Minerals are elements that originate in the Earth and cannot be made by living organisms. Plants obtain minerals from the soil, and most of the minerals in our diets come directly from plants or indirectly from animal sources. Minerals may also be present in the water we drink, but this varies with geographic locale. Minerals from plant sources may also vary from place to place, because soil mineral content varies geographically.

Just like vitamins, minerals help your body grow, develop, and stay healthy. The body uses minerals to perform many different functions - from building strong bones to transmitting nerve impulses. Some minerals are even used to make hormones or maintain a normal heartbeat.

Red meat, such as beef, is a good source of iron.

Orthorexia Nervosa is a recently discovered disease because it was thought to be Anorexia earlier on. This type of disorder is an obsession with eating only healthy types of foods. This disease usually occurs when people are so driven to become thin that they start to become obsessed with everything that they are consuming.

Someone who struggles with Orthorexia Nervosa will do things like planning out their meals for the next day. This means that they will have a strict planned schedule of breakfast, lunch and dinner. This person will try to be constantly limiting the amount of food that he/she is eating in order to maintain a certain weight. People who have Orthorexia Nervosa are often critical of what others eat, and usually isolate themselves from surroundings

What is compulsive eating?

Someone who eats compulsively has come to rely on food for emotional support. They may pick at food all day, and feel they can’t stop themselves. As a result, they are likely to be heavily overweight and in danger of developing health problems because of it.

Compulsive eating is a way of masking problems, often connected with close relationships. Underneath it, people may feel very worthless, lonely and empty, and have a deep sense of loss. Compulsive eaters often deal with problems in life by denying there’s anything wrong.

What is bulimia nervosa?
Bulimia means eating large amounts of food and then trying to undo the effects by starving themselves, or by vomiting or, less usually, by using laxatives (both known as purging). In extreme cases, someone can be making themselves sick as often as 30 to 40 times a day.
Bulimia is more common than anorexia, but because people keep their weight roughly the same, it’s not so visible.

People are often at great pain to keep the bulimia outwardly hidden. Inwardly, they will be thinking constantly about eating, and having irresistible cravings for particular foods. They dread being fat and believe they should be much thinner than a normal weight.

Contrary to what people believe, taking laxatives doesn’t actually help with weight loss, but removes essential minerals, such as potassium and sodium, which keep the muscles working. Being sick gets rid of less than half the calories consumed, according to one study, and diuretic drugs, which rid the body of fluid, have no effect on the calories absorbed. A flat stomach may be a temporary benefit, but it soon returns to normal when fluid levels rise again.
Media attention has glamorised, and so trivialised, bulimia nervosa. But the effects are not trivial. They include having poor skin, because of being dehydrated, bad teeth caused by stomach acids eroding the tooth enamel, bad breath, a sore throat and mouth ulcers. Periods may also become irregular or stop altogether. Frequent vomiting can cause epileptic fits, muscular weakness and heart problems, while taking a lot of laxatives can also cause permanent damage.