Magnesium...Essential for Life!

Magnesium is an essential mineral (essential for life) that every cell in the body needs. It keeps the nervous system healthy, muscles strong, and forms healthy bones and teeth. It lovers blood pressure and helps protect against cardiovascular disease. However, during our research we learned that up to 80% of Americans are magnesium deficient. Did you hear that! Lets say it again!! Eighty percent of American’s are deficient in Magnesium…That’s just one mineral in the diet, but a very important one!

So why is magnesium so helpful to the body? It’s possible that it could be that magnesium helps the body's cells fend off stress. But magnesium also activates enzymes, and contributes to energy production. If that wasn’t enough, it also helps regulate calcium levels as well as zinc, copper, potassium, vitamin D, and other significant nutrients.

There are those who believe that it is the lack of magnesium that underlies the epidemic of heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and osteoporosis that we see in this country. When a deficiency of magnesium occurs, your heart will beat irregularly, arteries will constrict, and blood pressure will rise. Or you may have muscles spasms, loose bone strength, experience more pain, or have blood sugar fluctuations.

Here is just a sampling of the many conditions helped by taking magnesium.

Anxiety, Aggressive Behavior, Asthma, Constipation, Depression, Diabetes, Dizziness, Fatigue, Fibromyalgia, Heart Disease, High Blood Pressure, Hypertension, Hypoglycemia, Insomnia, Jumpiness, Kidney Disease, Migraines, Muscle Cramps, Nerve problems, Osteoporosis, Panic Attacks, Poor Memory, Stiff and Aching Bone and Joints, and Tooth Decay.

Foods most likely to contain magnesium are green leafy vegetables, nuts and seeds. However, how much magnesium is unknown. Fertilizers used on factory farms depend mostly on phosphorous, nitrogen and potassium. Then again, if the soil is not replenished with magnesium and other minerals and micronutrients the plants may look good but may not be nutrient dense.

So what do you do?

Well, of course you should continue to eat those foods high in magnesium…and buy organic if you can. Why? It’s because organic farmers are more likely to use magnesium rich fertilizers. You might consider increasing your magnesium intake by utilizing green drinks and taking magnesium supplements.

But there is a caution! The recommended ratio of calcium to magnesium is key.

Our current dietary ratio of calcium to magnesium is 3.5 to 1
thru 6 to 1. The recommended dietary ratio is 2 to 1. And during our evolutionary or Paleolithic period it was 1 to 1. So you can see that we are headed in the wrong direction, and are generally magnesium deficient, making us prone to illness.

In order to offset this deficiency and avoid the above listed conditions and others caused by the lack of magnesium, you many want to consider increasing your magnesium intake, by taking one part magnesium to one part calcium in supplemental form for a period of a few months to a year.

Eating foods that are generally considered high in magnesium is also important, as eating well is key to health. To assist you in this regard…we’ve listed a sampling of these foods.

Avacodo, Beans, Bananas, Black-eyed peas, Brown Rice, Leafy green vegetables, Legumes, Nuts (exp. Almonds, Walnuts, Hazelnuts), Okra, Pumpkin seeds, Sunflower kernels, Wheat Bran.

Again…if you are eating these foods yet continue to have any symptoms relating to the above conditions…you might want to consider supplementing with green food sources and magnesium supplements.

Some highly absorbable and well tolerated sources of magnesium are: chloride, citrate, gluconate, glycinate, lactate, malate, succinate, sulfate, tartrate and taurate. All are very good, ionizable sources of magnesium. Other forms of magnesium such as: oxide, hydroxide, carbonate, stearate, glutamate and aspartate are more likely to be considered useless or dangerous for human consumption.

Taking addition magnesium may be beneficial to your health, especially when considering how essential this mineral is to the health of your central nervous system, muscles and bones.

Always check with your doctor before taking supplements!

Magnesium, essential to life…and a key to…True Healthy Living Now!