Are you Magnesium deficient?

Are you Magnesium deficient?

Magnesium is an incredible mineral!  It is involved in over 300 enzymatic reactions in the body.  That’s amazing!  It is critical to muscle relaxation, nervous system relaxation, bone strength, energy metabolism, and protein synthesis, to name just a few.

Symptoms of magnesium deficiency include:

-fatigue

-headaches

-muscle tension

-muscle cramps

-constipation

-high blood pressure

-insomnia

-depression

-anxiety

-nausea, vomiting

-clenching of jaw and teeth

Do you have some of these symptoms?  If you didn’t, you wouldn’t be reading this blog!

The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for magnesium is 320mg for women and 420mg for men.  Remember, the RDA is the amount required to prevent disease, not the amount required for optimal health.  Your personal need for magnesium may be higher than the RDA.

Here is a list of some foods that are considered to be high in magnesium:

1/8 cup of pumpkin seeds has 92mg of magnesium

1 oz dry roasted almonds has 80mg of magnesium

1/2 cup of frozen, cooked spinach has 78mg of magnesium

1/2 cup cooked white beans, kidney beans, garbanzo beans has 74mg of magnesium

1/2 cup cooked black beans has 60mg of magnesium

1 cup yogurt or kefir has 50mg of magnesium

2 Tbsp of creamy peanut butter has 49mg of magnesium

1/2 cup of long-grained brown rice has 42mg of magnesium

1/2 cup cooked lentils has 36mg of magnesium

1 cup of raw, dark leafy greens has 24mg of magnesium

1 medium banana has 32mg of magnesium

1/2 cup of cubed avocado has 22mg of magnesium

Are you getting enough magnesium in your diet?  I’m not and many of my patients don’t get enough dietary magnesium either.

Besides eating more of the above listed foods, you can also take magnesium supplements.  There are several chemical forms of magnesium available.  From what I have read, each form has it’s pros and cons.  For most people, magnesium gluconate or magnesium bis-glycinate is the most absorbable and best tolerated form of magnesium.  

If you want to talk about this more, I’d be happy to do that with you at your next appointment.  We can talk about your symptoms, whether they are consistent with magnesium deficiency, what form of magnesium would give you best results, and what dose you should take.