We all need to get more magnesium
After oxygen, water, and basic food, magnesium may be the most important element needed by our bodies, vitally important yet hardly known. It is more important than calcium, potassium or sodium and regulates all three of them. Millions suffer daily from magnesium deficiency without even knowing it. (Read more in his article on magnesium deficiency.)
How can you benefit by getting more magnesium? These are just a few of the benefits of improving your magnesium status:
- Reduces muscle cramping, including restless legs and menstrual cramps
- Improves sleep
- Very helpful in reducing symptoms of PMS including bloating, mood swings and breast tenderness
- Widely helpful for headaches and even migraines
- A key part of any hormone-balancing protocol, because magnesium helps balance the other minerals and hormones in the body
- As an anti-stress agent in the body, it often promotes a sense of peace and wellbeing. It is very helpful in depression and anxiety.
Here are five simple and effective ways to get more magnesium each day:
1. Magnesium Oil
Did you know that magnesium is better absorbed through the skin than the digestive tract? That’s why magnesium oil, a solution of magnesium flakes dissolved in water, offers an effective way to get more magnesium on a daily basis. Magnesium oil bypasses digestion and is absorbed directly into the skin, bringing useable magnesium directly to your cells.
You can purchase my recommended magnesium oil here, but I prefer making my own magnesium oil to save money. To make magnesium oil, you will need magnesium chloride flakes – I purchase these magnesium flakes here. Then, simply dissolve the flakes in water and put in a spray bottle.
Here is my recipe for magnesium oil, along with important tips for using it. Magnesium oil can feel uncomfortably itchy or tingly if applied at certain times or to different parts of the body, so I highly recommend reading those tips – it will save you discomfort!
2. Magnesium Lotion
Magnesium lotion uses the same principle of magnesium oil, but the magnesium is delivered in a lotion base instead of a water solution. It’s a dual-purpose magnesium supplement and moisturizer!
3. Magnesium-Rich Foods
We all know that we can get more magnesium by eating certain foods. But did you know that produce now has less magnesium in it than 100 years ago? The mineral content of fruits and vegetables directly reflects the quality of the soil in which it is grown. Modern soil is greatly depleted of minerals due to mass farming techniques. That’s one reason why it’s important to source organically-grown produce from small family farmers who practice proper crop rotation and natural fertilization. It’s also one reason why you probably need to the other ways here to get more magnesium, in addition to enjoying magnesium-rich foods.
There are certain foods that will help you get more magnesium in your diet:
- 1/4 cup of dark chocolate contains 25% of your daily value of magnesium
- 1 ounce of pumpkin seeds contains 37% of your daily value of magnesium
- 1 cup of spinach contains 40% of your daily value of magnesium
- 1 Tbs. of molasses contains 12% of your daily value of magnesium
Source: 10 Foods High in Magnesium from The Coconut Mama
4. Magnesium Baths
There are two ways to prepare a magnesium bath: first, using epsom salt. Second, using magnesium flakes. Epsom salt is 100% magnesium sulfate, so you will absorb some magnesium during the bath. However, Dr. Sircus, an expert on transdermal magnesium therapy, believes that magnesium sulfate is very difficult for the body to assimilate. The most effective option is using magnesium flakes, which are in the form of magnesium chloride, and much more easily absorbed.
Draw a warm bath an add 2 cups of epsom salt OR 1 cup of magnesium flakes (I recommend this brand found here). I also recommend using a bath filter like this one to remove chlorine from the bath water, since this toxin is absorbed through the skin. Then, relax in the bath for 15-25 minutes.
5. Magnesium Citrate Supplement
When it comes to supplementing with magnesium instead of or in addition to magnesium oil, there is only one type of magnesium supplement I take and recommend: magnesium citrate. From my own use and my experience as a nutritional therapist, it is the preferable magnesium supplement. It’s available as Natural Calm Magnesium, which you can find online here or in most health food stores.
As a powder, it dissolves quickly into warm water and tastes mild and pleasantly tangy. Before being dissolved in water, it is in the form of magnesium carbonate. Once dissolved, it turns into magnesium citrate.
Since magnesium is a natural laxative, it’s safe and effective for naturally improving constipation. Too much magnesium citrate will give you very loose stools, however. I recommend starting at 1/2 teaspoon per day and gradually increasing by 1/4 teaspoon until you know your “breaking point.”
Do you use any of these tips for getting magnesium?