Minerals – Why We Need Them

September 12, 2010

Calcium
• Function: helps regulate your heartbeat and move your muscles and is the main material in your bones and teeth.
• Food source: milk, leafy green vegetables, fish with bones – salmon, canned sardines.

Chromium
• Function: helps your body use glucose.
• Food Source: beans, cheese, whole grains, peas, meat

Copper
• Function: help your body utilizes iron, reduce damage from free radicals, healthy thyroid gland, protect tissues covering nerves.
• Food source: tomatoes, summer squash, green peas, garlic, green beans, nuts and seeds, seafood, dried beans.

Fluorine
• Function: healthy bones and teeth
• Food Source: gelatin desserts, fish, tea, and fluoridated water

Iodine
• Function: helps keep your skin, hair, and nails healthy, and for healthy thyroid gland function
• Food Source: iodized salt, seaweed, seafood, and dairy products

Iron
• Function: enzymes, and protein production, and helps the blood carry oxygen.
• Food Source: beans, nuts, dried fruits, green vegetables, egg yolks, and peas

Magnesium
• Function: healthy heart beat, muscles contraction, and proper bones grow.
• Food Source: apricots, bananas, soybeans, nuts, leafy green vegetables, and whole grains

Manganese
• Function: proper cellular function and bones growth.
• Food Source: cocoa, egg yolks, nuts, whole grains, vegetables, and fruits

Molybdenum
• Function: healthy cell function
• Food Source: dark green vegetables, peas, grains, and beans

Phosphorus
• Function: balance body fluid, carry nutrients to cells, keep regular heartbeat, muscles contractions
• Food Source: peas, peanuts, dried fruits, bananas, oranges, beans, potatoes, yogurt, and meat

Selenium
• Function: protect and promote healthy cell function
• Food Source: egg yolks, chicken, garlic, grains, tomatoes, fish, shellfish, and red meat

Sodium
• Function: body fluid balance
• Food Source: table salt, high in most processed foods

Zinc
• Function: wound healing, effect sense of smell and taste
• Food Source: whole wheat, poultry, eggs, beef, and shellfish

{ 75 comments… read them below or add one }

NNH July 9, 2011 at 7:24 pm

I am amazed at what magnesium does for so many different things. I dont feel I get enough in my diet. I would like to start taking a magnesium supplement but the doc spoke more on which supplments that are not so helpful vs ones that are. I also learned that calcium causes blood vessel contractions. It makes sense that people with HTN are at times given calcium channel blocker drugs to prevent increased B/P

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JM2 July 7, 2011 at 7:19 pm

The magnesium video blew me away. I didn’t have a clue that this mineral, or lack thereof, could be involved in so many aspects of my life. I suffer from some of the symptoms mentioned but I always attributed it to getting older and just being one of those people that stress gets the best of. Who knows, maybe I could improve my quality of life by upping my intake. I’m sure going to try.

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NNH July 9, 2011 at 7:25 pm

I am going to try some as well to see if it does help aid in the relaxation in regards to stress.

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PLP July 7, 2011 at 12:24 am

These videos were awesome! They explained things to me that I had been told about, but wasn’t sure it was correct, or I hadn’t ever heard of it. Calcium I know you need that daily for your bones and to help prevent Osteoporosis. And the magnesium, I have taken something from the health food store, when I wan’t sleeping and under a lot of stress. Said it would relax me and help with the stress. It does work! The information about magnesium was new to me on a lot of it, but makes very good sense. So I believe I will add that to my vitamins daily.
Zinc I will add, as I have been wondering if I have a shortage of it myself. I have always wondered if a zinc deficiency was the cause of a person’s fingernails splitting from end to the quick and beyond.

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RRJ July 6, 2011 at 6:15 pm

I had know idea magnesium was that important. So many of the problems I deal with daily is probably due to low levels of magnesium. I know I need to take a calcium supplement because I don’t drink milk and eat very little dairy products.

