Article written by : Tina Ketler PRACTITIONER, FNTP, HTMA-P
Minerals are like spark plugs–they help kick off reactions in the body. They are cofactors or helpers for every single metabolic reaction, which means for our bodies to make hormones, detoxify toxins, make digestive juices, even energy, etc. they need minerals to make this happen. This is why minerals are foundational. Does this mean that working on minerals will solve all of your health problems?
Probably not all of them, especially if you have an extensive health history, but it will allow anything else you try to work better because you will be building from a strong foundation. So often we want to skip ahead to fancy protocols, lab testing, etc. but
don’t see the success we want because we are missing out on a critical piece: minerals. Minerals are foundational for thyroid health because of how they impact our metabolism, which is our body ’s ability to make energy from the food we eat. When our metabolism slows down, energy production slows down along with all of the different systems in the body. This is when we would then see symptoms pop up, many of which will show up as thyroid symptoms.
Minerals are essential for a healthy metabolism since they act as helpers to ensure metabolic reactions happen properly. Without them, these reactions don’t work properly (or at all) and things start to slow down.
3 Ways Minerals Impact our health
- Lack of certain minerals leads to our thyroid slowing down. Energy Production requires minerals. As minerals like magnesium and copper become depleted, our ability to make ATP (the body’s main energy source) decreases. Less energy production = slower thyroid
- Digestion is compromised, and liver burden increases.
As thyroid and metabolism slow, important processes like stomach acid production do as well. This leads to a slow down of transit time, constipation, bloating, and increases the burden on the liver. Our liver also requires minerals to detoxify properly. - Adrenals become exhausted.
As minerals become depleted, adrenal function slows, and the ability to respond to stress appropriately declines.. This can impact how we make and use thyroid hormone.
Here are some ways you can start your mineral balancing to support your thyroid:
Mineral Supportive Nutrition
Mineral supportive nutrition is nutrition that takes into consideration eating enough, optimizing macronutrients for blood sugar, as well as prioritizing nutrient dense foods. What this looks like:
● Consuming a variety of nutrient-dense foods (animals and plants)
● Including animal foods at most (if not all) meals and snacks
● Prioritizing adequate protein for optimal blood sugar balance and muscle building
● Eating breakfast
If there were one mineral that I think is a great place for everyone to start (with or without lab testing), that would be
potassium. Potassium supports out thyroid, blood sugar, and supports electrolyte balance with sodium making it essential for proper hydration. The best way to get potassium is through potassium rich foods. Things like, potatoes, tomatoes, winter squash, sweet potatoes, beets, parsnips, spinach (cooked), swiss chard (cooked), mango, salmon, cod, shrimp, black beans (cooked), coconut water, aloe vera juice and raw dairy products etc. One of the big benefits of getting potassium from food is that those foods are also rich in other minerals. You might notice that a lot of potassium rich foods are also great sources of calcium, especially leafy greens, seafood, and dairy. Prioritizing more potassium rich foods in your diet is a great way to start supporting your minerals.
Supporting Digestion & Slowing Down
Minerals play a huge role in good digestion. Our bodies need to be in a relaxed state in order to carry out digestion properly. If digestion and metabolism are compromised, thinking of minerals like:
Sodium – is needed for producing sufficient stomach acid. This allows for proper protein breakdown and activates digestive enzymes.
Potassium – calms the nervous system and promotes digestive relaxation. In turn, proper digestion allows for optimal nutrient absorption.
Magnesium – is essential for muscle relaxation and nervous system calming. It plays a key role in promoting restful sleep, which further supports gut health.
Slowing down at meals to allow your body to digest your food better is not only great for digestion but also for the nervous system and stress response.
The best thing you can do to support digestion is mindful eating/slowing down, focusing on mineral-rich whole foods like sodium, potassium and magnesium and actively managing stress.
Take Inventory Of How You Are Living
How you are living each day has a huge impact on your mineral status. Are you constantly in a rush? Do you have signs you are addicted to cortisol?
● Always having a mile long to do list
● Feeling the need to do high intensity workouts
● Relying on coffee
● Rush through meals (never sit down)
● Lots of multitasking
● Constantly checking their phone
● Resistant to rest and relaxation
● Obsessed with health and constantly researching
Writing this down can help if you are visual. Here are some questions to reflect on:
● What does a typical day look like for you?
● Are you going from the moment you get up until the moment you go to bed?
● Are you often rushing or do you give yourself enough time for things?
● Do you spend time outside most days?
Most of us are living in a state of constant stress and doing. This will leave anyone feeling anxious. There are often small changes we can make overtime to slow down. Learning to do less and not always feeling like you have to be productive is often a key part of reducing our stress and slowing down. Take a few minutes to reflect on your day-to-day and try to find some space for slowing down. What change could you make to something to make it less stressful? Maybe it’s shortening a to-do list and only doing what’s absolutely essential or being more realistic with how long tasks take you so you aren’t always rushing. Whatever that might look like for you, outline changes you can start implementing (only do one at a time) to bring a little more peace to your day-to-day life. Making Changes Slowly Taking on one new habit or lifestyle change at a time is very undervalued in our fast-paced, quick-reward culture, but it’s the best way to avoid stressing out your body and get quick wins. Quick wins help our brains with motivation and make even more changes that will support our health in the future. Never underestimate the power of one new habit, mindset shift, or lifestyle change.