Why Magnesium Is So Important

Researchers have discovered 3,751 magnesium binding sites on human proteins, which clearly demonstrates how intricately involved magnesium is to your health.  Additionally, magnesium is found in many different types of enzymes (more than 300) within your body and these enzymes are responsible for countless numbers of important bodily functions like ATP production, heart muscle activation, blood vessel relaxation, regulating bowel movements, managing blood sugar levels and much more.

Health Benefits of Magnesium

So far there has been over 100 health benefits associated magnesium.  Just getting enough magnesium in your body decreases the risk of:

• Heart disease

• Fibromyalgia

• Type 2 diabetes

• Premenstrual syndrome

• Migraines

• Aging

• Stress

• Restless leg syndrome

• Insomnia

• Muscle cramps

• And many more

Magnesium has also been shown to play an important role in your body’s detoxification process.  It helps get rid of toxins in your body more effectively, which in turn protects you from various disease and illness.  It’s also interesting to note that magnesium is a critical component of glutathione, which is the most potent anti-oxidant in your body.  Again it just illustrates the importance of magnesium when it comes to maintaining a healthy body.

Why Are So Many People Experiencing Magnesium Deficiencies?

Magnesium is a mineral that’s found in many types of foods, so why are so many people experiencin magnesium deficiency?  It’s hard to say for sure, but it’s probably due poor food choices and poor food quality.

If you’re following a traditional Western diet, high in refined carbs and other processed foods, much of the vitamins and minerals have been stripped away and so you’re going to be depriving yourself from essential minerals and other nutrients including magnesium.  Additionally many of the modern farming practices have resulted in soil mineral depletion, in large part due to over harvesting.  As a result, many of the fruits and vegetables that used to provide magnesium are no longer good sources of magnesium.

How To Add Magnesium To Your Diet

So if you want to effectively boost your magnesium through diet, there are several types of foods (not affected by soil mineral depletion) that have a high magnesium content.

• Cacao has a high magnesium content.  This is especially great if you’re a chocolate lover, because you can satisfy your chocolate cravings and get the minerals that your body needs at at the same time!  It’s important to note, that if you have unusually strong cravings for chocolate, you may be magnesium deficient.  If you do eat chocolate, make sure that you’re getting high quality dark chocolate with at least 70% cacao.  Stay away from the sweet sugar-filled milk chocolates and other similar candies that have little to no cacao and hence no magnesium.

• Kelp and other sea vegetables are great sources of magnesium, because they grow in the ocean instead of poor quality soil.  1 cup of kelp contains 30% of your recommended intake of magnesium for the day, and it also provides iodine which is very important for your health as well.

• Blackstrap molasses is a good source of magnesium because of the depth of the sugar cane roots.  Even though the soil surface may be deficient of minerals, the deeper soil still contains the essential minerals that are important for health.  The sugar cane roots are able to reach down deep enough into the soil, to get to the minerals.  Black molasses is a byproduct of sugar refining process.  During the refining process, sugar is removed, while the rest of the good nutritional stuff is left as molasses.  So molasses ends up with less sugar and rich in minerals, which is why it’s a great source of magnesium as well as calcium, potassium and iron.  And although it still has some glucose, it’s low in the glycemic index, so it won’t spike your insulin.

Now it’s great that you have the choice of including these magnesium rich foods into your diet ... but let’s be real.  Are you really going to eat enough cacao, kelp and black molasses to satisfy your body’s requirements for this mineral?  Probably Not.

That’s why I recommend using magnesium supplements.  Now most supplements are taken orally in a pill or powder form, but according to doctors this mineral is best applied topically.  Here’s why…

“Obtaining adequate magnesium levels from supplements is notoriously difficult as large doses act as a laxative. It is simply excreted faster than absorbed.”
Dr. Norm Shealy, M.D., Ph.D., neurosurgeon and well known pain management expert

“The traditional method of introducing magnesium to the body through oral supplements is substantially less effective than applying it transdermally via the skin. Transdermal delivery allows for the liver and stomach to be bypassed, which translates into a much greater percentage of the active ingredient making it into the bloodstream”
Dr. Marc Sircus, OMD expert on Transdermal Magnesium Therapy.

Basically if you don’t want to have to sit on the toilet all day from taking magnesium supplements orally… you’re much better off getting magnesium in topical form.