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tresa clark July 6, 2011 at 3:06 pm

Calcium: I didn’t realize just how much calcium was needed in a day from 1000mg.-1200mg.
Magnesium: I didn’t realize that this is related to irregular heartbeats.
Zinc: I was shocked to find out this helps in the healing and scarring process.

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AMG July 6, 2011 at 12:52 pm

I was very happy to learn that Zinc helps with the healing process and with scarring. My husband has recently had two back surgerys and is very concerned about that. It good to know that he take Zinc.

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TRH July 6, 2011 at 1:05 am

I feel I get plenty of calcium but I sure lack in magnisium. The vidio talked about heart palpitations and irritability. I feel I probably need to get some suppliments or change my diet to increase it.

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BNK July 5, 2011 at 3:40 pm

Wow…..did not know near enough about magnesium!!! Good to know the types of foods that can be eaten to replace it!

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RRJ July 6, 2011 at 6:17 pm

I will probably have to take a supplement because I am worse than the children when it comes to eating healthy.

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BNK July 5, 2011 at 3:30 pm

Didn’t realize a person needed 1000mg of calcium a day…I def do not get that much.

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LLM July 5, 2011 at 12:08 pm

It was very shocking on how the magnesium can help your body but also the many things that it can do to your body. I know that I do not get enough magnesium so if I start eating more vegetables and fruits I would increase my magnesium. I get plenty of calcium a day but I need to work on my zinc and magnesium.

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smb July 5, 2011 at 10:18 am

I have a friend that has the heart irregularities & tries everything. I am going to tell her about this. Also she needs to relax a little.
I am sure this has to be part of a parenting class somewhere so people actually learn how to eat healthy.

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DMC 4 June 30, 2011 at 9:21 pm

i dint know magnesium did all that stuff for the body esspecially about stree and relaxation I think i am going to start taking it on a daily bases I know that i do not get enough in my diet.

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GYF June 30, 2011 at 3:05 pm

I know from watching the video that I need to get more calcium. I like cheese a lot! But, I never drink milk, unless with cereal. I get plenty of magnesium from wheat bread, because I always choose wheat over white.

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bst June 30, 2011 at 1:02 am

I did not know that our bodies need so much magneseim. Also i was unaware of just taking vitamins and minerals we could be alot healthier than we are.

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LAF2 June 29, 2011 at 11:24 pm

It was interesting that that can give you magnesium for pre-term labor. And take it for leg cramps, that is very good to know.

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aak2 June 28, 2011 at 11:25 am

All the foods he listed to eat for magnesium besides wheat bread, I do not eat. Maybe thats why I am stressed a lot. I think I might take his advice and test it out. I had no idea what all these vitamins and minerals could do to help your body. It’s amazing. Zinc I do get a lot of. But not so much calcium. I am not a cheese person and not to big on drinking milk. I’ll have a glass every now and then. If older people get the right amount of calcium a day should they have any problems with osteoprosis?

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MAO June 27, 2011 at 10:02 pm

Eveyone says how important calcium is and it is drilled into your brain from a young, but very little emphasis is given to the importance of magnesium and zinc. It was interesting to find out that magnesium deficiency causes a whole host of symptoms many of which my husband suffers from. I am going to get some magnesium tablets to start giving him to see if that makes a difference. It is so amazing how one small thing missing from your diet can cause so many problems. I also would like to see if magnesium really works as a stress reliever and relaxation mineral.

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JM2 July 7, 2011 at 7:25 pm

I’m with you. The Dr. in that video should have been a salesman because he makes magnesium sound like a super drug. I’m also going to try a magnesium supplement and see if it makes even the smallest difference in my quality of life. Who doesn’t want to feel a little better?

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lfletcher2 June 25, 2011 at 5:53 pm

Thanks for sharing that information I will try taking magnesium for my leg cramps.

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lmp2 June 25, 2011 at 12:26 pm

this is really good to know. i was wowed that magnesium was so important to our body. i had no idea that zinc helped the body heal from surgeries and such. i wounder sense milk is a could source of calcium, do you get lower amount in say 1% or skim?

