I want to disclose right off the bat that I am a nutrition coach, not a nutritionist. If you feel like you are lacking appropriate nutrients, I advise to talk with a registered dietician to come up with a specific nutrition plan for your needs. My role is to simply coach people on nutritional choices and educate on the roles of food, for more in-depth plans contact my friends at Leverage Nutrition.
Included In This Article
To Get Started
In the nutrition world there is a pyramid of importance.
At the base you have your foundational piece – Overall Calories aka energy balance. This layer would be the superstar to your nutritional team, like Connor McDavid or Lebron James.
You build your team around this piece, whether you’re looking to lose, gain, or maintain your weight.
The second section is your Macronutrients – your Carb, Fat and Protein intake.
These would be like your other starters. They are vital to the success of your team, and should help complement your superstar in the right way to achieve your goal.
Then you have your third section (and where we are going to focus on today) – Your Micronutrients.
These would be your bench players. While they won’t make a huge difference to your overall goal, they will have an almost unnoticeable impact to your health, and how your body functions.
Micronutrients are split into Vitamins and Minerals. Today, I’m going to give you a crash course into minerals – and then we’ll come back to Vitamins in part two.
Minerals are elements that our body needs to develop and function properly. There are 7 major minerals – Calcium, Chloride, Magnesium, Potassium, Phosphorus, Sodium, and Sulfur.
Other “trace” minerals are still important for our body’s functions; however, we don’t need as much of them. These would be minerals like zinc, iron, and copper (among others). While I won’t be touching on these today, they are important to consume.
A Quick Aside…
I’ve seen videos on social media where people will smash up cereal, and use a magnet to collect small traces of metals that were found in the cereal as a way to drum up concern regarding what “they” are putting in our food.
I want to assure you dear reader, this is just fear mongering.
The mineral iron that our body needs is the same type of iron that Ironman would hypothetically be made of – the type found in cars and buildings. I wouldn’t recommend going around and licking the iron you find out and about in the world, as we don’t need much to maintain normal body function (and it would just be weird if you did).
Just keep in mind, these are minerals, and they are important for us to consume.
Anyways… back to the point.
For each of these major minerals I’ll touch briefly on what they do, what food you can find them in, what happens if you have too much/too little of it, and what a recommended intake would look like.
Keep in mind – these are simplified breakdowns to give you a better idea of what these minerals do. There is much more in-depth information if needed (well, about most of these). The Excess (too much) and Deficit (too little) effects show what can happen ranging from the minor effects to the extreme effects. Again, if you’re concerned about your intake speak with a Registered Dietitian or see your doctor for more specific information.
Sulfur
What Does It Do: Build & Repair DNA, Reduce Inflammation, Helps Maintain Liver Function, and maintain connective tissues like skin, tendons and ligaments.
Recommended Intake: Unknown – not yet established
Excess Effects: Unknown
Deficit Effects: Unknown
Foods Containing Sulfur: Fish, Beef, Eggs, Poultry, Dried Fruit and Pickles.
Note: Studies have yet to conclude how much sulfur we should be consuming, and what the potential effects of over-or-under consumption may look like. I wanted to start here, as the rest have more conclusive intake recommendations.
Sodium
What Does It Do: Helps with Blood Volume, Muscle Contractions, and Nerve Impulses
Recommended Intake: 1500mg per day
Excess Effects: Hypertension and Nausea
Deficit Effects: Dizziness, Loss of appetite, vomiting, seizures.
Foods Containing Sodium: Meats, Fish, Pickles, Sauces, Bread, and Salt
Note: Sodium is often scrutinized, but plays an important role in our health and bodily functions. Many people who don’t regularly consume fast food may actually be deficient in sodium intake. If people chronically find they are not hungry or struggle with a lack of appetite – sodium can be a way to increase the palatability of food (aka make it taste more appealing).
Phosphorus
What Does It Do: Helps Bone Formation, Muscle Contractions, and is a component in our DNA, RNA, and cell energy (ATP)
Recommended Intake: 700mg
Excess Effects: Impaired iron/zinc/copper absorption and impaired calcium metabolism
Deficit Effects: Osteoporosis, Weakness, and Cramps
Foods Containing Phosphorus: Meat, Eggs, Milk, Fish, Cheese, Beans, Peas, and Soft Drinks
Potassium
What Does It Do: Helps with Muscle Contractions, Nerve Impulses, and Cell Membrane Function
Recommended Intake: 4700mg
Excess Effects: Hyperkalemia, Irregular Heart Beat, Cardiac Failure
Deficit Effects: Hypokalemia, Cramps, Loss of Appetite, Irregular Heart Beat
Foods Containing Potassium: Chicken, Fish, Yogurt, Banana, Spinach, Avocado, Potatoes
Magnesium
What Does It Do: Helps Protein Synthesis (key in building muscle) and Transports Oxygen in the Blood Cells
Recommended Intake: Men – 420mg, Women – 320mg
Excess Effects: Nausea, Vomiting, Diarrhea
Deficit Effects: Fatigue, Cramps, Weakness
Foods Containing Magnesium: Seafood, Nuts, Grains, Leafy Vegetables, Avocados, Tofu, Seeds
Note: Magnesium is linked to many health benefits such as improved sleep, testosterone productions, PMS symptoms, Mood, Heart Health and much more. I highly recommend focusing on this mineral for improved overall health.
Chloride
What Does It Do: Makes Stomach Acid and Helps Nerve Conductions
Recommended Intake: 2300mg
Excess Effects: High Blood Pressure and Hypertension
Deficit Effects: Convulsions
Foods Containing Chloride: Salt, Tomato, Lettuce, Celery, Canned Foods
Calcium
What Does It Do: Helps Bone/Teeth Development, Muscle Contractions, Enzyme Activity, and Nerve Transition
Recommended Intake: 1000mg per day
Excess Effects: Impaired absorption of trace minerals, Kidney Stones, Constipation, and Irregular Heart Beat
Deficit Effects: Cramps and Osteoporosis
Foods Containing Calcium: Dairy, Egg Yolk, Beans, Peas, Cauliflower, Almonds.
Note: Yes, all those commercials about milk and dairy helping create strong bones were right. However, one of the best things you can do to prevent osteoporosis (bone degeneration) is strength/resistance training, especially with heavier weights. If you’re looking for a workout plan to get started with, CLICK HERE for a FREE 6-Week Program.
Wrap Up On Minerals
As you can see, these minerals can have big effects on our body’s health and functions on a day-to-day basis. Ensuring we are eating a diverse diet of whole foods can help us not only hit our body composition goals, but improve our bodies functions helping us to feel better, become stronger, and live a healthier life overall.
Remember, your Superstars and Starters will take you most of the way, but a winning team has third and fourth-line players that can do their job well and contribute around the edges.
This information was adapted from the Nutritional Coaching Institute Level 1 course.
Rich Hill
Owner, RK Athletics
Impact Magazine Top Personal Trainer In Canada
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