One of the most common minerals in the world is magnesium. It is also a mineral that we have inside our body and half of it, is present in our bones. Still, there are millions of people who are deficient in magnesium and they don’t even know it. There are no tests that will show you whether you lack magnesium, but your body will show you symptoms that you lack this mineral.
Why Our Body Needs Magnesium
We need a proper amount of magnesium because of 300 various reactions in our body. The soft tissues in our heart and brain also contain high amounts of the mineral. It helps our body eliminate toxins and regulate our body temperature. Magnesium offers us numerous benefits:
Treating diabetes
Preventing heart disease
Regulating blood pressure
Curing sleep disorders
Reversing osteoporosis
Strengthening bones
Creating proteins
Helping weight loss
Treating asthma
Alleviating anxietyand depression
Encouraging healthy circulation
Preventing stroke
Vitamin D,Magnesium & Calcium
Calcium is necessary for us to have strong bones, but if we don’t have the proper amount of magnesium, the calcium we have in our body can be dangerous. As soon as our body has benefited from calcium, the magnesium will help us flush it out of the cells. When there isn’t enough magnesium, the calcium accumulates and becomes a toxin. Our bones won’t absorb it healthily.
Magnesium depends on vitamin D in order to have a proper absorption. During the process of digestion, magnesium isn’t absorbed well. We lack vitamins, so even though you consume magnesium only, you won’t get all of its benefits. You need to have these three minerals and a vitamin balanced inside your body in order to keep your health optimal.
How Can We Identify a Magnesium Deficiency
There are numerous signs that will show us whether we are deficient. We can also take a magnesium test that will show us the levels of this minerals we have in our blood, but the problem is we only have a small amount of magnesium in our blood and most of it is in our cells and bones.
Here are some of the most common symptoms of this deficiency:
Infertility
Digestive issues
Frequent headache
Noise sensitivity
Temperature swings
Muscle tightness
Sleep disorders
Depression
Many people also experience sickness, feelings and lack of appetite. In case we don’t treat this deficiency, it can cause drastic mood swings, seizures and abnormal heartbeats.
Why Are We Magnesium Deficient
The ingredients we use from the soil lack minerals and nutrients because it is treated with synthetic fertilizers.
Foods which are processed or refined actually lack their fiber, vitamin and mineral content.
The purification facilities for municipal water are doing everything they can to eliminate contaminants: nitrates, pesticide residues and lead. These are modern methods which actually deplete the water we drink of magnesium and calcium. Even the water filters we use at home do this to the water we’re drinking.
Diseases Caused by Magnesium Deficiency
Numerous diseases can appear if we lack magnesium.
The most common are connected to frail bone health and osteoporosis. People have also experienced heart attacks and heart disease.
Kidney stones can also appear if you lack magnesium. It makes the calcium in our urine dissolve more effectively. Other common diseases are: high blood pressure, PMS, insomnia, menstrual cramping, and cancer. Involuntary muscle spasms also appear if you have a magnesium deficiency as well as eyelid twitching.
How to Stay Magnesium Sufficient
First, you need to identify what the root of the problem is. People mostly have a problem with their restricted diet. The farming, as we have already mentioned, ruins our food and crops and depletes them of magnesium. Water also had magnesium in the past, but nowadays, fluoride is added in it and it can’t break down the minerals in our body.
Some of the habits that can deplete our body of magnesium are: eating processed foods, drinking coffee with plenty of sugar every day, drinking lots of alcohol etc. Also, some medicines like diuretics and birth control pills can deplete magnesium. In case you think you have this kind of depletion, consult a doctor.
What You Can Do
Include more food sources like nuts and vegetables. There are also many whole grains and fruits that can offer you magnesium. Intake more:
Dark Chocolate Bars or Powder
Lentils and Beans
Brown Rice
Dark Leafy Greens (like spinach and kale)
Avocado
Banana
Sunflower/Pumpkin Seeds
Try to buy more organic foods. Avoid the non-processed ones. In case you can’t eat vegetables, juice them. It’s a great way to intake vitamins and minerals.
There are people who also use magnesium supplements in the form of tablets, capsules, liquid or powder.
Still, you need to take them by advice from a doctor since they can interfere with some medicines and cause different side effects.