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TNS-2 June 23, 2011 at 9:17 am

I was unaware that we needed zinc daily and that it is found in so little food. As far as magnesium goes, I had absolutely no idea that it was so important to our health. I also did not know that all of those diseases and conditions could be caused from a magnesium deficiency. I am definitely going to try to take a magnesium supplement from now on and see if I can tell a difference.

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lmp2 June 25, 2011 at 1:06 pm

it is amazing that they use magnesium for all these things like premature labor and people that are coding. i was truly amazed.

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bst June 30, 2011 at 1:04 am

I would have to agree with you i am truly amazed too.

HMH2 June 22, 2011 at 9:21 pm

I am learning so much from the textbook and videos about vitamins and minerals. In the past I didn’t know the difference between the two. I especially enjoyed the second video on magnesium deficiency. It seems like magnesium deficiencies can cause quite a few problems. I am going to be consuming more nuts and beans. Plus, it sounds like just increasing your fruit and vegetable intake will help boost magnesium as well. Maybe it will help with my stress level.

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LLM July 5, 2011 at 12:06 pm

I also did not know how much magnesium does for the body and how it can affect your body if you do not get enough of it. If I ate more fruits and vegetables j would increase my magnesium intake also.

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JM2 July 7, 2011 at 7:28 pm

I agree. I have been amazed at what I have learned in this class. I’m grateful that we have to do these assignments because they are a great supplement to the textbook.

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lfletcher2 June 22, 2011 at 7:20 pm

I never knew that having a mood could be from being magnesium deficient, or if you go to into pre-term labor they give you magnesium to help stop it.

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smb July 5, 2011 at 10:20 am

I have two children (grown) that could benefit from a “mood” enhancement now & again. would be nice to know if they are magnesium deficient!

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MRC2 M Cottrell June 22, 2011 at 5:14 pm

I learned a lot about calcium when I went through the Anatomy and Physiology courses here at the college. Calcium is pretty amazing and it does a lot in our bodies. One thing I regret is getting enough calcium in my 20’s and up till my mid 30’s. I don’t have any symptoms of a calcium deficiency or anything but do wonder if my lack of calcium during those many years will show up to bite me in the butt later. I have had a problem with dairy for as long as I can remember and so I just did not eat it. I stopped drinking milk, eating yogurt, ice cream, and sour cream. I love all of those foods so it was really a hard thing to do. Now I find out through this nutrition course, that I may not have had to cut out all of those items. I have recently started eating yogurt again with no ill-effects.

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HMH2 June 22, 2011 at 9:23 pm

I cut out milk a few years ago and only drink regular milk once in a while, but now I’m finding that I should probably add it back into my diet. It’s interesting to watch these videos and see some myths revealed. It’s great that we are being educated on these topics!

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TNS-2 June 23, 2011 at 9:19 am

I agree with the lack of calcium catching up to you thing. I have never drank lots of milk or ate a large dairy diet and have always worried that one day I would regret it, but from watching that video I learned that calcium is also found in bread and broccoli. So maybe this will help me!

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aak2 June 28, 2011 at 11:28 am

I have heard that if you don’t get enough calcium they cause those little white spots you get on your nails. I wonder if this is really true. I get the spots every now and then, but don’t pay enough attention to see if I get them when I havent been getting enough calcium.

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wjh2 June 22, 2011 at 11:14 am

I had no idea magnesium was so important for the body. I have leg pain and twitches at night so I may be low of this very important mineral. Very informative.

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lfletcher2 June 25, 2011 at 5:55 pm

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HMH2 June 22, 2011 at 9:11 pm
I thought that was interesting as well. It seems like the sun would be beneficial if taken in moderation.

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lfletcher2 June 25, 2011 at 5:48 pm
Your comment is awaiting moderation.

I also thought that was very interesting.

REPLY

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LAF2 June 29, 2011 at 11:24 pm

Going to try it to see if it really works.

