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Essential minerals

Cynthia HaywardWelcome to ‘essential minerals’. Here you will find tips to make the most out of the minerals your body needs.

Time-to- Run – Contributor Cynthia Hayward

How to keep your body’s engine in tip top form

Essential Minerals

Essential Minerals

No athlete, be they Michael Johnson or Joe Plod, can survive for long without a regular intake of the essential minerals. Sadly, many runners are undernourished for reasons other than poverty or being disadvantaged, but because of the quest to be super-thin. There is an alarming increase in bone loss among both men and women, which can have catastrophic consequences later on in life. However, runners can ensure that their bodies are performing at optimum level by following a few simple dietary rules.

Below is a list of the minerals essential for maintaining good health,strong bones, muscles and tendons.

Mineral
What does it do for you?
How much do I need to take each day?
What do I need to eat?
calcium maintains strong
bones and healthy teeth….Helps metabolise your body’s iron..Keeps
your heart beating regularly.
800 to 1200 mg
milk, cheese,
yoghurt, soyabeans, sardines, peanuts, sunflower seeds, dried
beans
chlorine helps keep you to stay supple
10 g
table salt, kelp, olives
copper keeps up your energy by aiding
iron absorption
2 mg
dried beans and
peas, whole wheat, prunes, calf and beef liver, most sea food
Fluorine Strengthens bones
1mg
fluoride drinking
water, sea food
iron promotes resistance to disease prevents fatigue
10 – 18mg for adults
beef kidney,
heart and liver, raw clams, dried peaches, red meat, egg yolks,
nuts, beans, asparagus, oatmeal
magnesium promotes a healthy cardio-vascular
system
300 – 400 mg
figs, lemons,
grapefruit, yellow corn, almonds, nuts, seeds, apples, dark
green vegetables
manganese helps prevent fatigue..Aids
muscle reflexes
2.5 to 7 mg
nuts, leafy vegetables,
peas, beetroot, egg yolks, whole grain cereals
phosphorous helps the body repair itself
800 – 1200 mg
fish, poultry,
whole grains, egg, nuts, seeds
potassium assists in reducing blood
pressure
2.700 mg
oranges, lemons,
grapefruit, green leafy vegetables, bananas, potatoes, sunflower
seeds
change according to 2004 data
selenium helps the tissues
retain its
50 – 100 mcg
wheat germ, bran,
tuna,
elasticity onions, tomatoes, broccoli
sodium helps your muscles
to function
over 14g can
produce
kitchen salt,
shellfish,
toxic effect carrots, dried beef
zinc governs the contractility
of
15 mg
steak, lamb chops,
brewer’s
muscles yeast, pumpkin seeds, eggs

Based on extracts from The Vitamin Bible by Dr Earl Mindell, published by Arlington Books, London

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