Are you mineral deficient? Tips to improve vitamin & Mineral absorption

For many years I tried to fill in mineral blanks in my health by taking more of them, and while supplementation can be a brilliant way to help the body get what it needs, if there is a fundamental block in absorption, no amount of ingesting will get you back into mineral balance. 

Tips to Improve Vitamin & Mineral Absorption:

1. Supplementation that is whole food based: More than anything it is critical that any supplement you take be sourced from whole foods. Synthetics and derivatives confuse our system and often overwhelm it. When you know there is a side effect associated with the taking of a certain vitamin, ie constipation when taking iron, it is clear evidence that the supplement is falling short. Some of the side effects of long term dosing of certain supplements can lead to unknown side effects--like pulling calcium from bones, causing build up deposits, and more.

2. Balanced supplementation: ingesting large amounts of certain vitamins can be therapeutic, but must be considered for specific treatment protocols and not daily regimens. And, when considering taking something targeted, remember that all vitamins and minerals are balanced naturally in whole, clean food sources--at least they were designed to be, however the 'healthy' food we hvae access to falls short due to efforts to make it sweeter, bigger and prettier on the shelves. That said, if you are attempting to up your vitamin D, you need to consider K as well. 

3. The weak and tired liver must be healed first: In order that anything we ingest be utilized effectively our liver must be functioning--not even at peak--but at least well. Most people struggling to uptake nutritionally are dealing with a strained liver. Very little about our modern lifestyle supports liver function--the large majority actually stresses it. Adrenaline, anxiousness, toxic load from food, environment and emotions all put our liver in over-time. Focusing on diminishing these toxic inputs will give your liver the support it needs to process and distributed the nutritive ingredients in your food and environment. 

4. Fascial movement: Finding a way to support movement that can be a part of your daily routine is like helping the vitamins and minerals you take in find their way to the parts of the body that need it. Massage, lymphatic stimulation, hot baths, sauna time, vibration, all of these help the body stay energetically mobile.

5. Emotional recognition: American culture has long been known to be stifled emotionally--those who are connected with their emotions are often considered to be weak or dramatic. However, in ignoring emotions, burying and stifling them we only entrench their negative effects. Like a person who's experience the traumatic experience of being in the room with a lion knows, our emotions are our ability to understand our environment--a carnal survival skill. Our emotions are what teach our body how to move through the world around us, staying safe and protecting ourselves from risk. Our inability to distinguish what is a real danger from what is a perceived one is causing our cells to go haywire--and not allowing emotions to move up and out is the root cause to most, if not all, disease. And these unprocessed emotions block pathways for nutrient absorption by convincing the body to focus its attentions/efforts on things that may actually be totally unnecessary. Pent up emotions confuse the body and lead to malabsorption and dysfunction. 

6. Improperly prepared foods & supplements: While our body can extrapolate some of what it needs from raw fruits and veggies, and even some synthetically crafted supplements--it takes a lot of effort. This effort stresses the gut & liver & uses up enzymes and metabolic functions that could be used for other tasks. Consuming foods that are somewhat pre-digested can help tremendously; fermented veggies, sourdough breads, sprouted grains, and even pre-fermented nutritional supplements unlock the nutrition in these consumables making digestion easier and more effective. 

7. Evaluate your environment: No amount of nutrient ingestion will compensate for the bombardment of toxic load coming in from your home or local environment. Parasites, mold, fragrances, synthetics, etc all pile up and overload the system and prevent you body from effectively utilizing what good inputs have to offer.

What toxins can you eliminate? (think cleaners, skincare & fragranced products*, artificial ingredients & conventionally grown produce).

What stress can you reduce or eliminate? (think working through emotions, finding help, somatic exercise, creative outlet, EMDR, bad relationships can you cut out, busy-ness can you reduce, etc)

What can you work to remove? (think parasite or liver detox program*)

What steps can you take to ensure mold is not in your home or office? (diffusing old killing essential oils*, using a dehumidifier and cleaning basements and preventing moisture in the home, do testing--perhaps hiring a professional)

Lastly, remembering that eating well and being sure the supplements you take are providing you with a balance that is highly bioavailable, easy on the system to uptake and easy as a part of the routine. I recommend this daily routine, but use these tips to evaluate what you're doing or not doing! 

<3 Lacey

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