How to Have a Magnesium (Mg) Rich Diet

[Guest guest]

My note: some foods that will also deplete magnesium are sugars & white

flours, as well as processed food & those that contain MSG, aspartame, other

chemicals including chemical perservatives, colours, etc

How to Have a Magnesium (Mg) Rich Diet

_http://www.ctds.info/magdiet.html_ (http://www.ctds.info/magdiet.html)

Overview

Magnesium (Mg) is one of the forgotten minerals. Unlike calcium, which we

hear advertisements about relentlessly, magnesium is not often publicized.

However, many common ailments including heart palpitations, high blood

pressure, diabetes, fibromyalgia, anxiety, insomnia, _tics and twitches_

(http://www.ctds.info/tics.html) , migraines and many more health conditions

may

be caused by magnesium deficiencies. A number of recent studies have shown

that many people on modern diets do not get the minimum RDA for magnesium.

As such, it would be logical to conclude that higher Mg intakes across the

population may result in significant improvements in many of the common

health maladies associated with Mg deficiency.

I get a lot of emails from parents on how to increase Mg in their

children's diets. Some high Mg foods kids often like include baked potatoes,

smoothies that include bananas and coconut milk, banana baby food (serve for

dessert instead of pudding), bean burritos, bean tostadoes, baked beans, peas,

peanut butter and honey cashews. (Of course, avoid any foods your child may

be allergic to.) Visit this page for more info on _children's diets and Mg_

(http://www.ctds.info/mgchild.html) .

Below are some tips I've found over the years to get more magnesium into

my family's diet.

General Tips for Increasing Magnesium Levels

-- The first step, of course, is to basically just eat more magnesium rich

foods, especially beans, nuts and vegetables. Vegetables are especially

good if you are watching your weight because you can ingest a lot of

magnesium for a relatively small number of calories. Almost every morning I

make a

big batch of soup with lots of beans, meat and vegetables and then let it

simmer in the crock pot all day. Then for lunch or whenever I'm hungry I have

the soup all made up and ready to eat.

-- While too much fat in the diet can be unhealthy, eating at least some

fat along with your meals may help improve nutrient absorption. In a 2004

study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, researchers

reported that, **Essentially no absorption of carotenoids was observed when

salads with fat-free salad dressing were consumed. A substantially greater

absorption of carotenoids was observed when salads were consumed with

full-fat than with reduced-fat salad dressing.** 1 If you are trying to lose

weight but are low in magnesium, you may be better off cutting down on calories

and especially high glycemic, empty calorie foods like white bread, cake

and cookies rather than fat. I developed many of my major Mg deficiency

symptoms (twitches, fibromyalgia, muscle cramps, etc.) as an adult when I went

on a low fat diet to lose weight, though at the time I didn't realize that a

lack of fat may have been a factor in all of my health issues.

-- Limit empty calorie foods such as chips, sodas, cookies and refined

grains because they provide a lot of calories yet tend to be low in nutrients,

especially magnesium. A big bowl of vegetable beef soup may have around

the same amount of calories as a couple of slices of white bread, but the

soup will most likely contain much higher levels of magnesium and other vital

nutrients. Also see my section on _information on how to increase Mg levels

in children without using supplements._ (http://www.ctds.info/mgchild.html)

-- Calcium is a magnesium antagonist. As such, drinking too much milk or

eating too many other calcium rich foods in relation to Mg containing foods

may lower magnesium levels. A recent study found that _older women who took

calcium supplements had an increased risk of heart attack_

(http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/news/20080115/calcium-heart-risk-for-older-w\

omen) .

Logically, it would make sense that a known magnesium antagonist like calcium,

taken in too high of a dosage, may hurt the heart since numerous studies

have shown that _magnesium is vital for proper heart functioning_

(http://www.ars.usda.gov/News/docs.htm?docid=10874) .

-- According to the NutritionData.com web site, one tablespoon of molasses

has 48.4 mg of magnesium for only 58 calories. For a person on a 2,000

daily calorie diet, this is 12% of the FDA's recommended daily values for Mg.

So for 2.9% of your daily calories, you can get 12% of your recommended MG

intake - a pretty good deal. Molasses is also a good source of iron,

calcium, Vitamin B6 and manganese.

Are Your Getting Too Much Calcium?

