Most individuals suppose cravings are about willpower. However what in the event that they’re actually about lacking minerals? I’ll hyperlink my favourite minerals as properly, on the backside…
On this publication, I’ll stroll you thru why saliva is extra than simply spit, why electrolytes are the unsung heroes of oral well being, and the way protein and minerals may help quiet cravings by giving your physique precisely what it’s lacking.
Each now and again, I am going on a weight loss program. I positively don’t do something excessive. However I do begin paying nearer consideration—to how I really feel, how I sleep, and whether or not my favourite denims are nonetheless snug after dinner.
And after I do this, I all the time come again to 2 issues:
protein and minerals.
Easy, proper?
However these two issues do extra than simply help weight reduction. They assist me sleep higher. Assume extra clearly. And most of all, they preserve my saliva wholesome.
Sure—saliva.
I didn’t all the time suppose this fashion. Like most dentists, I used to be educated to think about saliva as a background character. A passive fluid that helped rinse your mouth and perhaps neutralize acids.
However through the years, I’ve come to see it as probably the most underrated instruments we’ve for oral well being—and for whole-body well being, too.
Your tooth are breaking down proper now. Saliva is how they restore.
After each meal, your tooth demineralize. That features “wholesome” meals—particularly in the event that they embrace carbs like bread, crackers, or perhaps a few spoonfuls of rice.
Acid-producing micro organism break these meals down in your mouth and instantly begin releasing acid. That acid leaches minerals out of your enamel. You don’t really feel it. But it surely’s occurring on daily basis.
The one manner your tooth get better from that assault is thru remineralization.
And remineralization is dependent upon your saliva.
Saliva accommodates the identical minerals your tooth are made from—calcium, phosphate, magnesium, and extra.
Why? As a result of it’s constructed from blood plasma. It’s filtered out of your bloodstream, and that’s why I typically say: saliva is principally blood—simply with out the pink blood cells.
The minerals in your saliva float in resolution, prepared to leap into motion. That potential is known as ionic power. When your saliva has the correct steadiness of ions, it may possibly launch minerals like hydroxyapatite—the very substance your enamel is made from—proper the place the tooth wants it. Like a patch job after an acid assault.
That’s why steadiness issues. Too thick? The minerals can’t transfer. Too skinny? They’re too diluted to work. Your saliva solely works if the mineral content material is correct.
And that is dependent upon your electrolyte ranges.
Electrolytes aren’t only for athletes
Most individuals consider electrolytes as one thing you add after a exercise or if you’re sick. And sure, they’re nice for rehydrating.
However the fact is, electrolytes—sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphate—are important for everybody. They’re how your nerves hearth. How your muscle tissues contract. And within the case of saliva, how minerals keep in steadiness so your tooth can really remineralize.
You don’t should be operating marathons. You is perhaps chasing children, working lengthy shifts, ingesting an excessive amount of espresso, or simply waking up mildly dehydrated. And all of that impacts your saliva.
When you’re low on electrolytes—or just a bit dehydrated—your saliva adjustments. It will get sticky. Or watery. Both manner, it loses its ionic integrity. And when that occurs, your mouth can’t do what it’s constructed to do.
My three must-haves within the morning after I need to lose a number of kilos:
I’ve refined my routine through the years, and nowadays, it’s easy:
- I begin with a protein smoothie—round 60g of protein, half collagen and half grass-fed whey. I mix it with wild blueberries, almond butter, and sea salt.
- I pair it with a full serving of electrolytes. There are quite a lot of stable formulation on the market, however I’ve lately switched to this one. It’s clear, tastes nice, and accommodates a well-rounded mineral profile that helps saliva: potassium, sodium from Himalayan salt, calcium, citrate, and spirulina which supplies it a startling blue colour. It’s sweetened with monkfruit which, as , is my favourite sweetener—that’s why it’s one of many elements in our Fygg toothpaste. We even measured the pH of those electrolytes—no acidity considerations right here.
- And I drink Pellegrino all through the day (no affiliation apart from my Italian heritage). I’ve been ingesting it for years as a result of it’s mineral-rich, alkalizing, and it really makes me really feel higher.
For years, I beneficial hint mineral drops. And so they’re nonetheless useful for muscle cramps or normal wellness. However relating to saliva? You want extra. You want the total suite—sodium, calcium, potassium, phosphate—in the correct ratios. And it has to style good and have a impartial pH, or folks received’t keep it up.
If I get these two issues—protein and minerals—early within the day, the whole lot else appears to fall into place. Much less snacking, fewer cravings, extra vitality, and, in fact, stronger saliva.
What in case your cravings aren’t about sugar in any respect?
That is only a concept of mine, however one I preserve coming again to.
Generally, if you really feel the urge to succeed in for a snack—particularly processed carbs—it’s not that your physique needs sugar.
It is perhaps asking for minerals.
I’ve observed that after I’m in step with electrolytes and mineral-rich water, I don’t crave junk. Not even after an extended day or a worrying morning. It’s like my physique isn’t trying to fill a niche anymore. As a result of the hole is already stuffed.
I’ve additionally observed that after I’m consuming sufficient protein, my cravings drop. Protein helps regulate ghrelin and GLP-1—two hormones that inform your mind if you’re full, or not. Pair that with minerals, and your physique lastly stops asking for one thing it’s lacking.
And the reality is, our diets are extra mineral-deficient than most individuals notice. Even when you eat properly, our soil isn’t what it was. The minerals simply aren’t there. Our ancestors used to swallow and inhale them simply by taking part in outdoors, ingesting from springs, consuming actual meals. That world’s gone.
This one wants somewhat assist.
When you’re on the lookout for a spot to begin—whether or not it’s to lose a number of kilos, really feel higher in your physique, or help your tooth long-term—I’d preserve it easy:
- Prioritize protein. Particularly early within the day.
- Hydrate in a manner that really makes a distinction. For me, meaning mineral-rich water and a clear electrolyte powder that helps your saliva—each single day.
Your saliva is your mouth’s first line of protection. And one in all your strongest instruments for therapeutic. Give it what it wants—and your complete physique advantages.
Till subsequent week,
Mark
P.S. Since I get quite a lot of replies asking for this, my every day stack is this magnesium, this toothpaste, this mouthwash various, this tongue scraper, this electrical flosser, this inexperienced tea, this throat spray, these enzymes with meals, this Vitamin D3/K2, this CoQ10, and—as you simply heard—these electrolytes.
