Are you constantly craving chocolate? For most people this isn’t the worst thing to be craving because let’s be real, it tastes so good! BUT it could be an underlying sign that you’re actually deficient in Magnesium.
Importance of Magnesium
Magnesium plays a very important role in our bodies. It is essential for bone health and plays an important role in a variety of functions in the body, including DNA replication, metabolism, and protein synthesis.
Why Aren’t we Getting Enough Magnesium
- Diet choices
- Considering many people are eating foods high in sugar and other additives like lunch meats, sodas and hot dogs these items are doing nothing to help replenish magnesium that our bodies need.
- Sugar
- We already know too much sugar is bad for us. So when it comes to magnesium the body needs it to regulate blood sugar and insulin. However, with too much sugar in our bodies this can cause metabolic syndrome and even diabetes to then occur.
- Hormonal Imbalance
- Many people with diabetes could have a magnesium deficiency. Once insulin is imbalanced it leads to magnesium being deficient as well.
- Increased Stress
- We know there’s too much of this going on in the world today! When we’re stressed our bodies need more magnesium due to increased nerve activity and increased muscle movements.
Now these are just a few of the reasons. According to Thrive with Janie there are many more signs and reasons as to why Americans especially are becoming more and more deficient in Magnesium.
Signs You May be Deficient in Magnesium
- Anxiety And Depression
- Magnesium has a calming effect on the body. Without it, our bodies can start to feel agitated and down.
- Insomnia
- Having trouble sleeping or staying asleep? Taking a magnesium supplement before bedtime may help you enjoy a more relaxing night of sleep. There are fun tea lattes out there as well for a yummy treat to enjoy before bed.
- Muscle Twitching, Cramps, Weakness and Stiffness
- Magnesium helps tell the brain when to help with muscle contraction. If it’s not there your muscles may be contracted for too long which is where you get that stiffness. You can really notice this too on how quickly your body recovers after workouts.
According to Ann, here are the total 5 Magnesium Deficiency Symptoms in Women and how we can improve them.
Foods High in Magnesium
While most people’s first reaction would be to take a supplement to get their magnesium levels back up there are many foods that have Magnesium in it. This may just mean you need to remove some of those processed sugary foods and replace them with these. Which, in my opinion, isn’t a bad swap!
- SEEDS – Pumpkin seeds, Flax seeds, Sunflower seeds.
- NUTS – Hazelnuts, Cashews, Almonds.
- WHOLE GRAINS – Oats, Quinoa.
- COCOA – Dark chocolate, Raw cacao. (NOT the yummy milk chocolate)
- VEGETABLES – Avocados, Spinach, Chard.
- OILY FISH – Salmon, Mackerel.
It’s not about being able to not enjoy what you used to. It’s learning that it’s not serving our bodies how it should and that there are many other food sources that have so many more benefits to keep our bodies strong and healthy. Of course, if you do think you want to take a supplement, always consult with your doctor first to make sure you’re taking the right amount and that it’s necessary.
