Episode 39: Four Minerals that Help Mamas Thrive

Scientific Article

Welcome to the Beauty of Better podcast, where we help moms thrive in health and faith.

Hey, Beauty of Better mamas, Kelsey here.

I've got my little guy with me today.

So if you hear some sweet noises, that's where that's coming from.

But today we're gonna be talking about an article on magnesium, but just briefly, because we're gonna really jump into the benefits of minerals, so specifically magnesium, selenium, chromium, and zinc.

But there is an article, we will link it in the show notes, but the title is The Mediating Role of Oxidative Balance Score in the Association Between Magnesium-Rich Diet and Cardiovascular Mortality.

And basically, one of the really important takeaways from this article is that having a magnesium-rich diet is associated with lowering the risk of mortality from cardiovascular disease, which is very important.

Cardiovascular disease is common, and as moms, we obviously want to be around for a long time for not only serving Jesus and loving our families well, but just to use the gifts that we have and live our lives to the fullest for him.

And so magnesium is actually a mineral that plays a really important role in that piece.

So today we'll be talking about how much of each of those minerals we need and sources that we can find in our diets and where we can get those and just some of the benefits of each of those four.

Awesome.

Thanks, Kelsey.

I'll jump in.

I like that article a lot.

And again, mamas, you can read it on our website if you want.

But it also talks about how magnesium helps our blood vessels.

So even like the blood flow to our brain.

And magnesium helps with bone growth, regulating your temperature.

It can help with sleep.

I think we mentioned that in a previous episode.

Also your heartbeat and heart health, as Kelsey mentioned.

And so when we're talking about magnesium, we're looking for about 320 milligrams per day.

So today we're going to talk about those four minerals, but we're going to be using micrograms and milligrams.

So it's important to understand those two forms of measurements.

So milligrams is MG, micrograms is MCG, when you're looking at a label.

So magnesium is about 320 milligrams for women.

Then we're looking at selenium today.

We're going to talk about that and where it's found.

It helps with metabolism, thyroid function.

This one has a range between 55 and 100 micrograms, so MCG, and that has varying ranges based on the National Institute of Health, Medscape.

So there are reputable sources, so that is a wide range.

So just know that is just something to be aware of.

There isn't a certain, like, this is the exact amount.

So just as we're talking about that, when we look at chromium, we're looking for 25 to 35 micrograms, so MCG.

That really helps us with our blood sugar regulation and cardiovascular health as well.

And then the last one we're talking about today is zinc, and we're looking for about 8 milligrams, so MG for that one.

And zinc really helps with our immune function, our cell growth, wound healing.

It's huge for that.

So I think it'd be great if we could just all share just a little bit more about those, a little bit deeper into why we need them.

We also want to be careful to avoid overdose with them, and just look at where do we get them in foods, and how do we try to do this naturally before we turn to supplements, but then knowing the amounts if we do need to turn to supplements.

So I'm going to open this up for food talk.

So I think just piggybacking off of that, and this is echoing kind of what we said in our previous things, these ones that Danielle has mentioned, and as well as the other ones we've mentioned, the previous ones, really are critical for your growth and overall health.

Like she was kind of specifically talking about like the job of each of these, and we'll get into that a little bit more.

And also the other issue and the reason we're really bringing this up and trying to draw attention to it is our body really can't produce most of these.

And so we need to be aware so that we can consume them, whether it's in a plant or animal source or through a supplement as well.

I can kick it off with zinc and kind of share about that one.

That one might be a little more widely known one.

So immune function, I think, is what zinc is really known for by most people, but it also has a player in cell division, which is important for our kids, right?

Like if their bodies are growing and developing and we're still aging and constantly having that cell regeneration, so cell division, enzyme function, wound healing.

And then this one was interesting to me, maybe just because I wear contacts and have, you know, vision is something that I'm trying to preserve through life, but age-related macular degeneration is also tied to zinc levels as well.

So that just fascinates me.

Anytime it's a preventive thing, I just get super excited.

But in terms of sources, like if we are trying to figure out, what do I have in my kitchen, readily available, that maybe I'm already eating or I can add to my diet, I'll kind of divide them to animal and plant.

Animal can be things like oysters.

Now, if that's not your thing, beef, pork, and chicken are also options that would have zinc in it as well, and eggs and other seafood.

So a lot of plant sources are going to have that as, animal sources, excuse me, are going to be great options.

But then plant sources are also another one that you can pick from.

And those are things like nuts, seeds, and legumes.