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C-W March 4, 2011 at 4:45 pm

i didnt know that calcium was so beneficial for so many things in the body, i thought it was just improvement in the bones.Ive never been aware of magnesium except for milk of magnisia, let alone ways to consume it in our diet.
i never knew just where zinc came from, i have only heard of supplements.

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J-H March 4, 2011 at 12:01 pm

I had no idea all that information behind magnesium i will have to look into that which could possibly explain a lot of my symptoms.

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E-A February 17, 2011 at 3:19 pm

these videos are very helpful in knowing how the different nutrients there are in different fruits and vegatables. its very nice to know what nutrients i need and the quantities per day.Yay!!!!!!!!

EA

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MIA February 16, 2011 at 12:11 am

After hearing the videos on vits I am very interested what all in the body can change by adding oral supplements? M-S

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R-E February 10, 2011 at 7:16 pm

Calcium is very important to our bodies, we may not realize it at our age but when we get 55+ we will see just how much calcium our bodies need.Magnesium defficents could kill us in the long run. I did not realize that it was so important.

REPLY: SG- that is a great idea, I think that I will start taking them as well. Did not realize how important all of this was to our skin, moods, and body functions.

RE

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S-G February 9, 2011 at 6:40 pm

I believe that the next time I am in town I will pick up some magnesium supplements. I can not believe all they help with. That was a very informative video. s-g

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C-S February 9, 2011 at 11:33 am

When, I worked at another hospital, we had patients with lots of stage 4 wounds. There was some you could see their lower back bone ( coccyx) The doctor would always put on a multivitamin, magnesium, and zinc and vitamin C. ALWAYS. Now, that was not the only thing that would help with wound healing, they checked their albumin level, and made sure they had enough protein, etc. There wounds did heal, but the best thing we taught was was prevention.

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Salvador V. October 8, 2010 at 7:07 pm

I had no idea zinc was that significant. I need to get more zinc but there’s no way I will ever eat oysters. I like the fact that it helps speed up the healing process.

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Holly Bean October 8, 2010 at 6:31 pm

I know that I need to get more calcium, but I did not know that lack of calcium had such bad effects. I always heard if you dont drink enough milk your bones wont grow strong, but I never really listened because I figured I was to young to worry about it. I do not really like milk so it has been hard to me to drink it. After watching this video I am going to start taking calcium supplements becase I now no how important calcium is.

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Tyler B October 8, 2010 at 3:02 pm

As a kid i always heard that milk was important for me to get calcium but i never heard about magnessium and zince and all the other minerals that are just as important maybe my parents should have taken classes like this in school.

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Lacey H. October 7, 2010 at 6:59 pm

So I really think I might lack some magnesium because some of the symptoms I have had and I just didn’t realize that it was because I lacked this mineral. I knew about calcium because that what we always heard as kids. Its crazy how people over look all these other minerals that people need.

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Laken Teague October 1, 2010 at 1:58 pm

I was unaware of the symptoms that lack of magnesium can cause. I also did not know that magnesium and zinc were just as important as calcium . As a kid I have always heard the commercials drink milk for strong bone but none about magnesium and zinc. I need more zinc to boost my immune system considering I get sick alot.

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D Beard September 29, 2010 at 7:25 pm

I think everybody knows why calcium is important. Zinc and magnesium is over looked. As a kid you are always told milk builds strong bones. You never her this and that for zinc and magnesium. This was a helpful videos

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Salvador V. October 8, 2010 at 7:12 pm

I agree that calcium does take the majority of the credit. I was only told to drink milk for strong bones as a child.

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Glen L September 23, 2010 at 9:57 pm

Learn something everyday! I definatly get my source of calcium but i do need to work on my magnizium and zinc.

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Madge C September 23, 2010 at 1:05 am

I knew almose everything they talked about on calcium. It was the clip on magnesium that blew me out of the water. moodiness, stress, weight, relaxsation, heart failure, migrains, insomnia and being fat, just to name a few things that are atributed to lack of or low levels of this minneral. I am going to go an buy myself a wash tub full of this mirracle minneral! Zinc will also be on my list because who would not want to boost their immune system?

