How to Recognize and Manage Mineral Deficiencies

As you tend to your garden harvest or explore the colorful produce at your local market, do you ever wonder what makes vegetables so good for your health?

It’s easy to miss the small things when cruising through life at high speed. But the small things, like minerals, are often the most important for our health. When working with clients at Wholestic Living, we frequently discuss mineral levels in the body to understand root cause issues and support clients toward progressive, holistic health.

What Are Minerals & Why Do We Need Them?

Minerals make up 4% of the body and are crucial for countless processes, including cellular metabolism, energy production, muscular activity, digestive function, and more.

The body requires essential nutrients to function at peak capacity. These nutrients include macronutrients (fats, carbohydrates, and proteins) and micronutrients (vitamins and minerals). The body requires small amounts of vitamins and minerals to carry out processes that keep us healthy and thriving.

For example, magnesium is an essential mineral. It performs numerous roles, like supporting muscle and nerve function, reinforcing strong bones, and ensuring the heart beats properly. Another mineral required for various processes is calcium. Of course, we all need calcium to maintain strong bones, but calcium also works with magnesium to support proper muscle and heart function.

Other crucial minerals include:

• Zinc

• Potassium

• Iron

• Copper

• Selenium

• Phosphorus

Each one of these minerals carries extreme significance in the body. And since many of these minerals work together, acute and long-term complications can arise when there's a deficiency.

Effects of Mineral Deficiencies

Mineral deficiencies occur when one or more minerals are lacking in the body. When we don’t receive our recommended daily allowances (RDA) of minerals, physical and mental consequences can manifest.

Common mineral deficiency symptoms include:

• Calcium deficiency → brittle nails, tingling in extremities, and easy bone fractures

• Iron deficiency → extreme fatigue, pale skin, weakness, dizziness, and cold extremities

• Zinc deficiency → hair loss, loss of appetite, mood disturbances, eye problems, diarrhea

If a magnesium deficiency occurs, you may experience muscle cramps, heightened anxiety, and since magnesium is required for calcium absorption, inadequate calcium supplies.

So, what causes mineral deficiencies in the first place?

There are numerous factors that cause mineral deficiencies; however, since minerals often share dynamic relationships, tandem mineral deficiencies are a common issue. Deficiencies may also happen due to:

• Chronic stress

• Minerally-depleted soil

• Insufficient mineral levels in a diet (fast food and highly-processed diets)

• The inability to properly absorb a mineral in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract (lacking enzymes or other mineral that support absorption)

Some mineral deficiency effects occur in weeks, but complications often take a few months to appear in your health.

Mitigating Mineral Deficiencies

At Wholestic Living, we like to test rather than guess. Being certain about a mineral deficiency allows our clinician to understand the root cause of an issue and make confident steps toward creating a therapeutic protocol that fits a client’s health needs. This certainty is achieved through HTMA testing.

HTMA testing is a non-invasive, safe, functional test that uses a few strands of hair to measure mineral and toxic metal levels in the body. It produces a telling timeline of the body’s condition over 3 - 4 months. Take a deeper dive into the benefits of HTMA testing here.

Once there is clarity around mineral levels in the body, numerous methods exist for re-adding these minerals to the body through food, mineral supplementation, and herbs. Since minerals are naturally found in foods, adjusting a diet is a manageable and straightforward way to mitigate mineral deficiencies. Below are some mineral-dense foods.

Mineral	Food Rich in Mineral
​Magnesium	Pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, spinach, almonds, cashews, oats
Calcium	Dairy products, soy, leafy greens, figs
Iron	Shellfish, red meat, spinach, beans, prunes
Copper	Oysters, mushrooms, nuts, chocolate
Potassium	Dairy, dried fruit, lentils, nuts, spinach, sweet potatoes, bananas

While it’s always best to get minerals and vitamins through wholesome meals, supplementation (taking minerals in a powder or pill form) may be necessary for those with busy lifestyles who don’t have much time to prepare food or for those with restrictive diets. If you choose to take a mineral supplement, it’s vital to ensure you’re receiving complementary minerals necessary for absorption.

For example, vitamin C is necessary for iron absorption, so it’s essential to include vitamin C in your diet or supplement when iron is needed.

Mineral-Rich Herbal Tea Recipe

Herbs are an incredible way to implement minerals into a daily regimen. Many herbs naturally contain adequate amounts of minerals, like nettle, which has a rich supply of calcium, magnesium, zinc, potassium, and iron. To make a nourishing herbal tea blend, we love adding oat straw and invigorating peppermint to the mix, boosting levels of zinc, iron, magnesium, copper, and B vitamins in the body. The raspberry leaf and red clover also carry vitamin C, which encourages the body to absorb iron.

This go-to recipe is not only nutrient-dense but has a delightful flavor that will nourish your body, mind, and spirit any time of day.

You can make a big batch ahead of time, and drink 1-2 cups of tea/day to help rebuild nutrient reserves in the body.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup nettle (Urtica dioica)

1 cup oat straw (Avena sativa)

1 cup raspberry leaf (Rubus idaeus)

1 cup red clover (Trifolium pratense)

½ cup peppermint (Mentha x piperita)

DIRECTIONS

1. Mix the herbs in a bowl until well blended. Transfer to a clean, airtight container and label. Store in a cool, dry place.

2. To make a cup of tea*, add 1 tablespoon of the tea blend to a tea strainer or reusable tea bag and place in a mug.

3. Add just-boiled water and cover the mug to trap the nourishing volatile oils.

4. Allow to steep for 15 minutes, and enjoy!

*OPTIONAL: Before making the tea, you may “wake” your herbs by briefly pulsing them in a grinder or crushing them with a mortar and pestle. This method increases the surface area of the herb material and encourages more active constituents to infuse into the water - allowing for maximum benefit and support. Keep in mind the more you grind the herbs, the sooner they’ll lose potency, so only do a small batch at a time and use the herbs within a week.

It’s the Small Things That Matter

Small shifts create significant change. Although mineral deficiencies are common, recognition and implementing specific foods, supplements, or herbs may encourage foundational changes in the body and mind, setting you on a course to feel your absolute best.

Looking for professional, caring support with a mineral deficiency? I welcome you to reach out at Bayan@wholesticliving.com to book a complimentary consultation call to learn more.

A clinical herbalist is not a doctor and does not provide medical advice intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. We share experiences and information and strive to educate clients on supportive, holistic techniques and products.