90 (plus) essential nutrients that we all need.

[Lynxcat]

In Britain, we have beautiful, rich, soil varieties that contain all of the required life-giving nutrients that hold the magical 'pinch' of life's wealth and health. We only ever hear about a few of the minerals and vitamins that are required in our diet but I would like to share with you a little information ....

There are at least 60 minerals that our bodies need, plus vitamins and essential fatty acids. Most are not found in bottles of pills. They are obtained through the vegetables that we eat. They are so tiny that they are thousands of times smaller than a red blood cell ..... invisible to us even perhaps with the aid of a microscope.

How do we make sure that we have these precious minerals? Well, firstly when you are able, purchase fresh vegetables, especially root vegetables. All the better if they are grown locally and covered in mud .... if they are purchased damp then lay them out on newspaper or something similar, perhaps in a garage or shed (if there is no frost about) and allow them to dry. Only remove the mud by scrubbing or peeling on the day that you plan to eat them - this keeps them packed with extra nourishment as the minerals penetrate easily through the tough vegetable skins even whilst they are in storage.

If it is difficult to acquire 'muddy' vegetables then what about trying out the easiest and fastest growing vegetable of all, radishes. Radishes are a wonderful addition to soups, stews, casseroles .... they can be shredded and added to pastries, cakes and your favourite bread mix. They can be boiled or steamed .... and remarkably there are around 250 different varieties of them, some are quite large and often found with a white skin. Not all are hot, some are very mild. They grow in a few short weeks - in fact every seed will most probably germinate. Try buying a cheap packet of seeds to begin with. They are available from around 40 pence a packet. They will grow anywhere, in window boxes, tubs, flowerpots, old buckets, old shopping baskets, along the edges of lawns, in rockeries, anywhere and everywhere there is a space. Radishes take only four weeks from the packet to the crop, so it is best to plant a few seeds each week - many people grown them all the year round.

To add extra minerals to the soil then why not start a little compost heap or pile in a corner of the garden. To make rich compost to add goodness to the soil, just take vegetable peelings, crunched up egg shells, nut shells, shredded paper, lawn mowings, weeds, toilet roll cardboard middles, paper egg boxes .... Then every so often add the magic ingredient, a scoop or two of soil. The soil is full of worm eggs which hatch out and turn the mix of matter into mineral rich garden food for your plants, which then find their health giving goodness into you. If the weather is dry then simply take the hose or watering can and give the compost a good sprinkling once or twice each week.

Extra little information:

Radishes are packed full of Vitamin C; Vitamin B Complex .... as well as a wealth of the micro nutrients (minerals). Some varieties grow quite large and almost resemble carrots or parsnips. I have grown large white and black ones and it came as quite a shock to me when I dug them up to find just how big they had grown.

Radishes are an under valued vegetable and they are better than most listed super foods as they help every part of the body and are far more nourishing than many other vegetables.

Firstly a list of the Vitamins:

Vitamin A

Vitamin B1(Thiamine)

Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin)

Vitamin B3 (Niacin)

Vitamin B4 (Choline)

Vitamin B5(Pantothenic Acid)

Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine)

Vitamin B7 (Biotin)

Vitamin B8 (Inositol)

Vitamin B9 (Folic Acid)

Vitamin B10 (PABA or Para-AminoBenzoic Acid)

Vitamin B11 (PHGA or Pteryl-Hepta-Glutamic Acid)

Vitamin B12 (Cobalamin)

Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid)

Vitamin C (Ascorbinogen)

Vitamin C (Rutin used by blood vessels)

Vitamin C (Tyrosinase is required for strengthening the effectiveness of white blood cells)

Vitamin C (Factor J used for the oxygen carrying capacity of the red blood cells)

Vitamin C (Factor K)

Vitamin C (Factor P required for the strength of the blood vessels)

Vitamin D

Vitamin E

Vitamin F (Essential Fatty Acids Omega 3 and Omega 6 – Omega 9, is usually listed separately)

