Is Your Mineral Supplement Worth It?

The definition of a mineral is surprisingly simple. A mineral is “an organic substance needed by the human body for good health.” Now let’s stop for a minute and examine an important word in that definition: Organic.

Typically, when we see the word “organic”, we think of organic vs conventional produce; in other words, grown without chemicals or genetically modified seeds. That is indeed one definition of organic, but that’s not what we’re talking about here.

Organic in the sense of “organic minerals” means that the mineral was derived from something living.

Organic minerals come from plants; they are bioavailable. What that means is that they are very absorbable into the cells of the human body.

Organic minerals break down slowly, increasing their stability. This stability enables organic minerals to complete their journey to the parts of the body where they are needed without breaking away and binding to other compounds in the body, which would render them less absorbable or even completely unabsorbable.

Inorganic minerals, on the other hand, are mineral salts derived from non-living things (i.e. rocks and soil). Inorganic minerals are less bioavailable because they are less stable.

Inorganic minerals have a tendency to become “unbound” too quickly; they may bind with other molecules that make them less bioavailable or even completely unabsorbable. Obviously then, organic minerals are best to rebuild your cells, which are dying and being replaced at a rate of 300 million per minute.

So how do you know which type of mineral is being used in that supplement in your cupboard? Dr. Robert J. Thiel, author of Naturopathy for the 21st Century has a good rule of thumb:

“Most mineral salts are listed on the label with a two-word description, while most food complex minerals list the mineral and the source. For example, if next to the word ‘calcium’ the label says ‘carbonate’, it is clear that this is a mineral salt. If on the other hand, next to the word ‘calcium’ it says it is in a food complex (or otherwise states the food source) then it is usually from a food (it is of interest to note that calcium citrate is actually the rock known as limestone processed with lactic and citric acids — it is not a product of citrus fruits).”

Incidentally, your body cannot convert inorganic minerals into organic minerals — only plants can do that. The plant’s roots go into the soil, absorb the mineral salt, and convert it into something that is best for the human body to use. That’s why plants are so important to human health.

I’LL HAVE MORE TO SHARE NEXT TIME… but in the meantime, you can read about this and a lot more my latest book, “Escape Root: The Secret Passage to Lifelong Wellness” available at ARoodAwakening.tv/Escape