Vitamins and Minerals are indispensable nutrients that are essential to our wellbeing. However, we must not ignore the thin difference between getting enough minerals while suffering from the excess of it. In both cases, it is very harmful. A required mix of all these life building blocks is essential to build your immunity and thereby strengthen your quest to fight the deadly Coronavirus pandemic.
Gigadocs brings you a ready reckoner of all the essential minerals that are imperative to the proper functioning of your well-being-
Minerals for a Healthy Lifestyle
Minerals are lifesavers that our body needs for functioning properly. Mineral deficiency can be dangerous and can happen if our body does not absorb the necessary amounts of the mineral required for its proper functioning.
The banquet of minerals required by the human body is essential. You cannot miss one and supplement it with another. The recommended daily allowances (RDA) is an average amount which meets the health needs of about 97 percent of healthy people. Minerals can be obtained from food, mineral supplements, and food products which have been fortified with nutrients and minerals.
A mineral deficiency does not happen in a single day. Instead, it often happens slowly over time and a number of reasons can be behind it, which may include-
- An increased daily requirement of the mineral, which can vary according to one’s age.
- Not eating necessary amounts of mineral in the daily diet.
- Difficulty to absorb the mineral from the food.
Symptoms of Mineral Deficiency
Minerals deficiency can be fatal, which depend upon which specific nutrient the body lacks. The possible mineral deficiency symptoms include-
- Bloating, or abdominal pain
- Constipation
- Compromised immune system
- Diarrhoea
- Irregular heartbeat
- Appetite Loss
- Cramps in the muscle
- Vomiting and nausea
- Tingling in the extremities
- Poor concentration
- Slow social or mental development observed in children
- Tiredness
- Weakness
If one is on a mineral deficiency course, they may display one or multiple symptoms, with varying levels of severity. Some symptoms may be so minor which may go undiagnosed and unnoticed in the normal daily course.
| Mineral | Importance | Disease Name | Symptoms | Supplementary Food Sources |
| Calcium | Needed for strong bones and teeth, supports proper function of blood vessels, muscles, nerves, and hormones. | Osteopenia, osteoporosis | Chest Pain, Numb Fingers and Toes, brittle nails, muscle cramps, metabolic rate disruptions, and tooth decay | Dairy Products are an excellent Calcium source. Include Milk, cheese to your daily diet. Add green leafy vegetables like broccoli, okra. Soybeans, tofu, soy drinks and Nuts are calcium-rich. Don’t forget Fish especially sardines and pilchards. |
| Iron | Important for haemoglobin, a protein that carries oxygen to tissues. | Anaemia, chronic kidney disease, gastrointestinal blood loss | Extreme fatigue weakness.Pale skin.Headache, dizziness, cold hands and feet, chest pain, inflammation or soreness of your tongue, fast heartbeat or shortness of breath and brittle nails. | Add Dark green leafy vegetables, such as spinach to your diet. Other iron-rich foods include Seafood.red meat, pork and poultry, beans, dried fruit, such as apricots and raisins. You can also add iron-fortified cereals, peas, and wheat pasta. |
| Magnesium | Magnesium controls our muscles and nerves functioning, blood sugar levels, BP and brain function. | Hypocalcaemia, diabetes, hypertension, coronary heart disease, hypokalaemia and osteoporosis. | Nausea vomiting.weakness.decreased appetite muscle cramps, mental disorders. | Almonds, dry roasted, Spinach, Cashews, Peanuts, dried figs, avocados, guavas, bananas, kiwi fruit, papayas, blackberries, raspberries, cantaloupes, and grapefruit. |
| Potassium | Functions as an electrolyte, required for muscle contraction, proper heart function, and the transmission of nerve signals. It’s also needed by a few enzymes, including one that helps your body turn carbohydrates into energy | Hypokalaemia, excessive fluid loss, can cause paralysis of the muscles or irregular heart rhythms that may lead to death. | Extreme fatigue. muscle spasms, weakness, or cramping, irregular heartbeat. constipation, nausea, or vomiting | Bananas, oranges, apricots, grapefruit, prunes, raisins, dates, cooked spinach.cooked broccoli.Potatoes.Sweet potatoes.Mushrooms.Peas.Cucumbers. |
| Zinc | Zinc plays a role in many aspects of the body’s metabolism. These include: protein synthesisimmune system function and wound healing DNA synthesis | Acrodermatitis enteropathy | Severe diarrhoea, hair loss, skin rash, bacterial infections. | Milk products, ready-to-eat breakfast cereals, red meat, and poultry, baked beans, chickpeas, and nuts like cashews and almonds, and whole grains. |
Contacting A Virtual Healthcare Provider
Deficiency of Minerals can be attributed to serious diseases which can be life fatal. Thus, it is best not to ignore them and instead take care of your health by regular consultations.
Consulting a doctor face to face in these testing times may prove to be tough, instead, you may consider trying virtual consultation. This will mitigate the fear of coronavirus infectivity and seasonal disease infection which you may catch while visiting a doctor. Book a digital doctor on the Gigadocs app, available on the Appstore and play store.
Gigadocs is an intelligent practice management E-Healthcare app and a solution to all your Medi-care needs.
To Download Gigadocs app-
- IOS App – apple.co/2W2iG4V
- Android App – bit.ly/33AQoRC
To know more and schedule a Virtual Consultation demo, e-mail, at info@gigadocs.com