So your chickpeas, your lentils, your cashews, your pumpkin seeds or hemp seeds, and also those whole grains like quinoa and brown rice, which I know when we talked about carbohydrates, those are examples of some really good complex carbohydrates too.

So it's not just a minor player, it's a major player.

So making sure that one or more of those things are in your diet can really be beneficial for making sure you have that zinc that you need.

Thank you so much, Kristiana.

I'll go ahead and talk a little bit about chromium, but I'm just loving doing this nutrition series because as we talk about this, you realize that there's patterns in like when they always communicate about eating whole foods and real foods.

It's like they contain all of these essential vitamins, minerals, and they have a synergistic effect.

And God made it that way so that in whole foods, all of these vitamins and minerals are contained in those, and they work together for a reason.

And so this is an encouragement.

You maybe were raised on more of a process diet, and we never want you to feel guilt around this, mama.

We want to encourage you just to take those steps like, okay, so maybe reducing one of your kids' snacks instead of like chips, you know, changing it to, hey, let's find a fruit or something that they want to eat and talk to them, get excited about it, like, hey, there's super vitamins, there's super minerals in this, that's gonna help us.

And just taking those little steps towards changing your family's nutrition towards the better.

I know that for my own family, my mom took a nutrition course, which really changed a big part of like her interactions with us as kids, because she was feeling healthier, she was more empowered, and that started to change how we ate as a family.

And that was really something, honestly, that switched me from pursuing being a doctor to more being on the preventative side of medicine.

And so I just want to share that little caveat, just knowing that, take those little steps, don't feel guilt in this.

It's about taking those little steps towards becoming better in the foods that we eat.

And so chromium, chromium, you know, it's still one of those, it is considered an essential mineral, but it's one of those that's being understood a bit more and more by researchers.

But it's, they believe it to play a role in the metabolism of protein, carbohydrates, and yeah, of protein and carbohydrates in the body and fats as well.

And a lot of our chromium we can get from our diet, but there are, they encourage that we get 20 micrograms a day.

So different sources of chromium, once again, are meat such as ham, beef, and turkey, also bread and grain products, vegetables such as lettuce and green beans, fruits such as apples and bananas, also juices such as grape orange and tomato juices, and brewer's yeast and nuts.

Brewer's yeast, I know that's one that a lot of vegans often use.

So if that's something, if you're on a plant-based diet, that's a way that you can get in some chromium there.

But, you know, we do, I try to sneak in a lot of like bananas and apples.

Those are kind of the simpler fruits that my kids will actually take, and it's easy for them.

So that's something we try to get in.

And also green beans seem to be one that's easily taken by our kids, too.

But there's also different chromium dietary supplements.

But also it's just being aware that you don't want to overdose on those because there can be issues with like stomach cramping, things like that.

But overall, chromium is one that we can mostly get in our diet, but it can be helped to boost that through supplementation as well.

And I just want to add really quick, the dosages that we're giving today, the ranges that we're giving, because again, these aren't exact, are for adult females.

So we're looking at us as moms.

So when we're talking about like foods for kids, like there is a whole different dosage calculation for children.

So don't be thinking that you have to give your kid like 25 micrograms of chromium because it's probably way too much for them.

Yes.

So just know the dosages today are for us, for moms.

So just wanted to add that.

Yes.

Thanks for that caveat, Danielle.

Awesome.

Love it.

Okay.

I will hop in with selenium.

So selenium is a really cool mineral.

It's a really powerful antioxidant.

So yeah, it can reduce stress that can lead to aging or inflammation, and some chronic diseases like we talked about, cardiovascular disease already, but it also helps support your thyroid function and development of the T3, which is like your thyroid hormone.

And it's also involved in immunity.

So, it does help your body fight infections better.

So, if you don't have enough selenium, you might be more susceptible to getting some type of like a viral infection, which is not fun.

It also helps support your brain, also reproductive health and fertility.

And we talked about heart health a little bit already, but it's kind of like a really powerful mineral, and places that we can find this, it's actually very easy to get selenium.

You can get the entire amount that you need in one day, if you eat one to two Brazil nuts.

So, I don't know if you like Brazil nuts, they're not my favorite, but it's pretty easy to just eat two of those, and then you're set.

So, animal-based sources, if you'd prefer, there are some of those as well.

So, tuna, sardines, I feel like sardines have everything, and this just...

I do.

Yes, yes, just like, Cydine Kathleen's love her sardines.

But sardines have a lot of good things in them, and eggs also have some selenium.

Chicken, especially like chicken thighs, in particular, beef, turkey, pork, all of those have selenium.