**Another risk factor for low magnesium status in older women is the use

of calcium supplements without magnesium for bone health. High calcium

intakes can make magnesium deficiency worse.**

From

_Do you have trouble sleeping? More magnesium might help_

(http://www.ars.usda.gov/News/docs.htm?docid=15617) , By Forrest Nielsen, USDA's

Agricultural Research Service

-- I think it is better to get _magnesium from your diet than to take

supplements_ (http://www.ctds.info/magnesium-faq.html#two) . . Magnesium is an

alkaline mineral and a common ingredients in antacids. We've noticed in my

family that taking magnesium supplements for more than a day or two can

sometimes cause cramping and diarrhea. Taking magnesium supplements too often

can be like overdosing on antacids, which can lower your stomach acid, which

in turn may prevent you from absorbing nutrients properly. Plus magnesium

needs other vitamins and minerals as co-factors for proper utilization, so

taking magnesium supplements alone may not be enough to really correct a

deficiency.

-- Also consider that your body's pH may be too acid or too alkaline to

maintain optimal magnesium levels. In my personal experience, I suspect that

either condition may negatively impact magnesium levels. For more on this,

read my section on _Mg and Acid-Base Balance_

(http://www.ctds.info/mgacidbase.html) . . I believe an over acid body is one of

the reasons that many

people suffer from both heartburn and migraines.

-- Alcohol may cause a loss of Mg. Many of the symptoms of hangovers

(headache, noise sensitivity, light sensitivity) are identical to the symptoms

of Mg deficiency.

-- A variety of prescription drugs, including some commonly prescribed

antibiotics, may cause a Mg deficiencies. One of my sons, who happens to not

be a big vegetable fan, developed _ringing in his ears_

(http://www.ctds.info/ringingears.html) while being on penicillin for an

illness. He said the

ringing lessened appreciably after eating a bean, rice and and cheese

burrito for dinner one night. We think this may have been because of the high

magnesium content and absorbability of the mashed beans in the burrito.

-- Caffeine can cause a magnesium loss. Foods with caffeine include

include coffee, tea, some energy drinks and bars, and some types of soda.

-- Be aware that many multivitamin pills do not contain any appreciable

levels of magnesium, yet may contain many magnesium antagonists. (Magnesium

is not often found in multivitamin pills because adding Mg makes the pill

too big to swallow, so the manufacturers just leave it out!) If you or

members of your family feel you need nutritional supplements, consider products

larger than multivitamins, such as nutrition bars or powdered supplements.

These types of products are more likely to contain an appreciable percent of

the RDA for magnesium, but you still have to check the labels to make

sure.

-- Be aware that many fortified foods do not include magnesium but may

contain Mg antagonists.

-- Estrogen helps the body's uptake and utilization of magnesium. When my

muscles are tight or I'm _having trouble sleeping_

(http://www.ctds.info/insomnia_treatment.html) , conditions that are both

possible signs of

magnesium deficiency, often a little soy milk will help me to relax. Soy milk

is

high in phytoestrogens as well as magnesium. However, I don't think soy is a

healthy food to eat in large quantities because it may raise estrogen

levels too much, which isn't healthy. _A high intake of soy foods may also

cause thyroid problems_

(http://www.ehponline.org/members/2002/suppl-3/349-353doerge/doerge-full.html) ,

so for me soy is something I consume only in

limited quantities.

My Personal Experiences with Magnesium

One of my children used to develop _signs of sensitive hearing_

(http://www.ctds.info/noise-sensitivity.html) , a symptom associated with

magnesium

deficiency, when we would go on vacation and he was eating more restaurant

and fast food meals than he normally would at home. When that would happen we

would take him to a Mexican restaurant and order a dish with refried

beans, such as a burrito. That would usually help to return his hearing to

normal. I think this is because beans are high in magnesium and also because

refried beans are rather well cooked and rather mushy, which may make them

more easily digestible.

If you want to get more magnesium in your diet but circumstances require

you to eat fast food now and then, trying having Mexican fast food with bean

dishes, or look for places that serve baked potatoes as a side dish

option.