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Lacey H. October 7, 2010 at 7:05 pm

Some of the symptoms for magnesium deficiency I just wrote off to everyday life getting to me and I had no idea that there could be something out there that could help with those symptoms.

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MAO June 27, 2011 at 9:41 pm

I had no idea that deficiency in magnesium could case that either. I am definitely going to go buy some magnesium tablets to start taking and I will be giving them to my husband as well; he has alot of those symptoms too.

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devin r September 22, 2010 at 11:12 pm

Anal spasms? Who has those really? Well anyways, magnesium helps a lot of things… Stress all the way to anal spasms.

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vera, A September 18, 2010 at 11:52 pm

I knew calcium is very important.and i had underlooked the importance of zinc and magnesium.i did not not know magnesium of all was that important too.these videos would have been much better if they had the signs and symptoms of toxicity of thes minerals and not only effects of defficiency.

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Jessi R. September 16, 2010 at 11:43 am

The second video on magnesium has me thinking that I most likely suffer from magnesium deficiency based on the fact that I experience several of the symptoms that he said may be a sign that you are lacking magnesium. Also, I do not eat many of the foods he listed that contain magnesium plus I believe I probably sweat out most of the magnesium from my body when I play basketball and exercise. I believe I need to start getting my magnesium from a supplement because this seems to be the best, if not only, way to ensure that I get enough magnesium.

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Krysten A September 15, 2010 at 11:19 pm

the concept of magnesium totally makes sense as the “relaxation drug”

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TRH July 6, 2011 at 1:03 am

I did not know this about magnesium and zinc. I sure need to increase my magnesium. I seem to have the heart papulations and irritability quite a bit.

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Krysten A September 15, 2010 at 11:16 pm

calcium is very important to have and i drink quite a bit of milk each day but my little brother that’s all he will drink so i know he’s getting his calcium each day, but probably too much. We have to go through like almost 2 gallons a week because he drinks so much on his own not counting the amount anyone else drinks.

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sarina m. September 19, 2010 at 12:47 pm

I know that felling we go through about 2 gallons a day and the biggest part is drink by my oldest son

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Lauren D September 15, 2010 at 8:21 pm

These videos are always interesting but I still feel the same. I think that everyone is different and by saying that we have to have so much in a day or we will die is kinda extreme. I’m not saying that these things aren’t healthy for you but we’ve learned so much about the amount of intakes we need a day that I’m starting to lose track. In the second video, the guy said magnesium deficiency causes this and that and in the end he said but if you have kidney or heart disease then consult a doctor. So again it’s good but it can also be bad. What if an already healthly person started taking these different supplements and became ill. There are so many different opinions from people we are suppose to trust and we don’t know if the advice could turn out potentially harmful or not. I think that everyone should base these decisions directly on their on evaluation of their body and not what so many different people are saying that we need and don’t need.

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Kwin September 18, 2010 at 4:05 pm

These videos are meant to increase your awareness of individual nutrients. In the real world we don’t go around thinking “Oh I need to make sure I’m getting enough calcium, magnesium and zinc today”.

Only when we start to suffer from prolonged deficiency or have a medical complaint that we pay attention to what we may be lacking.
A good multiple vitamin is a good idea for most of us in general good health but not eating a variety of food like we should. Increase foods that have the particular nutrient you think you may lack is a safe bet. It’s when taking an individual vitamin or mineral supplement that one has to be careful not to overdose.

And yes, individual food and supplement intolerance must be considered. Example: if you are lactose intolerant you can try lactose free milk, milk with lactaid enzymes, or take lactaid enzymes before drinking milk, plus there are food sources with calcium other than milk and cheese.

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AMG July 6, 2011 at 12:51 pm

I have to agree I thought the Magnesium video was a little extreme, I didnt know how important it was to the body.

