease, stroke and kidney disease.

Excess sodium is a major cause of sugar craving.

Among the prevalent adverse effects of excess of salt in food are sugar craving, water retention, PMS syndrome, arthralgia (stiff and painful joints), mental confusion, short attention span and inexplicable mood swings.

Following are some practical suggestions for obtaining life span minerals and vitamins from fresh food.

Food Sources of Vitamins and Minerals

Calcium	apple, beet, beet greens, broccoli, cabbage, cantaloupe, casaba & honeydew melons, carrot, celery,cucumber, garlic, grains, grapefruit, green vegetable leaves, lemon with peel, lime, orange, pineapple, seaweed, Sesame seeds, strawberry, sweet red pepper, Swiss chard, tomato, watercress.
Iodine	apple, asparagus, beet, blueberry, carrot, celery, cucumber, dulse, green pepper, kale, kelp, lemon, spinach, strawberry, Swiss chard, tomato, watermelon,
Iron	beet greens, dulse, kelp, garlic, green vegetable leaves, hot red pepper, kale, parsley, sesame seed, spinach, Swiss chard
Manganese	beet, carrot, celery, cucumber, parsley
Magnesium	almond, asparagus, avocado, beet, beet greens, broccoli, cabbage, cantaloupe, carrot, celery, collard leaves, garlic, grapefruit, grapes, green vegetable leaves, guava, kale, kelp, legumes, parsley, pineapple, spinach, strawberry, Swiss chard, tomato.
Phosphorus	Brussels Sprouts, broccoli, collard leaves, garlic, green vegetable leaves, kale, legumes, nuts, seaweed, seeds, whole grains.
Potassium	avocado, beet, beet greens, cabbage, carrot, dandelion greens, green vegetable leaves, legumes, nuts, parsley, radish, Seaweed, spinach, Swiss chard.
Silicon	celery, cucumber, dandelion, lettuce, spinach, strawberry,
Sodium	beet, cabbage, carrot, celery, beet greens, dandelion greens, hot red pepper,kale, kelp, parsley, spinach, Swiss chard.
Vitamin A	beet greens, broccoli, carrot, collard greens, cantaloupe, dandelion greens, hot red pepper, kale, parsley, spinach, sweet red pepper, Swiss chard, turnip greens.
Vitamin B1	asparagus, B-complex foods – (seeds, nuts, legumes, and whole grains), collard leaves, dandelion greens, garlic, kale, parsley, turnip greens
Vitamin B2	asparagus, B-complex foods – (seeds, nuts, legumes, and whole grains), dandelion greens, hot red peppers, mushrooms, safflower seed, spinach, turnip greens, wild rice, Swiss-chard.
Vitamin B3 (Niacin)	asparagus, B-complex foods – (seeds, nuts, legumes, and whole grains), dandelion greens, hot red peppers, mushroom, safflower seed, spinach, Swiss chard, turnip greens, wild rice.
Vitamin B5	asparagus, B-complex foods – (seeds, nuts, legumes, and whole grains), collard leaves, dandelion greens, garlic, kale, parsley, turnip greens.
Vitamin B6	B-complex foods – (seeds, nuts, legumes, and whole grains), beef, cabbage,corn oil, lemon, orange, peanut oil.
Vitamin B12	alfalfa, comfrey, miso, nutritional yeast.
Vitamin C	asparagus, acerola cherry, beet greens, black currant, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, collard leaves, dandelion greens, grapefruit, green pepper, guava, hot red pepper, kale, lemon with peel, lime, mustard greens, orange, parsley, red cabbage, spinach, strawberry, sweet pepper, Swiss chard, turnip greens, watercress
Vitamin D	sunlight
Vitamin E	barley, Brown rice, green leaves, legumes, nuts, rye, wheat germ.
Vitamin K	green leaves