Lifestyle Choices

1. Calcium is important for building healthy bones and teeth, and also plays an essential role in nerve and muscle function and blood clotting. It keeps muscles moving smoothly and prevents cramping. Approximately 99 per cent of the calcium in your body is present in the bones, teeth and skeleton; the other 1 per cent is found in and around cells. You will find calcium in milk and milk products; calcium-fortified foods; the bones of fish like sardines and salmon; tofu, spinach and oatmeal.

To build healthy bones and avoid osteoporosis, get plenty of calcium in your diet and also include regular weight- bearing exercise in your lifestyle – especially while you are young. If supplements are needed, drink with a glass of milk, as it will help increase the uptake of calcium.

2. Phosphorus works with calcium to help build bones and teeth. It is used in the energy cycle and helps in the formation of red blood cells. It is found everywhere in foods with more being added during food processing and in plant fertilisers. Some of the best places to get phosphorus are high-protein foods like meat, fish, poultry, eggs, nuts, seeds, whole grains and milk.

3. Magnesium is a wonderful mineral that is involved in just about every biological process in the body. It is essential for nerve and muscle function and the renewal of proteins, and is needed to make body tissues, particularly your bones. Main food sources are whole grains and legumes, green leafy vegetables, nuts, mushrooms and bananas. Much magnesium is lost during food processing, so use stone-ground wholemeal flour or brown rice.

Magnesium is excellent for athletes, students and active or busy people because it is involved in muscle contraction and optimum brain function. It is one of the minerals that could likely be deficient. This is because so much of it is lost in food processing. Recent studies show magnesium mist added to inhalers can be very beneficial for asthmatics.

4. Sulphur has an important relationship with protein and is essential for acid balance in the body. It is found in insulin and helps metabolise carbohydrates. It also assists the liver to secrete bile and helps maintain overall body balance. Sulphur is found in eggs, meat, fish, cheese, milk, broccoli and cauliflower.

5. Sodium, potassium and chloride work closely together to help maintain the health of the nervous, muscular, blood and lymph systems, among other things. Your whole body’s fluid balance is maintained through a balancing act using these three electrolyte minerals. They do not all tend to be deficient in your system. In fact, sodium and chloride are the ingredients of table salt, and many of us tend to have too much of that.

Sodium is one of the few minerals that we easily have in excess in our diets. Fourteen to 28 g of sodium chloride (salt) per day is considered excessive, but not uncommon in developed countries (1 teaspoon = approximately 5 g). Ten per cent of daily sodium comes from the natural salt content of foods. Fifteen per cent of salt is added during cooking or at the table, and a whopping 75 per cent of salt is added during the processing and manufacturing, as it also acts as a preservative.

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