Minerals play almost innumerable roles within your body. Aside from being a part of nearly every enzymatic process in the body, minerals are required for the manufacture of and are part of cellular membranes and connective tissue, including muscles, tendons, ligaments, cartilage, bones, and soft tissues such as veins, arteries, and brain tissue.

Some minerals also function as electrolytes (calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, sulfate, and phosphate), acting as buffering agents that protect the body's tissue from excess acidity, which more often comes from our own poor lifestyle choices.

The problem is that too many of us may actually be deficient in numerous minerals due to the fact that these minerals just aren't found in high enough quantities in the foods that we consume. Researchers from the University of Texas published a study in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition that showed that the nutrients in fruits and vegetables (including minerals calcium, potassium, and iron) have diminished quite extensively since 1950.

We live in a time were technology has allowed us to tinker with the genetic components of fruits and vegetables and in the process create huge strawberries that deliver very little in taste to broccoli that contains half the calcium and magnesium of its older cousins.

* Calcium: is considered the king of minerals because calcium is the most abundant mineral in the human body (teeth and bones contain 99% of the body's calcium). When one thinks of calcium they think of bone health; however, calcium is also essential to proper muscle contraction-especially where you heart is concerned, cellular communication through nerve transmission, and the release of hormones. Research shows that proper calcium intake (supplementation) can make a modest improvement in lowering your risk of osteoporosis and fractures.

* Magnesium: Research published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition shows that more than half (68%) of Americans are deficient in magnesium, because they don't consume the governments recommended daily intake of 420 mg. Aside from the fact that magnesium is required for calcium absorption and bone integrity, this mineral also helps maintain proper blood sugar levels and is required in more than 300 biochemical reactions-involved in every step the body uses to produce energy.