Vitamin G (Also referred to as Vitamin B2 or Riboflavin)

Vitamin H (Also referred to as Vitamin B7 or Biotin or Vitamin I)

Vitamin I (Also is occasionally referred to as B7 or Biotin or Vitamin H)

Vitamin K

Vitamin L (Lysine)

Vitamin P (Bioflavonoids and Flavonoids – usually occur in the same foods as Vitamin C)

Below - are the names of the 60 minerals:

Aluminium

Arsenic

Barium

Beryllium

Boron

Bromine

Carbon

Calcium

Cerium

Caesium

Chloride

Chromium

Cobalt

Copper

Dysprosium

Erbium

Europium

Gadolinium

Gallium

Germanium

Gold

Hafnium

Holmium

Hydrogen

Iodine

Iron

Lanthanum

Lithium

Lutetium

Magnesium

Manganese

Molybdenum

Neodymium

Niobium

Nickel

Nitrogen

Oxygen

Phosphorus

Potassium

Praseodymium

Rhenium

Rubidium

Samarium

Scandium

Selenium

Sodium

Strontium

Sulphur

Silica

Silver

Tantalum

Terbium

Thulium

Tin

Titanium

Vanadium

Ytterbium

Yttrium

Zinc

Zirconium

Finally here are the Amino Acids:

Valine

Lysine

Threonine

Leucine

Isoleucine

Tryptophan

Phenylalanine

Methionine

Histidine

Arginine

Taurine

Tyrosine

[HiveMind]

Brilliant article Lynxcat, thanks for sharing it!

[Mango1]

Thanks for this article. Can you tell me if radish is part of the onion family, as I am not able to eat onion or garlic.

[Lynxcat in reply to Mango1]

Hello Allergies, The radish is in fact part of the brassica family. The name radish means quick growing and in warm regions some radish will grow in just three days. It is a vegetable that was domesticated by early Europeans and was in use as a food long before the Romans. It is the one vegetable that can be grown by us all and the whole plant is edible. The tops can be eaten like cabbage or kale, the plants may be left to form seed pods and the seeds can be eaten as a peppery spice, the meat is in the root, which often grows into a ball shape resembling its cousin the turnip .... but many have long, beautiful fleshy roots that can be stuffed, boiled, steamed, shredded, etc. It can even be grown as a sprout using water. It is a wonderful all-round plant with so many varieties all of which have their own special attributes and it is packed with nourishment.

[Mango1]

Thank you so much for your prompt response. I am new to this website and it is such a relief to realise that there are other people with similar food problems and it is not just me being fussy, as some people think. I am gf and a month ago was told I am lactose intolerant

as well. I wish someone would invent a pill that I could take to give me all the nutrients I need. I live a healthy lifestyle with plenty of exercise and socialise with friends, but eating out is soooo difficult.

[Lynxcat in reply to Mango1]

I know that it can be difficult but I have always found it best to try and be positive. It is perhaps not expressed often enough but if there is anything that any members can help you with, then please ask. We all quite frequently leave questions and there is nothing quite like someone with similar problems answering them. It is so helpful as well as being comforting.

As you have mentioned eating out - there is a map that you could try checking that is for coeliacs. It is also a good idea to phone ahead where you are planning to eat to ask whether menus could be adapted to leave items out that may be problematic to you.

coeliacmap.com/

As regards to vitamin and mineral pills - many are chemical based and so whenever you can it is really best to eat the vitamins and minerals your body needs. Sometimes, this can be difficult if a blood test shows a major deficiency and then we have to be sensible and take prescribed versions. Although, it is always best to remind a doctor of any allergies or problems we may have with some of the added ingredients such as wheat starch.

If you can eat them bananas are good for coeliacs as they are a powerhouse of nutrition and so are worth including as part of breakfast, lunch or evening pudding or just may be a snack! I am always eating bananas - they are lovely raw or grilled with a drizzle of honey .....

