GOOD HEALTH SALTS IN THE BALANCE Posted on Friday, May 21, 2010 |

You're totally drained. And it's not the usual suspects, such as low BP… Chances are you need to correct your 'salt' balance, and that doesn't mean just the one on your table. Read on to know more.
What are commonly referred to as 'salts' are actually minerals that can be divided into two groups – the seven our body needs in larger amounts (calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, sulpher, chlorine and phosphorus) and those we need in small amounts, also called trace minerals (such as iron, zinc, iodine, selenium and copper). Remember a proper balance of minerals is essential for maintaining optimum health.
Calcium (Ca)
Importance Helps build and maintain strong bones and teeth; promote muscle growth; control electrical impulses in the brain; maintain blood pressure; and facilitate blood clotting. It's a de rigueur component for laying down new bone and maintaining optimum bone mass.
Deficiency Causes leg cramps, muscles spasms, brittle bones and increased risk of colon cancer. In children, bones can't develop fully so, as they enter adulthood, there's an increased risk of osteoporosis. Women should be especially vigilant – their bodies are much slower at producing bone and also lose bone mass much faster than men.
Sources Milk, cheese, paneer, yoghurt, tinned fish with bones, and green leafy vegetables.
Daily dose* 250ml skimmed milk, one small pot of youghurt and one serving of tinned fish (or a serving of green leafy vegetables/another cup of yoghurt).
Note: Deficiency of fluoride can lead to calcium loss. Fortunately, regular drinking water already has sufficient amounts of fluoride, as do seafood and toothpaste.

Iodine (I)
Importance: Keeps the thyroid gland healthy, thus improving growth and the body's energy-burning capacity.
Deficiency: Manifests as loss of energy, weight gain, dry hair and other skin conditions.
Source: Seafood, dairy products, green and seasonal vegetables, mixed dals and iodised table salt.
Daily dose*: Your usual dose of iodised salt is enough.
Iron (Fe)
Importance: Used to build tendons and ligaments, and maintain a healthy immune system. It is a key constituent of haemoglobin (the blood pigment that carries oxygen).
Deficiency: Results in insufficient oxygen supply to organs, leading to fatigue, decreased alertness and muscular dysfunction. Prolonged deficiency may also lead to anaemia (especially in women in their 20-30s, due to menstrual loss, dieting or pregnancy).
Source: Grains and grain products, pulses, eggs, meat, apricots, figs, mangoes, apples and green vegetable.
Daily dose*: Two slices wholemeal bread; a bowl of cereal; six dried apricots; or a small protion of mutton liver.
Note: Vitamin C increases iron absorption – have juices or fruits with your breakfast cereal. About 30-40mg iron is lost during the average menstrual cycle, so even a slight fall in orion levels can cause fatigue and lethargy.
Magnesium (Mg)
Importance: Essential for proper growth ; formation and function of bones and muscles; lung function; normal brain functions and memory; absorption of calcium and potassium; conversion of food into energy; maintaining the body's acid-alkali balance; and controlling insulin levels. Also prevents high BP and depression.
Deficiency: Decreases the body's ability to remove excess sugar from the blood and causes dizziness.
Source: Grains, seeds and nuts (especially almonds), meat, tuna, milk, green vegetables, potatoes, bananas, apples, jamun, phalsa, mangoes, guava and amla.
Daily Dose*: Dry-roasted unsalted peanuts (100g), veggies (125g), salad (200g) and fruit (2 serving twice a day).
Note: It's available in raw foods. Cooking removes it from foods but spices can help preserve some portion.
Potassium (K)
Importance: Maintains health of brain cells, skin, liver and other organs; aids cell generation; works with sodium to control nerve function and muscle contraction; helps regulate the flow of water and nutrients in and out of cells.
affecting optimal cell function. An excess, however, can affect the kidneys.
Source: Vegetables, potatoes, fruits (especially bananas) and fruit juices, fish, meat, pulses, nuts and seeds, bread.
Daily Dose*: Five portions of fruit and vegetables a day.
Note: A potassium:sodium ratio of 2:1 is necessary for proper fluid retention – key in the hot summer months.

Sodium (Na)
Importance: Regulates blood chemistry and blood volume, hence blood pressure; helps digest food; and maintains nervous system function.
Deficiency: Typically results in dehydration and weakness, mental confusion in more serious cases.
Daily Dose*: Women shouldn't have more than 2g (men about 2.5g) of sodium, which translates to about 6g of table salt every day on an average.

Note: Why is it that you feel thirsty after having salty chips? Drinking water filutes the sodium in the blood, and excess amounts are then easily removed by the kidneys.

Zinc (Zn)

Importance: Involved in well over 200 reactions in the body, some of which help construct and maintain DNA. It also aids growth and repair of tissues, from bones to hair, and is imperative for a healthy immune system; wound healing; creation, release and use of various hormones in the body; and proper fetal development.

Deficiency: Hampers healing, negatively affects the immune system, and can cause damage to the reproductive organs, Could show up as hair loss or mental apathy.
Source: Wholewheat bread, wheatgerm, grains and pulses, seafood, milk and eggs.
Daily Dose*: 2-3 thick slices of meat (45gm each) a day or 250 ml skimmed milk.
Note: It affects menstrual regularity and the functioning of female sexual organs. During PMS, zinc levels drop, sometimes triggering depression.

Daily Dose*: These are mere suggestions of portions and types of food as calculated for the adult, premenopausal woman. You may, however, substitute any other foods rich in the relevant minerals in the right proportions.