Minerals in Our Diet
The Valuable Magnesium
Magnesium is an essential mineral for many of the critical functions of our body. Together with calcium and potassium, it maintains the density of our bones and reduces the risk of osteoporosis; helps to normalize blood pressure and maintain heart rate stability; reinforces the digestive process; calms the central nervous system; improves sleep and rest patterns; reduces anxiety and stress on the adrenal glands; improves our thinking, learning, reading and speaking skills, and is a key mineral for energy production.
Although magnesium is abundant in nature, our modern diet - high in highly processed edible products - prevents us from obtaining the amounts necessary for our optimal health. Nor is our constant exposure to heavy metals and mineral erosion in soils vital to human health very helpful.
Some of the symptoms of an early-stage magnesium deficiency are: constipation, fatigue, loss of appetite, and weakness. Symptoms for slightly longer periods are more complicated: muscle contractions, seizures, low calcium and potassium levels, irregular heartbeat, personality changes, and numbness in the hands and feet. The medical community estimates that a widespread deficiency can result in high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, and heart disease.
Some foods rich in magnesium that I recommend incorporating into your diet are:
Fruits such as apricot (apricot), red fruits, mangoes, oranges, tangerines, banana and avocado.
Vegetables like artichokes, asparagus, green leafy vegetables - spinach and lettuce - sprouts, potatoes and cauliflower.
Herbs and spices like parsley, dandelion, and red clover.
Nuts and seeds - especially almonds, cashews.
Legumes such as beans, chickpeas, lentils, lima beans, peanuts, soy.
Whole grains like brown rice, millet, oats, barley, and whole wheat.
Ideally, get your magnesium from natural sources, but if you feel like you may be deficient in this important mineral, look for a complex that contains citrate, glycinate, and malate. Citrate has a laxative effect and helps prevent migraines; glycinate contains the amino acid glycine and works with brain neurotransmitters such as GABA to promote a state of calm and improve sleep quality, and malate has a high absorption rate that is recommended when this mineral is deficient.
In my book "For your health and that of the planet: a simple change in diet to give back the future to our children" you will find delicious recipes that include these foods rich in magnesium. Remember that health is our natural state and depends on the inputs that we provide to our body.