By Elena Voropay

The thought to getting all essential vitamins and minerals every day occupies the minds of all health-conscious people. From not eating enough of these from natural foods to overloading our bodies with micro-nutrients we don't really need from additional supplements, the confusion of what, how much, and at what times to take essentials in never seems to be solved. So, what is the fuss about? Are we getting enough of all minerals from diet, do we need to take pills, powders, capsules and liquid collodial minerals for optimum health? Here are the answers to your burning questions.

While our sufficient human systems can produce some vitamins, minerals are one thing our bodies can't manufacture. Some minerals can be inhaled from the air or absorbed through the skin, but the quantities are so minute that they are almost irrelevant. This makes many minerals essential micro-nutrients we need to get them in pure form from the diet.

Minerals are part of all body tissues and fluids. Although they make up only a small component, minerals are necessary for most physiological functions the body performs to sustain itself. You need them for proper nerve responses, muscle contractions, to help maintain body's fluid balance, regulate electrolyte and hormone balance, and keep metabolism of all nutrients in check.

Diet Or Supplements?

Eating a wide variety of healthy foods from all five groups (grains and legumes, meats, eggs, and fish, dairy, fruit and vegetables) every day is the best way to get minerals. The best way would be consuming nourishing ingredients from organic unprocessed foods harvested and prepared right before meals. But with our increasingly time-deficient culture, most people tend to get their convenient foods from supermarkets and fast-food chains. Additionally, most foods are now grown on soils depleted by years of intensive farming, without proper understanding of organic principles of land use and ecology, and this is worsened by the fact that a lot of foods come canned, stored for long periods, or cooked improperly. No wonder that the balanced diet part of the “health” equation seems hard to achieve.

Considering that stress, alcohol, cigarettes, air pollution and even poor diet itself all place a further burden on the body rapidly depleting the stores of many minerals, our tension-thriving society needs re-consider our mineral supply.

There are two types of minerals: trace and major. A trace mineral is one that must be present in the diet, but only in very small amounts. Major minerals are called "major" not because of importance, but because the body requires them in larger amounts. These are found in the human body in amounts larger than 5g.

Major minerals: Calcium, Magnesium, Sodium, Potassium, Phosphorus, Chloride, Sulfur

Trace minerals: Iodine, Selenium, Copper, Manganese, Fluoride, Chromium, Molybdenum, Nickel, Silicon, Cobalt, Boron

Forms of Minerals

You may find two general types of mineral compound in supplements, organic and inorganic. Organic mineral compounds, like vitamins, contain a carbon atom and may be better absorbed then inorganic forms. Organic mineral compounds include amino acid chelates, ascorbates, aspartates, carbonates, citrates, fumarates, gluconates, gycinates, lactates, orotates and picolinates. Inorganic forms of minerals include chlorides, hydroxides, oxides, phosphates and sulfates.

The hysteria surrounding the advertising campaign of chelated and collodial minerals has expanded in marketplace and shrunk the wallets of many health-seekers lately. These forms of mineral supplements have been promoted as having a better rate of absorption in your digestive tract. With the help of developments in technology, manufacturers attach “escorting substances” in the forms of amino acids to the mineral to facilitate its absorption. But just because a supplement is labelled a chelate doesn't guarantee that it will be any better absorbed than any other form. So, whether this slight possible difference is worth a hefty price you pay is only for you to decide. Unfortunately, there are no truly objective studies showing that these are any better than other supplement forms. Before you start taking any supplements, always consult your doctor whether you need it and if it will interfere with other medications you currently use. And always remember that every single body metabolizes nutrients differently, and there are many other factors to consider, such as you genetic make-up, age, diet, lifestyle and particular needs.