Magnesium Benefits – Why Do I Need Magnesium – Minerals
Role Of Magnesium In The Human Body
Magnesium is the forth most abundant mineral in the body, which is a good indication that it is involved in many functions in the body. Every organ in the body needs magnesium, and most people in the United States don’t get enough magnesium in their diet.
Magnesium is an electrolyte and plays an active role in nerve function and is extremely important for healthy heart and muscle function. Magnesium supports a healthy immune system, is necessary for healthy teeth and bones by regulating the amount of calcium teeth and bones absorb, activates enzymes for energy production, promotes normal blood pressure, and regulates blood sugar levels and other nutrients in the body such as potassium and vitamin D.
Signs Of Magnesium Deficiency
Though magnesium levels can be low, magnesium deficiency is a rarer condition. Magnesium deficiency is more likely to be caused by conditions other than eating a diet low in magnesium. Conditions such as diabetes, diarrhea, high thyroid hormone levels, intestinal viruses, and pancreatitis can lead to magnesium deficiency. Drinking excessive alcohol, salt, soda, and extended periods of stress can seriously lower magnesium levels.
As the level of magnesium deficiency increases, symptoms worsen. The earlier stage of magnesium deficiency includes loss of appetite, fatigue, nausea, and vomiting. As magnesium deficiency increases and the lack of the magnesium electrolyte interferes with normal electrical activity in the heart and muscles, a person can experience abnormal heart rhythms, numbness and tingling, seizures, and personality, mood changes, and depression due to excessive activity in the brain. Magnesium deficiency can then lead to low levels of calcium and potassium in the blood leading to bone weakness. Other conditions can display the same symptoms as magnesium deficiency so get your doctor run blood tests to check to see if these conditions are caused by magnesium deficiency or something else.
Magnesium Rich Foods
Magnesium rich foods include grains, nuts, and green vegetables. It should not be a surprise that a mineral that is vital to every organ in the body is found in more abundant and concentrated amounts in plant based foods. It also should not be a surprise that many people in the United States don’t get enough magnesium from their diets because the western diet is low in plant based foods. We are not eating enough plant based life to properly maximize optimal healthy living.
Daily recommendations of magnesium:
- Adult females: 310 – 320 mg
- Females who are pregnant: 350 – 400 mg
- Females who are breastfeeding: 310 – 360 mg
- Adult males: 400 – 420 mg
Foods high in magnesium
- Kamut: 249 mg per cup
- Almonds: 225 mg per cup
- Walnuts: 185 mg per cup – chopped
- Spinach: 156 mg per cup – boiled
- Quinoa: 118 mg per cup
- Cacao – Cocoa Powder: 107 mg per 1/4 cup
- Figs: 101 mg per cup
- Okra: 94 mg per cup
- Garbanzo Beans: 79 mg per cup
- Lentils: 72 mg per cup
- Bananas: 32 mg each
- Spices are a great way to add flavor to your food and are also a great way to add magnesium to your food:
- coriander leaf
- sage
- basil
- cumin seed
- mustard seed
- oregano
- cloves
- curry powder
- parsley
- thyme
- rosemary
A diet high in plant based foods will help to optimize your healthy living. This nutritional guide will help you with eating a plant based diet that will help to alkalize your body and super charge you with balanced nutrients that act together in a synergistic way to revitalize your health.
References:
Magnesium
Tags: circulation, immune system, mineral, minerals, nutrition
