Muscle cramps? A twitchy eye?

Frequent migraines? Always crave chocolate?

Perhaps you are deficient in magnesium?

Magnesium is the fourth most abundant mineral in the body and used in over 300 essential metabolic processes including regulating blood sugar levels and pumping your heart. It’s also a vital co-factor nutrient for other minerals such as chromium and calcium.  Without magnesium, these other minerals do not work efficiently. 

What are the symptoms of Magnesium deficiency?

Tiredness

Twitching eyes, muscle spasms, restless feet and leg cramps (including at night)

Numbness or tingling in the legs or hands

Sugar or chocolate cravings (cacao beans are high in magnesium)

Constipation

Premenstrual Tension (PMT) and spasmodic period pain

Are you eating enough Magnesium-rich foods?

Leafy green vegetables (spinach, broccoli, kale, chard, green peas)

Bananas 

Raspberries

Avocado

Figs

Almonds, cashews

Chickpeas, lentils and beans (kidney beans, black beans)

Quinoa and wholegrains (buckwheat, millet, bran, brown rice)

Chia seeds, pumpkins seeds and sunflower seeds

Mackerel and salmon

What prevents Magnesium absorption?

Lifestyle habits such as drinking coffee and alcohol, smoking and eating processed junk food rob your body of essential nutrients, especially magnesium.

Eating calcium-rich foods at the same time as magnesium-rich foods will limit the amount of magnesium your body absorbs. Both of these minerals compete against each other. It’s best to eat these foods separately, two hours apart.

Vitamin D deficiency – vitamin D is a cofactor nutrient and is needed for the intestinal absorption of magnesium. If your vitamin D levels are low then your ability to absorb magnesium will be reduced.

Cooking vegetables can result in mineral loss especially when boiled, fried or heated at a high temperature.

What are the different types of Magnesium?

Here are the main types of magnesium: