remove calcium from areas where it shouldn ’ t be ( such as in your arteries and soft tissues ), and shuttle it into the appropriate areas ( such as your bones and teeth ).
One of the best ways to achieve healthy bones is by consuming a diet rich in fresh , raw whole foods that maximize natural minerals so that your body has the raw materials it needs to do what it was designed to do . It ' s more likely your body can use calcium correctly if it ' s plantderived calcium . Good sources include raw milk from pasture-raised cows ( who eat the plants ), leafy green vegetables , the pith of citrus fruits , carob , and wheatgrass , to name a few . You also need sources of silica and magnesium , which some researchers say is actually enzymatically " transmuted " by your body into the kind of calcium your bones can use . Good sources of silica are cucumbers , bell peppers , tomatoes , and a number of herbs including horsetail , nettles , oat straw , alfalfa , and raw cacao , which is also extremely rich in highly bioavailable magnesium .
# 10 : Iron
Iron is essential for human life , as it is a key part of various proteins and enzymes , involved in the transport of oxygen and the regulation of cell growth and differentiation , among many other uses . One of the most important roles of iron is to provide hemoglobin ( the protein in red blood cells ), a mechanism through which it can bind to oxygen and carry it throughout your tissues , as without proper oxygenation , your cells quickly start dying .
If you have too little iron , you may experience fatigue , decreased immunity , or iron-deficiency anemia , which can be serious if left untreated . This is common in children and premenopausal women .
But , while iron deficiency affects more than a quarter of the global population , it ’ s equally hazardous to have too much iron , and elevated levels are just as common , or perhaps even more so than iron deficiency , thanks to a hereditary disease known as hemochromatosis , one of the most prevalent genetic diseases in the United States . While I was seeing patients , I regularly screened my patients for ferritin , and noticed nearly one-fourth of them had elevated levels . If you have more iron than what your body needs to satisfy your hemoglobin requirement ( for cell oxygenation ), the rest becomes a surplus . And since your body has a limited capacity to excrete iron , it can build up in your body , with potentially lethal consequences . Iron is a very potent oxidant stressor .
The oxidation caused by too much iron causes dangerous free radicals to form , which can cause significant damage in your cells and increase your risk of heart disease by damaging the inner lining of your blood vessels . It can also damage your DNA and promote diseases like cancer .
Ferritin Test — An Important Preventive Health Screen as Too Much Iron Is as Dangerous as Too Low
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