Balance Your Minerals, Balance Your Mood!
Our mineral levels actually have a big impact on our energy, mood and nervous system health. Since they’re needed in almost every life-giving enzyme reaction that happens in the body, this makes perfect sense! Continue reading to learn about the role of minerals and our mood, and how to rebalance both!
Minerals + Mood
Magnesium is the first responder to ongoing stress, and can get depleted quickly. Around 70% of the population are deficient. It’s an anti-anxiety and heart mineral and helps relax our muscles and regulate our energy production.
Low magnesium levels can contribute to:
feeling irritable
depression
addictions
anxiety
insomnia
🥬 A foods high in magnesium are: spinach, pumpkin seeds, avocados, hemp seeds, swiss chard, dark chocolate, almonds, cashews, mackerel
Calcium is incredibly important for our nervous system because it maintains nervous system impulses. It’s also important for bone and dental health. Our body can raise tissue stores of calcium to help numb our emotions when we’ve experienced trauma of any kind.
Low levels may lead to:
hypersensitivity
nervous, anxious
memory loss/ brain fog
hard to make decisions
🥬 A few high-calcium foods are: nettle infusions, sardines, almonds & almond milk, grapefruit juice, cow & goat milk, cow & goat cheese, yogurt, collard greens, alfalfa tea
Sodium and Potassium are both needed to help pump nutrients in and out of every cell. These minerals regulate our blood pressure and energy production. On the Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis tests that I run, I always look at the sodium-potassium ratio as a gauge for over-all vitality. When these minerals are very low, we know the adrenal glands are usually very stressed as well.
Low sodium
digestive issues- our body needs sodium to make stomach acid
exhaustion
lack of motivation
lack of ability to handle stress
Low potassium:
heart palpations
imbalanced cortisol levels
panic attacks
feeling tired but wired
🥬 A few high-sodium foods are: celtic sea salt or Redmonds’ Real salt, seaweeds, pickled veggies, sauerkraut, celery juice, artichoke, beets, swiss chard, animal products, eggs.
🥬 A few potassium-rich foods are: acorn squash, nettle infusions, celery juice, coconut water, coconut milk, beet greens, avocados.
A Few Other Noteworthy Mood-Supporting Minerals:
Lithium (orotate, the natural mineral form) is considered by some holistic practitioners to be one of the MOST important minerals for mental health and mood imbalances. It’s a calming and sedative mineral, found beneficial for anxiety, depression, bipolar symptoms, and memory loss (1). Lithium helps stabilize our moods, is neuroprotective, anti-inflammatory and helps regulate our circadian rhythm. (2)
Selenium + Iodine help the thyroid make thyroid hormones, (very important for stable moods and energy) support balanced mood and metabolism, reduce inflammation and protect brain-health. Selenium is found in high levels in brazil nuts, and seaweeds are a great source of iodine.
Iron is necessary for transporting oxygen in the blood, is a component of hemoglobin and supports energy production. Blood levels of ferritin, our stored form of iron, will plummet before our total iron levels do, as in pre-anemia. Feeling exhausted daily, very heavy periods, anxiety or low moods and/or heart palpations may indicate an iron deficiency issue. I prefer iron sources from food like nettle infusions, dark leafy greens and meat.
How Copper and Heavy Metals Can Cause Anxiety
So now you know quite a bit about minerals and the roles they play in our mood health. But did you know that toxic heavy metals can also play a role in our brain and mood health?
The Hair Tissue Mineral testing I use helps us see what heavy metals might be an issue for you. Many common metals like copper, lead, aluminum and arsenic can contribute to neurological imbalances and disrupt neurotransmitter function. And I see these heavy metals on nearly every test. This is because heavy metals can actually be used by the body to replace important minerals, as a crutch. So once you start a mineral balancing program, your body will finally have the correct minerals it needs to function, and then it begins to let go of unneeded or toxic types of metals.
Excess copper is infamous for contributing to mood problems like anxiety because it messes with the nerve conduction in the body and brain. And it’s everywhere these days. From birth control to pesticides to our copper pipes.
“High copper plays a key role in ADHD. Toxic copper is normally removed by natural processes in the body. Some individuals can’t get rid of copper biochemically. Copper is hyper-excitable to our nervous systems… High copper impacts hyperactivity, focus, attention and anxiety… People with high copper can not regulate Gamma Amino Butyric Acid (GABA) which is one of the calming neurotransmitters present in the brain.”
-The HTMA Experts
I don’t suggest trying to quickly detox out copper (or any heavy metals for that matter) without first supporting your liver, adrenals and mineral levels with nutritional therapy balancing. That way your body has the time and resources to safely and naturally detox out unneeded metals!
How to Measure Your Mineral Levels
Bloodwork is very useful for some markers, but not all. That’s why I recommend the Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis. With this easy home-test, we can see the tissue levels (not blood levels) of minerals and metals, which is necessary when we want accurate results. It’s the first test I start all of my clients with in my Stress Reset Program, because minerals are foundational to ANY wellness plan!
This simple screening test is easy do at home-you’ll only need to snip a tiny bit of hair and send it off to the lab! With the results, we’ll be able to determine which custom blend of minerals your body needs, which foods are beneficial for you, and what ratio of macros your body needs. This will be one of the most beneficial ways you can support your mood and well-being, because as you now know, minerals are the spark-plugs of life!!
If you’re interested in working with me to rebalance your minerals and boost your moods, energy and metabolism, just book a clarity call with me!
In Health + Wholeness,
Annika
(1) ‘Nutritional Essentials for Mental Health’ by Dr. Leslie Korn, pg 234
(2) https://www.organicfacts.net/lithium-orotate.html
I’d also like to thank Lisa Pite-Killah for her teachings on mood and minerals.
This information is being provided to you for educational and informational purposes only. It is being shared to provide general information and as a self-help tool for your own use. It is not to be substituted for the advice of licensed professionals of any kind. This information is to be used at your own risk based on your own judgment.