| gendenk.org |
1.
Reduces blood pressure – the walls of your blood
vessels contain muscle tissue that helps them to dilate (stretch open) and
contract as blood flows through. This allows your blood vessels to regulate the
pressure inside them. Magnesium plays a role in the dilation, or widening of
the blood vessels, which reduces the internal pressure. If you guessed that
that means magnesium can lower your blood pressure, you guess right.
2.
Muscle relaxant – ever suffered from muscle
cramping during the night? Magnesium is a muscle relaxant and cramping is often
a sign of low magnesium levels. Ladies,
think period pain.
3.
Regulation of blood sugar – magnesium is
involved in the regulation of blood sugar levels via its involvement with the
secretion of insulin. Many people with type 2 diabetes are shown to have low
levels of magnesium. Some research suggests increasing your daily intake of
magnesium by 100mg reduces the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by up to 15%,
although it should be noted that this could be partly attributed to the fact
that foods high in magnesium tend to be whole, nutrient dense foods that are high
in fibre and low in sugar. Either way, the end result is great.
4.
Bone health – 60% of the magnesium in the body
is found in your bones. Research demonstrates that magnesium is necessary for
calcium absorption making it important for bone health and also tooth
mineralisation. Healthy bones require a multi-nutrient approach of which
magnesium plays a vital role.
5.
Insomnia, depression, and migraine – magnesium
plays a role in the production of melatonin, a hormone necessary for sleep, and
serotonin, your happy hormone. It also participates in the regulation of stress
hormones. As such, magnesium is important for those suffering insomnia,
depression or anxiety. This combination of nervous system relaxation, blood
vessel relaxation and muscular relaxation can also be useful in treating
headaches and migraines. In fact, many people who suffer migraines have low
levels of magnesium.
Where do you get magnesium?
-
Whole grains contain good amounts of magnesium. Note however that once you process a grain you lose most of its magnesium content as it’s often found in the bran (outer husk) and germ (inner part) of a grain which are removed during processing. This means that things like flour (bread, pasta) are not good magnesium sources however whole grains are.
- Nuts such as almonds, cashews and peanuts contain good amounts of magnesium, as do pumpkin, flax and sesame seeds
- Dark green leafy vegetables are a great source of magnesium, it is bound to chlorophyll, the green pigment in plants.
Cacao is a good source of magnesium. It is used to make dark chocolate or you can buy the powder and use it as you see fit.
- Herbs and spices are an easy way to add a touch of magnesium to any dish, Try adding coriander, dill, sage or basil to a meal.
You may note that many of the magnesium rich foods are whole
foods, I don’t want to harp on it, but there’s a message there. J
Chris
No comments:
Post a Comment