Magnesium rich foods that are cooked and diluted with liquid seem to be

easier to absorb for my family than raw foods. Good liquid or semiliquid

sources of magnesium include mashed potatoes, banana smoothies, soy milk, and

home made vegetable broth. _One of my sons developed heart palpitations_

(http://www.ctds.info/heart-palpitations.html) , a condition that may be caused

by a lack of magnesium, one night when he was sick, dehydrated and had not

been eating much food. I made him a broth of simmered and strained mixed

vegetables of whatever I had in the house. I think it was some lettuce,

frozen okra, squash, celery, green beans and carrots. A few minutes after

drinking the broth he felt better and his heart beat returned to normal. On

another occasion I had my husband make a similar broth for me when I developed

vertigo. The veggie broth, a diet of more magnesium rich, alkaline foods

for a few days and yoga _helped the vertigo go away_

(http://www.ctds.info/vert-treat.html) Personally, I am a firm believer in the

restorative powers

of vegetable soups and broths for their easily absorbable, high nutrient

content.

For feelings of **hyperness**, _anxiety from magnesium deficiency_

(http://www.ctds.info/anxiety_depression.html) , deficiency, and tight muscles,

one

member of my family has found eating peanuts to be helpful. Peanuts are

high in both Mg and fat, so I think the fat may help make the Mg more

absorbable. I have found that cashews and pistachios seem to make me feel

calmer

whenever I feel a bit edgy. (Of course if you are allergic to nuts this

option won't work for you.)

Contrary to conventional medical dogma, I think it is best to follow more

of a _caveman diet_ (http://www.paleodiet.com/) and eat less grain foods,

especially whole grains. Whole grains are _high in both phytates and

fiber_ (http://www.ctds.info/fiberfoods.html) which can reduce absorption of

magnesium and other minerals. Every time some family members or I eat most

types of whole grain foods, especially oats, bran and whole wheat, we

develop magnesium deficiency symptoms, especially tight muscles and insomnia.

Selected References

1.Brown, M. J., Ferruzzi, M. G., Nguyen, M. L., , D. A., Eldridge,

A. L., Schwartz, S. J., White, W. S. " Carotenoid bioavailability is higher

from salads ingested with full-fat than with fat-reduced salad dressings as

measured with electrochemical detection. " American Journal of Clinical

Nutrition, Vol. 80, No. 2, 396-403, August 2004. [_Full text_

(http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/full/80/2/396) ]

Layman's version: _A Little Fat Helps the Vegetables Go Down Eating Salads

With Fat-Free Dressings May Rob the Body of Nutrients_

(http://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20040727/fat-helps-vegetables-go-down)

Related Pages in This Site:

_Magnesium Status and Acid-Base Balance_

(http://www.ctds.info/mgacidbase.html)

_Acid and Alkaline Food Chart_ (http://www.ctds.info/chart.html)

_pH Test Strips for Testing Urine _

(http://www.ctds.info/ph-test-strips.html)

_Alkaline and Acidic Foods_ (http://www.ctds.info/acidic-foods.html)

_Children and Magnesium_ (http://www.ctds.info/mgchild.html)

_Cause of Migraines_ (http://www.ctds.info/cause-migraines.html) -- my

hypothesis that ties together many of the seemingly unrelated conditions -

TMJ, fibromyalgia, numbness in arms, nausea, eye pain and more.

_Noise Sensitivity / Sensitive Hearing_

(http://www.ctds.info/noise-sensitivity.html) - Explores the links between a

lack of magnesium in the diet

and noise sensitivity.

Magnesium Deficiency - _Part I_ (http://www.ctds.info/5_13_magnesium.html)

- covers allergies, chemical sensitivities, anxiety and psychiatric

disorders, aorta strength, asthma, attention deficit disorder and calcification

of soft tissue. -

_Part II_ (http://www.ctds.info/magnesium.html) -- covers fibromyalgia,

hearing loss, hypercalciuria, keratoconus, migraines, mitral valve prolapse,

muscle contractions and cramps, myopia, nystagmus, osteoporosis and

osteopenia, premature birth, skeletal deformities, scar formation, seizures,

and

TMJ.

Other - Premature ejaculation,Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)*, Muscle

weakness

Leg movements-related insomnia, Apnea

_Food and Other Factors Associated With Migraines _

(http://www.ctds.info/migtrig.html) - loud noises, stress, certain foods can

lead to migraines

and these triggers are all very similar, if not identical, to the factors

that can cause a magnesium deficiency.

_Magnesium Deficits_ (http://www.ctds.info/magdef.html) - more common in

women?

The Importance of Magnesium to Human Nutrition

by B. Schachter M.D., F.A.C.A.M.

_http://www.mbschachter.com/importance_of_magnesium_to_human.htm_

(http://www.mbschachter.com/importance_of_magnesium_to_human.htm)