Learn everything you need to know about silica, what food sources offer this nutrient, and how silica benefits the entire body!
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What Is Silica?
Silica or silicon is rarely talked about as an essential mineral for supplementation, but many scientists believe that is exactly what this main ingredient in sand truly is. There is some disagreement about whether we need silicon dioxide or not, but the evidence is piling up more and more in favor of it.
It is one mineral that needs to be studied much more thoroughly, but there’s still plenty of research hinting at health benefits just beneath the surface. No matter what, it’s one mineral that can’t be completely ignored.
9 Silica Benefits Everyone Should Know
Some of the most important silica health benefits you should know about are:
1. Promotes Hair, Skin, and Nail Health
Silica has long been a go-to supplement for hair, skin, and nails. Silica is naturally found in nails, making them strong. When our dietary silica goes down, the deficiency causes our nails to grow slower and become more brittle.
The same goes for hair. Silica also plays a role in keeping skin elastic and collagen healthy.
2. Improves Joint Health
Since collagen is vital to healthy joints, connective tissue or ligaments, and cartilage, silica is important too.
It lends strength and elasticity to collagen, so joints are more flexible, heal quicker, and can snap back from the daily wear and tear our bodies undergo with all our bending, twisting, and stretching. Many people also use silica to help ease joint pain and arthritis symptoms.
3. Boosts Bone Health
There are many studies that show the presence of silica helps the body use calcium. As we get older, our silica levels decline, and our bones weaken.
There is plenty of evidence that silica is vital to bone health and preventing fractures as we age. Teeth and gums get a boost from silica, too.
4. Enhances Heart Health
Silica is more prevalent in healthy hearts than diseased hearts. Since silica strengthens the blood vessels and muscle tissue, this shouldn’t be too surprising.
It also aids the body in the calcification of bones and thus prevents the calcification of other tissues. There is some evidence that silica may help offset the calcification of arterial plaque.
It may also play a role in the electrochemical transmissions of the nervous system.
5. Reduces Digestive Disorders
Silica is important in building a strong stomach and digestive tract muscles and tissues. Silica assists in rebuilding and fortifying these tissues after they have been damaged by poor diet, parasites, age, or other injuries.
6. Boosts the Immune System
Since silica is a vital part of healthy skin and digestive tissue, it is also important in preventing illness and infection. The skin and our digestive system are the first lines of defense we have against pathogens.
7. Hastens the Healing Process
As a part of collagen, silica can speed healing of burns, wounds, and scar tissue.
8. Flushes Out Toxins Through Detoxification
Silica is very good at removing waste material, toxins, and heavy metals from the body. This makes silica a good addition to any detox program to deeply cleanse your cells.
If you want to maximize how silica benefits the digestive tract, make sure you choose healthy food sources. Also, make sure you take vitamin supplements along with your silica supplements.
9. May Help Treat Alzheimer’s Disease
There is some evidence that aluminum buildup contributes to Alzheimer’s, and a recent study showed that silica might play a part in the removal of aluminum. This wasn’t the best study and plenty more research still needs to be done, but it is encouraging that silica may help rid ourselves of this pesky metal that is far too prevalent in the environment, beauty products, and foods.
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How to Make the Most out of Silica Benefits
Our highly processed food diet tends to be severely lacking in silica. In fact, you might not find yourself eating silica-rich food sources very often.
We remove it from most of the foods that contain it and avoid many of the fresh fruits and vegetables that are the richest in it.
It is best to get your silica from natural sources. Whole foods rich in fiber are also rich in silica as plants use this mineral for strength and flexibility as well.
Cucumber, celery, asparagus, oats, millet, barley, sweet potatoes, leafy greens, beans, leeks, and even strawberries are great sources for silica. So, make sure you start eating these types of foods.
Silica supplements are also available. Horsetail and silica powder are the most common, but there are also liquid minerals where you can get much more than just one major mineral.
Keep in mind that while silica is an important mineral, we also need magnesium, calcium, iron, manganese, potassium, phosphorus, copper, and many more.
The Best Silica Product Available
If you’re looking for the best silica product on the market, choose Liquid Light!
It contains more than 72 minerals, including silica and many trace minerals we don’t get in our processed diets. It comes from raw, plant-based sources so the minerals are the organic and bioavailable forms our bodies know, recognize, and use.
Activated Barley is another way to get more silica while boosting your energy levels and endurance at the same time.
Food Sources Rich in Silica
Some foods that contain high levels of silica include:
1. Green Beans
Green beans are superfoods rich in magnesium, potassium, calcium, phosphorous, and of course, silica. They’re an affordable staple and are very easy to cook, so you won’t have trouble including these in your diet.
2. Nuts
Cut back on your fatty, sodium-filled chips and fries and switch to healthy nuts! Apart from silica, they’re also rich in fiber, protein, and healthy fats.
The healthy fats can give you an energy boost. The protein can help sculpt lean muscle mass, while fiber can help flush toxins and chemicals out of the body.
3. Bell Pepper
Each bell pepper is brimming with high amounts of silica, antioxidant properties, and vitamin C. They contain all the essential nutrients to maintain good eye health and reduce your overall risk of developing chronic illnesses.
Plus, bell peppers are versatile, delicious veggies you can add to almost any dish you want! You can throw it in salads, soups, and kebabs.
4. Spinach
For a strong, energetic, and disease-resistant body, add spinach to your daily diet! These are loaded with vitamins A and C, folic acid, fiber, and silica.
Eating spinach regularly leads to long-lasting energy boosts, regulated blood pressure levels, and better resistance against heart diseases.
5. Apple
Do you know why an apple a day keeps the doctor away? It’s because each piece is rich in flavonoids, antioxidants, fiber, and silica.
These nutrients not only keep common diseases at bay, but they also lower the possibility of developing diabetes, heart complications, and even cancer!
Plus, they’re extremely sweet and delicious so even picky eaters won’t have a hard time eating them.
Overall, silica is a very important mineral that stimulates good overall health and improves bodily functions. You should strive to consume your daily dose of silica through effective supplements and healthy food choices.
Also, make sure you combine this mineral with other nutrients and vitamins. Silica benefits the body even further when you mix it in with other health-improving compounds.
Are these silica benefits enough to convince you to start taking silica supplements? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below!
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