Minerals for stress and adrenal fatigue

Benefits of Magnesium

We normally hear about the importance of iron and calcium, and vitamin’s C and D. We don’t hear much about magnesium, however, and this mineral, when one becomes deficient, can lead to severe health consequences. Not only that, but an estimated 80% of Americans are deficient in this mineral, and they may never know it since it is hard to measure with blood testing.

The enzymes in our body require magnesium to undergo their daily reactions. In fact, magnesium is found in over 300 different enzymes in the body which are responsible for things like:

1) Proper Bowel Function
In the digestive tract, magnesium acts as a coenzyme – it breaks down food and helps assimilate the nutrients into the cells of your body. The hydrochloric acid in your stomach in also dependent on magnesium for its production and assimilation, as well as the bile in your liver.

2) Heart Muscle Contraction
Magnesium helps transport potassium, calcium and other ions across cell membranes, and without proper coordination and participation of magnesium to help these nutrients into cell membranes, then our heart would not properly function. This crucial function of magnesium in our bodies helps promote healthy muscle contraction, normal heart rhythm and healthy nerve impulses.

3) Relaxation of Blood Vessels
Magnesium is vital for muscle relaxation. Arteries and vessels are made up primarily of smooth muscle (the middle layer called the “Tunica Media”), and this muscle contracts and relaxes like a pump, allowing blood to flow through the body. Research has shown that magnesium acts to relax blood vessels (vasodilaton), which is associated with lower blood pressure.

4) Regulating Blood Sugar Levels
In fact, without enough magnesium in your body, you may be prone to developing diabetes. Magnesium deficiency has been directly linked to insulin resistance, and thus, increases your chances of becoming diabetic or developing some other chronic health issue.

5) Proper Formation of Bones and Teeth
We normally only think of calcium when it comes to maintaining healthy bones and teeth, however, magnesium is also a large player in this case as well. About half of your body’s magnesium supply is stored in your bones and it helps strengthen the structure of our bones with the help of vitamin D and calcium.

6) Creation of ATP (energy molecules of the body)
Magnesium is essential for proper ATP synthesis. ATP requires magnesium in order to be stable, and without magnesium, ATP would break down into other components called ADP and inorganic phosphate. Without enough magnesium, our ATP synthesis slows and doesn’t work as it should which can lead to serious health issues.

7) Reduces Cancer Risk
The body’s most powerful antioxidant, “glutathione,” requires magnesium to function properly. When magnesium is present, the body can properly shield itself from heavy metals, environmental chemicals, pesticides and herbicides, all factors that determine your risk for developing cancer. In fact, increasing magnesium to just 100 mg extra per day has been found to reduce a person’s risk for developing colorectal cancer by around 13 percent!

Magnesium has been found to help in a variety of health-related cases, such as those suffering from fibromyalgia, atrial fibrillation, type 2 diabetes, PMS, cardiovascular disease, migraines, and aging.

Incorporating magnesium into your diet is not as difficult as it may seem. In fact, many fruit and vegetables contain magnesium, which could dramatically improve your health. Chlorophyll, which creates the beautiful green colour of many of the plant foods we eat, allows the plant to capture solar energy and convert it into metabolic energy. This molecule contains a magnesium atom in its centre, and is also highly similar to the structure of our hemoglobin, meaning that lots of green leafy salads and juices nourish our blood and the cells of our body.

Men should aim for around 320 mg of magnesium per day, whereas women should aim for 230 mg/day.

The best natural sources of magnesium include (per 100 grams):
Sea Vegetables (nori, wakame, dulse) = 770 mg
Raw Cacao = 550 mg
Raw Pumpkin Seeds =  535 mg
Cilantro/Corriander = 694 mg
Almonds = 268 mg
Bananas = 27 mg
Okra = 57 mg
Swiss Chard = 81 mg
Spinach (or any dark leafy greens) = 79 mg
Hazelnuts = 163 mg
Beet Greens = 98 mg
Dates = 77 mg
Figs = 68 mg
Avocados = 29 mg

Sources:
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/12/17/magnesium-benefits.aspx

http://www.naturalnews.com/039154_health_benefits_magnesium_dietary_sources.html

Magnesium rich foods

The following a list of the magnesium content in common food sources of magnesium is sorted by milligrams magnesium per gram of food content.

