What mineral can help prevent 22 different conditions?

What mineral is so important that hospitals feel the need to keep it on hand in case of emergencies? The answer is magnesium, and its importance is often overlooked. Even though it’s so vital to good health, how often do you hear about it? It’s thought to be because magnesium is a natural substance. It occurs naturally in foods and in mineral deposits…but that also means that since it’s not very profitable to sell. It’s not a prescription drug, and it’s not synthesized in some factory for big money.

Doctors say that magnesium deficiency can trigger 22 different conditions, like diabetes, migraines or irregular heart-beats. Some conditions are irritating (like leg cramps at night) while others like being extra-susceptible to kidney disease are quite serious. Magnesium helps the body absorb calcium, and helps to repair cell membranes. There are so many great reasons behind ensuring you have enough magnesium in your diet, but how do you know if you’re getting enough?

If you like foods such as walnuts, cashews and other tree nuts, shrimp, broccoli and leafy green vegetables, you’re likely getting more magnesium than most people. But how many times per week are you eating 1 serving of them? Processed foods, white flour, and eating the meat of animals with poor diets won’t give anyone any magnesium, but all of those not-so-good-for-you items are so common and easy to get today. But what if you’re allergic to nuts or shrimp? What if you don’t want a salad of leafy greens every night? There are other options to consider, and they’re both inexpensive and easy.

The first is the chia seed. This seed has 15 times more magnesium than broccoli…and unlike broccoli, you can make the seed taste like anything you want. These seeds have no flavor of their own, so when you mix them into foods, they take on the taste of the food. If you want strawberry flavor, stir them into a strawberry yogurt. If you want spaghetti flavor, just mix some into the spaghetti sauce. The soluble fiber on the outside of the seed hydrates when in contact with liquid and distributes the flavors that are already present. You can even drink the hydrated seeds by mixing them into your favorite juice, water, or smoothie. They’re so small (about the size of a poppy seed) that you’ll hardly notice they’re there, giving you a boost of magnesium & calcium, plus plenty of other nutrients.

The second way to healthy magnesium levels is through supplementation. With depleted soil for crops, even the known ‘magnesium rich’ foods have lower levels of it today, than they did 20 years ago. Magnesium Citrate, and Magnesium Aspartate are the two easiest to absorb forms of this great mineral. They’re also inexpensive, for capsules with a few hundred milligrams each. Even if you are eating chia seeds each day, you might want to consider a supplement as well. Having your magnesium levels tested by a doctor is a great first step toward better health. Don’t wait for a problem to arrive in your life before taking active & safe steps to stay healthy.

Magnesium supplementation is also important because certain foods can actually take magnesium out of your body. Alcohol, coffee, certain sodas, and having unbalanced levels of sodium & potassium (ie, an excess of salt) can all lower your levels of magnesium. You can easily see why the foods available today lead many people to becoming magnesium deficient. It’s still all right to enjoy the magnesium lowering foods in moderation, just make sure you supplement with a good quality magnesium capsule.

You don’t want to miss out on strong bones and teeth, positive blood-pressure support, lowering the chance of kidney stones, lowering the plaque build up on arteries, and an entire list of other great benefits. Doctors have even written books about magnesium, because they recognize the importance. One title is "The Magnesium Miracle" by Dr. Dean, MD. Before starting a supplementation program, talk to your doctor about how much magnesium you need for optimal health.