[Mango1]

You would expect ringing ahead to a restaurant to work, but not always as I have learnt to my cost. You just have to accept that you are wired differently, but it would be nice to be

able to go on holiday and not be ill. On the plus side I suppose is that food is not that important to me anymore other than to eat to live, rather than the other way round. Thanks again for your input. I am off to a spa with some friends soon, fingers crossed.

[Lynxcat in reply to Mango1]

Have a lovely time, a spa sounds wonderful!

[Hidden]

Hi Lynxcat, all very interesting and are these micronutrients like iodine? or are they smaller still?

I also agree about being positive and have a very positive disposition or I suffer from being irritably cheerful syndrome LOL. Seriously we deal with life's ups and downs so much better if we can keep on the sunny side.

Banana's are also great in pancakes with honey and sultana's which makes a scrummy breakfast or supper. And I love banana's and will have to add radishes to my diet after reading this so thanks for posting it.

[Lynxcat in reply to Hidden]

Hi Jerry, (and only just for fun ....) I am adding a website that I found l whilst I was checking out minerals as some people are listing over seventy whilst others are conservatively sticking to 60 or may be 61. This site, under minerals explains about calcium, which I thought was an interesting read .. however, the page is written in brown ink and over a spider's web pattern so for eye comfort I personally ++ the screen size! Lol! If you get a chance read the whole passage on minerals - it's food for thought! (Oh ..... extra note .... just found out that you can, in fact, click on the link from the top of the page in the red letter ladder.):

kingmaker.net/trustme.html#23

[Hidden]

Hi Lynxcat again very interesting and I realised that iodine is in your list so these are micronutrients.

I wonder if this is a good reason for us to have rock or sea salt instead of table salt that has had all or most of the trace elements removed.

Over refined food seems to be more of a problem than a bonus to our 'modern' diets...

[Lynxcat in reply to Hidden]

Especially for you ........... this is a breakdown of Himalayan Pink Salt:

atthemeadow.com/shop/Resour...

The tiny micronutrients are known as ionic minerals and are stripped out of refined foods. This leads to many of the health problems that often are abundant in coeliac disease so it makes sense for all of us to buy good quality salt over the supermarket every day versions on offer.

Another little link that may be of interest:

causeof.org/salt.htm

Not sure if this following link will be live but it shows just how much difference a good quality salt can make to everyone's general health prospects:

Just in case it doesn't show up here is the quote from the page:

"Minerals and trace nutrients consumed in proper ratios, have a profound effect on human health. They help to transport life-giving oxygen to the body; they aid in the utilization of other nutrients and form vital building blocks your body needs such as amino acids, proteins and even hormones. Your entire body, every system including

your hair, bones, fingernails, blood and nerves, relies on major and trace minerals for its proper function. In essence, we are a finely tuned, highly efficient chemical factory."

docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&...

[poing]

Interesting article and even more interesting list. I thought arsenic was poisonous. I think some bacteria can metabolise arsenic, but not humans. In humans it disrupts ATP production (so says wikipedia anyway). I used to work with arsenic compounds and had to attend medicals because of this.

[Lynxcat in reply to poing]

Hi there Poing, You are right it is a marvellous list and shows just how important it is for us to try and eat a varied diet to make sure we have the minute amounts we need to be as healthy as possible. As with all elements, it is important to remember that we only require the most minutest amount. It is believed, at the moment, that arsenic is a requirement of growth (primarily preventing retarted growth). As with all vitamins and minerals scientists are finding out new things about them as the years go on.

One of the things that I recently found out about was in regard to Vitamin C. I always was led to believe that Vitamin C was Vitamin C but it isn't. In fact it is built up of a vitamin complex and that is why natural Vitamin C is more effective for good health. Vitamin C also contains Vitamin P .. and I thought this was extremely interesting. I shall have to gather up the rosehips next year, it seems our grandparents with their rosehip syrups had far more sense than we (or should I say me) has today.

