Magnesium and moms go together like plants and phosphorous…a little biology (or gardening) analogy. Magnesium is essential for humans, but it is the mineral that we are most commonly deficient in. Are you feeling lethargic, irritable, having vertigo, or muscle/eye twitches? These are all signs that you may be magnesium deficient.
Take a magnesium self assessment to evaluate your needs.
Why are we deficient in magnesium?
Deficiencies can happen due to many reasons, including prescription and over the counter medications, processed foods, sodas (thanks Coca Cola), and soft water. Read more about the causes and find out if your medications have drained your magnesium levels. Digestive disorders (ex: crohns, colitis, etc.) cause our body to not to be able to absorb magnesium when it is taken internally. A good way to begin increasing magnesium in a way that the body is better able to absorb, is to use topical magnesium creams/spray and magnesium baths.
One of the most common issues for moms is the chronic stress from being “on call” all the time. This often goes hand in hand with a lack of sleep. The stress hormone, adrenaline, causes depletion of magnesium. A lack of magnesium causes crankiness, sleepiness, and muscle/joint pain….it is a vicious cycle for moms. This is why it is imperative for moms to supplement with magnesium (or magnesium baths/floats). It is also recommended that breastfeeding moms get 20% more magnesium in their diets. Magnesium is an essential mineral for healthy baby growth, along with a new mom’s health and sanity.
Dear Moms,
It is time to take a bath (or at least a foot soak) for your own health.
No excuses!
These baths, or foot soaks, should be done daily (if possible) and for twenty minutes at a time. They are great for relaxing after the kids are in bed. I am actually doing a foot soak while writing this!
Bath Soak
2C Epsom Salts
1C Baking Soda
2T Borax
Foot Soak
1C Epsom Salt
1/2C Baking Soda
1T Borax
Float Therapy
Floats are isolation tanks that are filled with 1100 pounds of Epsom salts. One hour in a float is equal to four hours of sleep! Charleston has a “float spa” that offers this therapy.
It is also important to get magnesium through food. Eating whole, real food that is rich in magnesium will help improve magnesium levels. Magnesium-rich foods include leafy greens, nuts and seeds, avocados, and….CHOCOLATE (needs to be 80% cacao and have no soy lecithin and ideally no sugars added to it).
Top Magnesium Rich Foods:
- Spinach — 1 cup: 157 milligrams
- Chard — 1 cup: 154 milligrams
- Pumpkin seeds — 1/8 cup: 92 milligrams ***ideally sprouted
- Yogurt or Kefir — 1 cup: 50 milligrams ***full fat and ideally with no gums or sugars added to it
- Almonds — 1 ounce: 80 milligrams ***ideally soaked or sprouted
- Black Beans — ½ cup: 60 milligrams ***make sure these are soaked
- Avocado — 1 medium: 58 milligrams
- Figs — ½ cup: 50 milligrams
- Dark Chocolate — 1 square: 95 milligrams ****CACAO is best
- Banana — 1 medium: 32 milligrams
Why minerals are crucial to your health
These days, we hear a lot now about probiotics and how essential they are to our health. While this is true, minerals are just as (if not more) important. Think of minerals as your home. They are the walls, the roof, and the floor, while probiotics are the furniture. Yes, the furniture is important, but if there is no roof to cover the furniture, then the fancy new couch is just going to get ruined. Magnesium is one of the most vital minerals, but it needs all the other essential minerals in order to make sure that our “house” is built correctly. There are ways to test your mineral levels. You can get an oligoscan, or a hair tissue mineral analysis (HTMA) to see what your mineral levels look like.
Easy Boost your Minerals Meal
1 Hard Boiled Egg
Spinach, blanched
1 tsp Nutritional Yeast
3 cherry tomatoes (or 1/2 roma or any tomato that is in season and local)
Zucchini, either sliced or spiral (“zoodle)
1 Radish, sliced into rounds
1/2 avocado
1/2 sweet potato, cooked and mashed or sliced
2T pumpkin seeds
2T olive oil, extra virgin (check list for “good” EVOO)
Sea or Himalayan Salt
Directions: Put everything on the plate except olive oil, nutritional yeast, and sweet potato. Stuff the avocado with the sweet potato and pumpkin seeds, sprinkle the spinach with the nutritional yeast, and drizzle the whole meal in olive oil. Top with sea or Himalayan salt and ENJOY! Make this as simple as possible. This is a great way to use leftovers. Make substitutions as needed.
Disclaimer: This is not to replace any medical advice. Always consult with your healthcare practitioner before starting on a new regiment.
Yay! I didn’t know about the float place in Charleston! Great post!
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