Nourished Facts: Magnesium
If you’ve ever had a toe cramp, spasm, or muscle ache, it may be your body’s way of telling you that you are low on magnesium. Magnesium can help your body and mind to relax and what most of us don’t know, is that we’re deficient.
Let’s explore with 5 questions.
What role does magnesium play in the body?
Magnesium, along with calcium, are both responsible for maintaining bone density and impulses in our nerves and muscles (hence twitches and spasms if you’re deficient).
Essential as a catalyst for enzyme function, magnesium is critical, especially for enzymes involved in energy production.
Uptake of calcium and potassium depend on magnesium.
We need magnesium for protein synthesis and hormone production.
Magnesium prevents the calcification of soft tissue.
It protects the arterial linings from sudden blood pressure changes.
Helps us to relax and ease cramps, muscle aches.
Farming practices contribute to nutrient depletion in the soil and a loss in our food.
Why are we seeing so many deficiencies today?
Magnesium is a component of chlorophyll in plants. So, if you’re seeing green on your plate - chances are, you are getting some magnesium. But, just because it’s on the plate doesn’t always mean our bodies are getting what they need, can absorb it, or process it.
Most of us are finding ourselves deficient because of the soil our food is grown in has become more and more depleted of nutrients thanks to over-farming, monoculture, and chemicals (or bred into the plant) designed to keep our foods pest-free and appear cosmetically appealing.
Consumption of alcohol, smoking, using diuretics, fluoride, high levels of zinc and vitamin D all increase the need for magnesium.
Large amounts of fat in the diet, cod liver oil, too much calcium, vitamin D, and protein-heavy diets all contribute to decreasing the absorption of magnesium by the body.
Fat-soluble vitamins and foods that are high in oxalic acid (spinach, almonds, chard, cocoa, tea) can disrupt the absorption of magnesium as well. So, while some of these foods rich in oxalates have magnesium, please be mindful, especially if you have kidney stones or an oxalate sensitivity.
Absorption can be helped with calcium, vitamins B6, D and hydrochloric acid in the stomach. But, like with anything, balance matters.
Aids in maintaining the proper pH level and body temperature.
Green on your plate doesn’t always mean the nutrients make it into your body. Your body can decide otherwise.
Who needs to supplement?
Aside from those tell-tale toe cramps, anyone experiencing PMS might also make it to the deficiency list and need a boost. It’s when we can’t get enough through our diet, or our bodies can’t process nutrients that we need - this is when you want to think about reaching for a supplement bottle.
Magnesium deficiency is also associated with cardiovascular disease. Low levels of magnesium cause our muscles to spasm and evidence is pointing at some heart attacks being caused by cramping of the coronary arteries, thus depriving the heart of oxygen.
Deficiency symptoms might look like:
Muscle spasms and twitching
Weakness in muscles
Insomnia
Nervousness
High blood pressure
Irregular heartbeat
Constipation
Depression
Dizziness
PMS symptoms
Confusion
Lack of appetite
Calcification in soft tissue, e.g. kidney stones
When should you talk to your health care practitioner?
If the above list looks awfully familiar to you, then it definitely time to your naturopath, doctor, holistic nutritionist, or dietician about your concerns. All of these are symptoms of other underlying issues. Getting to the root cause is exactly where a practitioner can help you.
Pumpkin seeds and almonds are both excellent sources of magnesium.
Where can I find magnesium and where should I begin?
Food first. Before supplementing with anything, I always look to add through food first, because hey - I’m a holistic nutritionist!
Here’s some good sources of magnesium:
Pumpkin seeds
Chia seeds
Dark chocolate* (Get your morning started with these chocolatey brownies)
Almonds*
Spinach*
Cashews
Black beans*
Brazil nuts
Peanut butter
Potato, with skin on
Brown rice
Oatmeal
Kidney beans*
Avocado
*If you are experiencing oxalate sensitivity, or have kidney stones, please avoid or consume in moderation.
Our bodies need magnesium, along with calcium, vitamin D and the B vitamins to help make neurotransmitters on a consistent basis. Without these vitamins and minerals, we’re just wasting our energy.
If you’re stressed (and let’s face it, most of us are) your body, especially the adrenal glands need plenty of nutrients to make the stress-fighting adrenaline and norepinephrine. Magnesium, along with calcium and vitamin D are rapidly used up during stress by the adrenals.
So, if you don’t have what you need and your body is then subjected to even further stress - you could be missing out on magnesium.
If you’re like me and you have an anxious, over-working, over-thinking, constantly-on brain, you may want to talk to your holistic practitioner or healthcare provider about supplementing. It may be what you need to get on the path to recovery and there could be other obstacles, like malabsorption or stress, that you are up against.
When you talk to your health care provider, ask these questions:
Am I deficient? How can you tell?
Why am I deficient?
What should I eat?
How does magnesium make me chill out?
If I need to supplement with it, which supplement should I take?
They may not have immediate answers for some of your questions, but I certainly hope they care enough to take the time to help you.
And, when you get to the last question, this one might be the most important one. The magnesium aisle in the health food store (well, it feels like an aisle) can be more than overwhelming and toss you into a pit of anxiety. Magnesium…citrate, oxide, chloride, lactate, malate, taurate, L-threonate, sulfate, glycinate…agghhh! The list is exhausting and knowing which one will help you feel calm and not have side-effects is very important.
Always consult with your most favourite health care professional. How you take your magnesium (powdered, pill, liquid) may also matter for absorption and the type you take definitely matters too. If you are suffering from diarrhea, then magnesium chloride may not be for you. Dosage and complementing your diet with the proper vitamins through food and supplements is important too. Vitamin B6 can also help you to absorb magnesium and help with managing stress.
In my home province of Manitoba, Canada, registered holistic nutrition practitioners (CAIN-RHNP™️) are qualified and educated to help you with such, as are dieticians, clinical nutritionists and naturopaths. Make sure you check with your provider to ensure they are insured, registered and licensed to help you make informed decisions. Legislation varies by country and province.
If you’d like some help with magnesium, let’s chat.
Sources:
Balch, P. A. (2011). Prescription for nutritional healing: A practical A-to-Z reference to drug-free remedies using vitamins, minerals, Herbs & Food Supplements. Penguin.
Holford, P. (2004). New Optimum Nutrition Bible. Piatkus.
Ross, J. (2004). The mood cure: The 4-step program to take charge of your emotions-Today. Penguin.
https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Magnesium-HealthProfessional/
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/magnesium-types#10.-Magnesium-orotate
https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Magnesium-HealthProfessional/