[poing in reply to Lynxcat]

As far as I know, although arsenic has been shown that it might be essential for some animals, there has never been any indication that it's essential to humans.

Lack of arsenic in diets results in underweight goats (I think it was goats), but the opposite has been found in humans - mothers with higher arsenic levels are more likely to have underweight babies.

Summary of the evidence here: nap.edu/openbook.php?record...

In fact, when you start to look around, the amount of research on the toxicity of arsenic is staggering. We're all exposed to arsenic in the environment, the amount of arsenic in the environment is increasing, and studies seem to show negative effects at ever smaller doses. It's up there with mercury, cadmium and lead as being a poison. My money is still on arsenic as a poison.

[Lynxcat in reply to poing]

Hi Poing,

Thank you for going to the trouble of looking up this information and the added link.

For the moment, from what I can see, it is currently on the charts as a mineral but perhaps the experts are wrong. They have been so, many times before and it well may be that it might be taken off the list after they have conducted further experiments.

I have never forgotten that once it was believed that the Sun revolved around the Earth, that stress was the cause of peptic ulcers (and how many people have suffered through that confusion?), that continents were stable and never moved, etc so as knowledge increases and people find out more beliefs change.

I often wonder whether the views on cholesterol may be amended in many years time as it is required for brain function and also for the production of Vitamin D in the skin.

On a further note to your arsenic, wasn't it due to that they believe to have caused the demise of Napoleon .. or has my memory failed me on this one?

[poing in reply to Lynxcat]

Oh, I can get a bit carried away. When I have a question, I like to find answers. I'm glad you didn't take it the wrong way.

I think the key to arsenic might be that it displaces selenium, so it turns up in the same places... makes it look like it's doing something when it's just getting in the way.

Perhaps we have the ability to cope with small amounts of arsenic in our diet, but because our diets are so deficient in selenium these days, toxicity is achieved very quickly. That's my best guess at the moment.

I hope the views on cholesterol and saturated fat do get amended... but I'm not holding my breath. The world's medical profession and the governments that support them are so invested in the idea that saturated fat is evil, and cholesterol has to be super low.

[Lynxcat in reply to poing]

Oh I am so glad we are of like mind .... I too like to get to the bottom of things. I think it pays to be that way - we have to look after ourselves as sometime it appears there is very little help from elsewhere.

I read with interest about the selenium .... at the moment I am eating Brazil nuts to try and increase mine naturally - besides which I quite like their milky flavour! Lol!

Regarding the cholesterol - I find that totally bemusing as recently I read a report that stated that 50% of people with heart conditions have high cholesterol and 50% of people with heart conditions have low cholesterol.

Please though, if you do come across any more useful information add it for I would love to read it.

Thank you so much!

[poing in reply to Lynxcat]

You're welcome.

[Penel]

Hi Lynxcat and poing

I'm certainly with you on cholesterol and saturated fat. Dr Briffa has some interesting articles on this. "Based on the best available evidence we know that taking dietary steps to reduce cholesterol by cutting back on saturated fat will not reduce the risk of heart disease, heart attack or overall risk of death"

drbriffa.com/2012/11/30/ask...

Arsenic seems to have different effects depending on the species, but does not appear to be good news for people - it can cause cancer.

sites.google.com/site/dukee...

[Lynxcat in reply to Penel]

Hi Penel, Thanks for adding these links - very interesting reads.

I am wondering too about the current thinking on salt intake - especially when there are those like me that do not eat processed foods. According to reports there hasn't been that much research done to conclude that there is any correlation between salt intake and bad health ... though most of the posts I have seen about this are from the US. I suppose that there will eventually come a time when there will be a simple test that will be able to tailor individuals requirements to all the essentials of life. Until that time I suppose we will all have to try and use our common sense!!

articles.mercola.com/sites/...

chriskresser.com/shaking-up...

esquire.com/the-side/MARIAN...