You can also get it from some plant-based sources, too, and it kind of does depend on the soil.

So if the crops are grown in soil that has high amounts of selenium, they will have more selenium in the food.

But some things that are plant-based that have selenium are like sunflower seeds, brown rice, lentils, mushrooms, spinach, whole wheat bread, and things like that.

So those are some of the main sources that we can get selenium from.

It is also found in some milk and dairy products, but the amounts are smaller.

So.

You know, something so fascinating is we have a website with our government where we can actually look up selenium content in soils.

And so you can look at a map of the US, and you can see this area is rich in selenium.

This is not.

It's so cool.

I know, it's so fun.

Can we link that?

Yes, we can add that.

So we'll add that on our website with a link under the article that we talked about today.

And I mean, fruits and vegetables usually say where they're from, right?

Or you can usually track them to some degree.

So I just think that's a great resource to have.

And not that we have to study it, but just to know it's available if we are interested.

And also, Kelsey, I want to say props to you.

Being super mom today, like rocking your little guy while you're talking, and just doing real life with this podcast of just balancing, helping moms find freedom and health and faith, and you're doing it.

So thank you, Kelsey.

I'll jump in and talk about magnesium a little bit.

I already mentioned it's so important for bone growth, regulating our temperatures, our heartbeat, heart health.

It's important for our veins, it's important for sleep as well.

So a lot of people do take it before bed at night.

And so again, we're looking for about 320 milligrams of that per day.

Some areas, again, I feel like we're repeating this over and over, but as Kathleen said, like going back to whole foods, they really just have so much of what we need.

So magnesium is commonly found in whole grains, nuts, vegetables, fruit, legumes, coffee, and tea.

So I'm a fan of those.

There we are.

Yes.

So again, it's just this approach of if we're eating more whole foods, less processed foods, we're more likely to be getting the vitamins, minerals, and nutrients that our bodies needs to function, and to really have optimal health.

And so I do think that that's a common theme throughout all of our talks, right?

It's just looking at how do we increase our whole foods, and how do we do that for our kids and our families as well?

You guys have recipes you like that include any of these?

Well, I just wanted to share, even seasonally, well, here in Southern California, we don't have, it doesn't feel like all the seasons.

I grew up in the Midwest, and we had all four seasons.

But regardless, it's still filling.

It's rainy today, like the first time since March.

So it's feeling like cozy fall vibes right now.

And so I was just, I've been feeling lately, there's a natural shift in the things we feel like eating.

So salads kind of in the fall, when it gets colder, it doesn't really feel like, at least I'm not drawn to eating a big salad like I would in the spring in the summer.

I literally said that the other day.

Yes.

I had a salad and I was like, I don't want this, I need something warm and cozy.

Like this is cold and crunchy.

Well, and there's science behind that too.

Maybe I'll need to look up an article just to explain that.

But also just like foods even that are more in season right now, sweet potatoes, things like that, that are naturally like warming to the body because it's cold outside.

Like it's normal for our bodies to start to crave things like that.

So then taking these foods that we're talking about and finding a new context for them.

So spinach and sweet potato soup, you know, instead of having spinach in a salad or a smoothie.

It's like finding new ways to incorporate these foods in a warming way that's like cozy and comforting for this time of year.

So that's actually after this, I was planning, I'm like, I've got a bunch of carrots downstairs and sweet potatoes.

I have this really yummy soup that it's made with like coconut milk, and I'll have to like link it.

But it's like a sweet potato coconut soup with like some warming spices in it.

And so that's something is like a go to for me.

My husband's not a soup fan, unfortunately, so I end up eating the whole thing for days.

But yeah, that's something that I kind of switched gears in, or even roasting vegetables and having that alongside rice or quinoa with like a protein, or well, quinoa is a protein, complete protein.

But if you want to throw some like chicken in there, or sardines, or you know, salmon or something, or you know, that's something that I do.

I kind of switch with the seasons of like, what's starting to sound better to me.

Yeah, definitely in the fall, I echo the soup thing.

We have soup on the menu for dinner tonight too.

But this one's like a vegan soup, and it's lemon chickpea orzo.

And so getting those chickpeas, maybe if you've got someone who doesn't like hummus, but then you can put that in there.

That's good.

My family likes lemon on everything.

So you just get some whole wheat orzo, which is a noodle, right?

And then you've got the chickpeas.

That's gonna be helping you with getting those legumes.

Yeah.

And so we try to do a soup a week in the fall, and also more of one, at least a vegan or vegetarian meal in the week.

Because protein can be expensive.

