Mineralisation
Mineralisation: It’s Not Just About Drinking More Water
I talk a lot about hydration. Drink more water. Filter your water. Carry your bottle. The Water Element: flow, release and refresh. But what if hydration isn't simply about how much water we drink, but the quality and mineral environment of that water, and our relationship with it. Water and minerals work together throughout the body, and when we start looking at hydration through a kinesiology lens, the conversation becomes much bigger than getting our eight glasses a day.
Are We Filtering Everything Out?
We've become increasingly conscious of what's in our drinking water. Chlorine, contaminants, chemicals and heavy metals have understandably encouraged many people to filter their water. But depending on the filtration system you're using, you may also be removing naturally occurring minerals along the way. Reverse osmosis and distillation, for example, produce very low-mineral water. Minerals our bodies require for everyday functions.
That doesn't necessarily mean we shouldn't filter our water. It simply means we need to be mindful of what we're taking out and whether we need to put anything back in.
This is where mineralisation comes in.
The Australian Mineral Story
Australia has some of the oldest and most highly weathered soils in the world. Many Australian soils are naturally low in particular nutrients, while agricultural practices can further influence the mineral composition of the food grown within them. This doesn't mean our food contains no minerals. It simply gives us another reason to think about the diversity and quality of our diet and where our minerals are coming from.
Magnesium, calcium, potassium, sodium, zinc, iron, copper, selenium and many other trace minerals play important roles throughout the body. They're involved in nerve signalling, muscle contraction, fluid balance, energy metabolism, bone health, enzyme activity and countless biochemical reactions. Minerals aren't an optional extra. They're part of the body's communication system.
Hydration Is More Than Water
Our bodies aren't simply bags of water. They're incredibly complex, electrically active biological systems. Electrolytes such as sodium, potassium, magnesium and calcium form charged particles called ions when dissolved in our body fluids. These electrical gradients are fundamental to processes such as nerve impulses, muscle contraction and cellular function. And when we observe the living body's electromagnetic field, we can now see our meridian pathways. Bodies and technology are super cool.
Are you drinking enough water?
And instead ask:
Does your body have what it needs to actually use that water effectively?
This can open a much broader conversation around food, minerals, electrolytes, movement, stress, sweating, medications and our individual nutritional needs.
Fascia + Our Internal Waterways
Then there is fascia. Fascia is the continuous connective tissue network running throughout the body, surrounding and connecting muscles, organs, nerves, blood vessels and other structures. Though not this simple in explanation. It's a dynamic, sensory and highly hydrated environment involved in movement, force transmission and communication throughout the body.
This makes hydration particularly interesting. Rather than imagining the water inside us as simply sloshing around like water inside a bottle, much of our body's water exists within incredibly complex biological environments, interacting with proteins, membranes, cells and connective tissue.
And this brings us to an intriguing area of water research.
The Fourth Phase of Water
Most of us learned that water has three phases: solid, liquid and gas. Research into water at hydrophilic, or water-loving, surfaces has shown that water close to these surfaces can behave differently from bulk water and form more ordered layers. Professor Gerald Pollack has popularised the idea of describing this as fourth-phase water, also known as exclusion zone (EZ) water.
His research explores how water molecules organise alongside certain hydrophilic surfaces and proposes that radiant energy, particularly infrared, can contribute to the formation of these exclusion zones in experimental systems. Because our bodies are absolutely full of water interacting with surfaces.
Cell membranes. Proteins. Collagen. Fascia. Blood vessels. Organs.
Suddenly hydration becomes much more interesting than simply: Drink more water.
It becomes a conversation about the environment that water exists within.
Minerals + Fascia + Movement + Light
This is where so many of the simple practices we already use begin to come together.
Minerals provide charged ions essential for cellular and electrical processes. Water provides the fluid environment. Fascia creates an enormous interconnected, hydrated network throughout the body. Movement creates mechanical forces and assists fluid exchange throughout tissues. Light and temperature influence countless biological processes, while Pollack's laboratory research raises interesting questions about how radiant energy interacts with water at surfaces.
Rather than looking at each element individually, kinesiology encourages us to look at the whole system.
Water. Minerals. Movement. Fascia. Nervous system. Environment.
Each influences the conditions in which the others operate.