	Serving Size, Common Units	Serving Size, Grams	Milligrams Magnesium	Milligrams Magnesium per Gram	% Daily Value (DV)
Cocoa, unsweetened	2 tbsp.	10	52	5.24	14%
Bran Breakfast Cereal, ready to eat	1 oz.	28	78	2.78	19%
Almonds	1 oz.	28	75	2.68	19%
Cashews, dry roasted	1 oz.	28	73	2.61	18%
Pumpkin Seeds, roasted	1 oz.	28	73	2.61	18%
Molasses	1 tbsp.	20	48	2.42	12%
Peanuts, dry roasted	1 oz.	28	49	1.75	12%
Peanut Butter	2 tbsp.	32	49	1.53	12%
Whole Wheat Bread, homemade	1 slice	28	37	1.32	9%
Halibut	3 oz.	85	91	1.07	23%
Navy Bean Sprouts, raw	1 oz.	28	28	1.01	7%
Mackeral	3 oz.	85	83	0.97	21%
Spinach, boiled	1/2 cup	90	79	0.87	20%
Whole Wheat Bread, store bought	1 slice	28	23	0.82	6%
Coffee, espresso	2 oz.	60	48	0.80	12%
Spinach, raw	1 cup	30	24	0.79	6%
Quinoa, cooked	1/2 cup	92.5	59	0.64	15%
Milk Chocolate	1 oz.	28	18	0.63	4%
Soybeans, boiled	1/2 cup	90	54	0.60	14%
Black-Eyed Peas (Cowpeas), boiled	1/2 cup	87.5	46	0.52	12%
Buckwheat Groats (Kasha), cooked	1/2 cup	84	43	0.51	11%
Parsley, raw	1 oz.	28	14	0.50	3%
Lima Beans, boiled	1/2 cup	94	40	0.43	10%
Acorn squash, baked	1/2 cup	102.5	44	0.43	11%
Swiss Chard	1/2 cup	175	75	0.43	19%
Artichokes	1 whole medium	120	50	0.42	13%
Egg, fried	1 whole large	46	18	0.39	3%
Tofu	1/2 cup	126	47	0.37	12%
Bacon, pan-fried	3 oz.	85	31	0.36	8%
Pork Tenderloin, broiled	3 oz.	85	31	0.36	8%
Okra, boiled	1 cup	160	58	0.36	14%
Bulgur Wheat, cooked	1/2 cup	91	29	0.32	8%
Salmon	3 oz.	85	26	0.31	7%
Whole Wheat Spaghetti	1/2 cup	70	21	0.30	6%
Parsnips, boiled	1/2 cup	78	23	0.29	6%
Chicken Breast, roasted	3 oz.	85	24	0.29	6%
Ground Beef, pan browned	3 oz.	85	24	0.28	6%
Oatmeal	1/2 cup	117	32	0.27	8%
Broccoli, boiled	1/2 cup	78	16	0.21	4%
Pasta Sauce	1/2 cup	128	27	0.21	7%
Potatoes, boiled without skin	1 cup	156	31	0.20	8%
Lettuce	2 leaves	34	4	0.12	1%

Milk, 2%	1 cup	244	27	0.11	7%
Apple	1 medium	182	9	0.05	3%
Coffee, from grounds	6 oz.	178	5	0.03	1%

[Source: http://www.ars.usda.gov/, www.nutritiondata.com]

Selected food sources of magnesium 

Food	Milligrams (mg)	%DV*
Wheat Bran, crude, ¼ cup	89	22
Almonds, dry roasted, 1 ounce	80	20
Spinach, frozen, cooked, ½ cup	78	20
Raisin bran cereal, 1 cup	77	19
Cashews, dry roasted, 1 ounce	74	19
Soybeans, mature, cooked, ½ cup	74	19
Wheat germ, crude, ¼ cup	69	17
Nuts, mixed, dry roasted, 1 ounce	64	16
Bran flakes cereal, ¾ cup	64	16
Shredded wheat cereal, 2 rectangular biscuits	61	15
Oatmeal, instant, fortified, prepared w/ water, 1 cup	61	15
Peanuts, dry roasted, 1 ounce	50	13
Peanut butter, smooth, 2 Tablespoons	49	12
Potato, baked with skin, 1 medium	48	12
Blackeye peas, cooked, ½ cup	46	12
Pinto beans, cooked, ½ cup	43	11
Rice, brown, long-grained, cooked, ½ cup	42	11
Lentils, mature seeds, cooked, ½ cup	36	9
Vegetarian baked beans, ½ cup	35	9
Kidney beans, canned, ½ cup	35	9
Chocolate milk, lowfat, 1 cup	33	8
Banana, raw, 1 medium	32	8
Yogurt, fruit, low fat, 8 fluid ounces	32	8
Milk chocolate candy bar, 1.5 ounce bar	28	7
Milk, lowfat or nonfat, 1 cup	27	7
Raisins, seedless, ½ cup packed	26	7
Halibut, cooked, 3 ounces	24	6
Bread, whole-wheat, commercially prepared, 1 slice	23	6
Avocado, cubes, ½ cup	22	6
Chocolate pudding, ready-to-eat, 4 ounces	19	5

*DV = Daily Value. DVs are reference numbers developed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to help consumers determine if a food contains a lot or a little of a specific nutrient. The DV for magnesium is 400 milligrams (mg). Most food labels do not list a food's magnesium content. The percent DV (%DV) listed on the table above indicates the percentage of the DV provided in one serving. A food providing 5% of the DV or less per serving is a low source while a food that provides 10–19% of the DV is a good source. A food that provides 20% or more of the DV is high in that nutrient. It is important to remember that foods that provide lower percentages of the DV also contribute to a healthful diet. For foods not listed in this table, please refer to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Nutrient Database Web site.