And so to try to balance that out and balance out eating to make sure we're also getting some vegetables and other sources too.

So, but that's another one.

So definitely echoing the soups, who had the cold weather.

I'm gonna add a soup one to this list.

One of the things on my menu this week is, I like to make a roasted chicken, like a whole herb roasted chicken.

And we have that one night with vegetables and usually rice with it on the side.

And then the next night, I'll actually make a bone broth from the leftovers.

And then we have a bone broth based soup with any leftover chicken that was on it, but then just a whole bunch of vegetables added to it as well.

But I almost wonder if...

Kathleen, I know you're good at posting recipes on social media, but maybe we could add on our website the article that we discussed first, then the map of how you can see selenium in the soil, and then Kathleen, let's add your yummy soup to this podcast website as well.

Yes, of course.

Yeah, of course, of course.

Yeah, totally good.

Well, and I love how, you know, Christina and Danielle, you guys have the more, you have the busy career schedules, but yet you find time within your schedules to like make foods.

Do you have any tips around working within your busy schedules?

Like you said, Danielle, like making that bone broth and that chicken, is there, how do you work that into your busy schedule as a working mom?

I mean, I have to have a meal plan or I can't function.

And we're just at Chipotle if we don't have a meal plan.

And so that just usually is done on Saturdays.

But I do my grocery shopping on Thursday.

So actually what I'll do is on a Wednesday, sometimes Tuesday into Wednesday, I'm adding things to my shopping carts.

So just like whenever I have time in the day, then I place the order Wednesday, get them delivered or pick them up on Thursday.

Yeah, and that's how we have to plan.

So we map our meals for the week based on that.

And I just chose Thursday just because Friday, Saturday, Sunday are way too busy for us.

And so that's the start of our week.

And I was like, I'm okay if Thursday is our start of the week for groceries and we're just going to make that work.

So yes, but it's all about managing the time to just plan that.

And I like I don't have hours to sit down and plan a whole thing at once.

And so that's why it's a little bit a couple days a week and then have them brought to me.

Love that.

Christiana, how about you?

Yeah, really similar as well.

So I think our grocery pickup day is Friday for our family.

So like new ads come out for grocery stores on Wednesdays.

And so we kind of plan our meal plans.

And so starting Wednesday, Thursday, kind of thinking like, oh, what are the proteins that are on sale this week?

Or what are good vegetables that are on sale?

And then just, I have an app that I use that has a lot of recipes stored.

So I can just say chicken or asparagus, and it will just populate that as a recipe.

And then it's called e-meals.

I think I've talked about it in a previous episode.

And then it can link to a shopping cart of like, you need 15 ounces of this or one bundle of cilantro.

And so then I know exactly what I need.

We put that in the cart for normally a Thursday afternoon or Thursday evening pick up.

Then that way, the kids are home, they help all unload.

They get all excited.

Oh, we have this and we have that.

And then we start kind of, you know, typically grilling or something that is like, you know, something that is easier for my husband to jump in on on the weekend.

Then we can just make a large amount of protein on the weekend.

And then meals that are shorter and easier to prep, we have through the week.

And we just kind of look up, do we have church this week, or do we have an event for work or sports?

And then just try to make whatever we're planning for meals more manageable.

And a lot of recipes we try to double, because then we can take them as a lunch.

And then that just helps ease budget and as well, we know what we're consuming.

So it's trial and error, it's practice over time, but it does require some planning.

Yeah, well, I just wanted to ask because we have our whole podcast episode, a previous one on meal planning.

But I often hear the biggest excuse people say for not eating well is like, oh, I don't have the time for it.

And when we think about, okay, it maybe just takes a few tweaks in our mindset.

And honestly today, we do have a lot of resources available to us, whether grocery is delivered to our doorstep, or there's different, like you said, there's those apps that help you meal plan.

Finding these ways to get these whole foods into ourselves and into our families sometimes just takes a little bit of sitting down and just a little bit of planning.

And looking at your busy schedule, maybe your kids have activities every day of the week, but trying to figure out, okay, within your lifestyle, how do we make this work for us, where we get these whole foods into our diet?

So I think that's why I wanted to just ask you, mamas, with your busy work schedules, how you do that so we can encourage other moms that it is possible, you can do it, and work towards that.

Oh, well, mamas, we hope that you were encouraged today and just, you know, as we went through magnesium, selenium, chromium, zinc, looking at the minerals our bodies need, how much we need, where we can find them, and even some just recipes and food options.

We just hope that that was encouraging as you take one small step to becoming better today.

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