Not to forget our Meridians
This is where the conversation becomes even more interesting for me. Traditional Chinese Medicine describes the body through a network of meridians through which Qi flows. The body is constantly transmitting information through nerves, electrical gradients, biochemical messengers, fluids, mechanical forces and connective tissues. Minerals participate in many of these processes.
So Do You Need More Minerals?
Not necessarily. More isn't always better, particularly when it comes to supplementation. Minerals work together, and taking excessive amounts of one mineral can sometimes interfere with another.
Instead, become curious.
What water are you drinking?
How is it filtered?
What does your diet look like?
Are you eating a diverse range of whole foods?
Are you sweating heavily?
Are you moving your body?
Are you spending time outside?
Are you supporting your fascia through movement and hydration?
And are you continually drinking more and more plain water while overlooking the minerals and electrolytes that participate in your body's fluid balance?
Sometimes we don't need another complicated health protocol. We need to return to the foundations. Mineralise. Hydrate. Nourish. Move. Get outside. Connect.
Mineralisation: A Few of My Favourites
There are so many ways to bring minerals back into our food and water. You certainly don't need all of these. Think of this as a starting point to explore what might work for you and your family.
Fulvic Minerals - One of the easiest additions to everyday water. Fulvic minerals contain naturally occurring trace minerals and fulvic compounds derived from ancient organic matter. Particularly easy if you're using highly filtered water and want a simple mineral addition.
Shilajit - A naturally occurring mineral-rich resin traditionally used in Ayurvedic practice. It contains fulvic compounds alongside naturally occurring trace elements and has traditionally been used to support vitality and resilience. Quality and purity are particularly important when choosing shilajit.
Moringa Powder - A beautiful food-first option. Moringa leaf naturally contains minerals, vitamins and plant compounds and can easily be added to smoothies, juices or other foods. I particularly love this one when we're thinking about nourishment rather than simply supplementation.
Dulse Flakes - Minerals from the ocean in food form. Dulse is a red seaweed naturally containing iodine alongside minerals including potassium and iron. Sprinkle it over eggs, vegetables, soups, salads or savoury meals. Because seaweed can contain significant amounts of iodine, a little can go a long way.
Colloidal Minerals - Liquid trace-mineral concentrates are another simple way of introducing a broader spectrum of naturally occurring minerals. I particularly like plant-derived colloidal mineral products containing naturally occurring trace elements rather than focusing on one isolated mineral.
Coral Calcium - An ocean-derived source of calcium, generally accompanied by smaller amounts of magnesium and trace minerals. Look for reputable, tested products sourced responsibly from fossilised coral deposits rather than living reefs.
DYLN Mineralising Water Bottle - Not technically a supplement, but one of my favourite ways to think differently about hydration. DYLN bottles use a replaceable mineral diffuser inside the bottle, allowing you to start with your preferred filtered water and then introduce minerals back into it. It fits beautifully with the idea of being mindful of what we filter out as well as what we put back in.
What We Actually Use at Home
Mineralisation isn't something new in our house. We've used DYLN water bottles for nearly 10 years. They were actually one of our original health purchases when the children were babies.
Like most things in our house, they have come and gone over the years. We'll use them consistently, forget about them for a while, then circle back, replace the mineral refills and bring them into our routine again. Health doesn't always need to be rigid.
Now that our kids are teenagers, fulvic minerals are probably used more consistently than the DYLN bottles. They're simple. A few drops can be added to water without needing to remember a particular bottle, which seems to work much better with teenage life.
My own mineral support has evolved too.
I personally used Changing Habits Colloidal Minerals as part of my postpartum recovery. At that stage of life my focus was very much on replenishing, rebuilding and supporting a body that had grown, birthed and nourished babies.
Now I'm in a completely different season.
Moringa powder is currently part of my personal healthy-ageing regime, bringing minerals and plant nutrition into my everyday routine through a whole-food source.
And that's probably the biggest thing I want you to take from this.
You don't need every mineral product on this list. You don't necessarily need to take the same thing forever either.
Our bodies change. Our seasons change. Our food changes. Our activity changes. Our hormones change. Our needs change.
Stay curious about what your body needs now.
Mineralisation doesn't have to be complicated. Sometimes it's simply being more conscious of the water we're drinking, the food we're eating and what we might be filtering out along the way.
