Minerals in Muscle Movement
Most people understand the importance of protein consumption for muscular strength, maintenance, and growth. And of course, you need high water consumption in order to digest protein, too. Carbohydrates, fats, and vitamins are also important for peak performance. But we often pay little attention to the vital role of minerals in the muscular system. In short, muscles cannot function without calcium, potassium, and sodium in optimal quantities in our bodies. These quantities may be small, but their presence is of vital importance.
Calcium (Ca) is necessary for the transmission of impulses in nerves and muscles. In short, calcium is the catalyst needed to move our muscles when we want them to. Potassium (K) is necessary for the physical movement of the muscular system. Potassium is found in 98% of the cells and 2% externally. Suboptimal levels of potassium will lead to muscle fatigue and cramping. This is especially important for athletes, as the loss of potassium in perspiration is well documented and substantial. Lastly, sodium (Na) is important as it works in conjunction with and completely inversely with potassium. Sodium is found primarily outside the cells, and this is an important relationship for the muscles to function properly.
In short, a muscle contracts when the potassium and sodium ratio in the body is reversed (i.e., potassium exits the cell and sodium enters it). To ease a muscle, the process is reversed, and balance is restored in the composition of the muscle cell. The importance of these minerals cannot be overemphasized, particularly when speaking of the cardiac muscle. The heart would stop beating without these mineral ratios in cells.
Now that we know what’s needed, let’s look at how to consume adequate amounts of these minerals from healthy sources. In the pursuit of healthy sources, please put down the milk, banana, and potato chips. Excellent sources of calcium are the green leafy vegetables: spinach, turnips, mustard greens, and collard greens. Other good sources include sardines, sesame seeds, and goat’s milk. Calcium is very important to consume in the diet, as failing to do so forces the body to cannibalize the bones to maintain the blood calcium. Calcium supplementation, if you choose to opt for this method, should be consumed with adequate amounts of vitamin D for absorption, as calcium is not assimilated in the body alone. Excess calcium floating in our blood will cause calcification, resulting in kidney stones and gall bladder stones, and it’s even been implicated in cancerous tumors.
The old belief that bananas are the best source of potassium is greatly exaggerated, as potassium is found readily in almost all fruits and vegetables. Maintaining a proper potassium balance is easily achieved by following a healthy diet. Great sources of potassium are Swiss chard, cremini mushrooms, and spinach.
The last mineral, sodium, has a dubious reputation. It’s a necessary mineral in small doses, but its extreme prevalence in the modern North American diet is unhealthy and ultimately dangerous in high doses. Sodium can cause edema, high blood pressure, and kidney failure, all illnesses that come with their own list of health challenges. Sodium should not be consumed in large quantities, and sodium in processed foods should definitely be avoided.
There are many natural sources of sodium, so it’s very easy to consume adequate amounts without resorting to regular table salt or large quantities of processed forms of sodium. It’s found in barley, beets, celery, and kelp and can be consumed through Celtic sea salt, which contains many minerals, not just sodium.
As the preceding indicates, it’s of fundamental importance to consume adequate amounts of minerals in the diet to keep the body moving. And you’ll notice the foods that are the best sources of minerals are vegetables, so like your mother always said, “Eat your fruit and vegetables.”