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Magnesium Deficiency

Wednesday, April 25, 2018 - 11:00am
Dawn Scothern / newsletters

Magnesium Deficiency

I learned that many people are deficient in magnesium today, with some reports estimating that as many as 80 percent of us aren’t getting enough of it, and few realize that the deficiency is the root of at least some of their health problems. Only 25 percent of American adults are said to be getting the recommended daily amount: 400 to 420 milligrams for men, and 310 to 320 milligrams for women, yet this macro-mineral is something required by every organ in the body. It makes sense that when you don’t get enough, you’re going to suffer one way or another.

And, not surprisingly, two of the symptoms of a lack of magnesium, I learned, are anxiety and insomnia. In fact, they’re two of the most common symptoms of a magnesium deficiency. Still, I eat healthily and avoid processed foods, so why would I be lacking this nutrient? I dug even further and found that even those of us who follow a nutritious diet may be deficient because of modern farming practices that result in less nutrient-rich foods, as well as factors like stress and drinking a lot of caffeinated beverages. Boom. That really hit the nail on the head.

Magnesium helps your brain relax so that you can fall asleep and stay asleep, and it also plays a key role in the central nervous system, so without enough, anxiety and insomnia can result.

The body needs to rebuild its magnesium levels, and it can only absorb so much of any nutrient at one time, so depending on the level of deficiency it can take a while to build levels back up to a point where symptoms begin to noticeably diminish, so I didn’t expect to notice results overnight. The higher quality the supplement, the quicker it would work. Also with this research I thought okay supplements that’s good what about foods that you could eat to help. I found of course bananas 2 a day helps, what else? I found 7 magnesium-heavy foods you should be eating right now to help.

1.            Avocados

2.             Leafy vegetables

3.             Cashews

4.           .Tuna fish

5.             Flax seeds

6.            Pumpkin seeds

7.            Dark chocolate

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