Iron is an essential mineral responsible for many functions in the human body. From sustaining healthy skin, hair and nails, as well as working to produce adenosine triphosphate (ATP; the body’s main energy source), iron is one mineral we can’t live without.

But, it may be the fact that it’s the main carrier of oxygen throughout the human body that makes it most essential. Too much or too little can wreak havoc on your health.

Hemoglobin mainly consists of nearly two-thirds of iron found in the human body. Hemoglobin is a substance found in red blood cells and is responsible for carrying oxygen from the lungs and transporting it throughout the body.

If you’re lacking in iron, then your body won’t be able to make enough healthy oxygen-carrying red blood cells, and without enough healthy red blood cells, your body won’t get the oxygen it needs. Continue reading →

When you eat a balanced, healthy diet, your body is more apt to receive the vitamins and minerals it needs.

If your diet is more like the Standard American Diet (SAD), you could be missing vital nutrients such as magnesium which your body needs to be healthy. Learning how to combat magnesium deficiency with food can greatly affect how you feel and how well you are.

Many people don’t think about the specific nutrients in their food. They know what they like to eat and will choose those foods regardless of whether they lose out on the vital building blocks needed for health.

Magnesium is needed to be able to metabolize glucose, aids in formation of the enzymes which free energy from the foods you eat, produces cellular energy and aids in the production of proteins. Continue reading →