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Ashley M September 15, 2010 at 8:20 pm

I guess we learn something new everyday, right? It was fresh on my mind that calcium is the structure for bones and teeth, but I never knew it wasnt made in the body. Also, that it helps with blood vessel contractions and muscle usage.
It is crazy that magnesium is such a “miracle mineral,” and 1/2 of America has a deficiency of it when we are twice as likely to die! It is in all tissues, bone, muscle, and our brain. Solving this problem is by eating less salt and sugar and adding things like wheat bread, shrimp, and nuts. What is astonishing it cures all types of body problems and dieases (Irregular heart beat, constipation, and many more).
When it comes to Zync its all about protection for our body. It stimulates enzymes and helps produce a healthy immune system. It also helps with healing wounds such as burns, punctures or the skin and etc. These are all vital elements that we need to survive.

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Lindsey E September 15, 2010 at 3:15 pm

I need to work on getting more calcuim. I am sure that I usually get enough but my diet lately has been bad. I really need to drink more mile. I did not know that zinc helped heal wounds. I also did know all the different things that a lack of magenesium could cause.

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MIA February 16, 2011 at 12:09 am

That seems odd ??That one easy pill can help with wound care. There are many “old fashion ” vits that we should use. Due to most people not eating balanced diet. M-S

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Marcie G September 15, 2010 at 3:07 pm

these videos are very helpful in knowing how the different nutrients there are in different fruits and vegatables. But, i still have to take supplements cause the acids in most fruit i am allergic too.

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Lauren D September 15, 2010 at 8:24 pm

You are allergic to acids in fruits and thats your own body. Not everyone is allergic to them so it validates my point by saying that no one should say that you are suppose to have a certain intake of something when they don’t know how your body will react to it.

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vera, A September 18, 2010 at 11:58 pm

Marcie, if you are allergic to acidic fruits, then i think the supplements id your best option.but always rem to talk to your doc. about any supplements you are taking because taking them in the concentrated forms could have very toxic effects.try vegetables in place of fruits.most vegetables would provide much of the vitamins and minerals just as fruits.

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Debora M September 14, 2010 at 11:07 am

As I sat and listened about the magnesium, all that was running through my head was I need to tell my mother-in-law about this because I am sure she doesn’t know that maybe she is just lacking magnesium. Also, when he was talking about all the things the lack of magnesium may contribute to, I kept thinking of my husband. I am going to get some magnesium today because I know the way we eat we do not get near enough.

As for the calcium, I have tried for years to make sure I get enough. I worked for a doctor for a few years and I watched a woman that was 5’8″ shrink down to 5’2″ in a matter of years because of osteoporosis. I knew I didn’t want to be like her. I think I need to get me a good multivitamin to get the zinc I need to. Man, am I ever learning a lot.

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MRC2 M Cottrell June 22, 2011 at 5:31 pm

The magnesium video shocked me just as much. I started thinking about my family members and the symptoms they are having. Also, I really was shocked to learn that I had 4 or five the symptoms that he listed. One of them was the heart irregularities. I have been having irregular heartbeats for the last few years. I noticed that they are getting more frequent. I thought maybe it was because of stress or caffeine. I cut out all the caffeine in my diet and still I have these irregular occurrences. I have become even more anxious as well. I jump at every little noise and my heart races, like when you get scared of something, when I am sitting down doing practically nothing. I went to see a cardiologist and all he wanted to do was use me as a guinea pig and pump me full of heart medication to see if it could slow my heart down. I refuse to take that junk! I will be trying this magnesium most definitely.

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Terrie H September 14, 2010 at 7:04 am

Nice to know. I knew about calcium but i did not know the reason behind magnesium and zinc. I know when i had a back injury the doc did not give me traditional pharmaceuticals. Instead he had me take high doses of magnesium zinc and selenium. And it did help.

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ts=2 July 11, 2011 at 7:03 pm

Yes it always to learn good things that will help you with your health. Magnesium zinc can help with back problems and help it get better. With that your feel better.

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