Feeling frazzled after a tough day at work?
Magnesium may help. Known as nature’s sedating nutrient, magnesium helps to calm a stressed nervous system, relax muscles, regulate blood pressure, heart rate and blood sugar levels, maintain nerve function and even ease PMS. Hurrah!
What can affect magnesium?
Several lifestyle and dietary factors may lower your body’s magnesium levels. These include drinking excessive quantities of carbonated drinks, eating too much refined sugar, going through periods of high stress, drinking too many caffeinated drinks, including tea and coffee, and excessive alcohol consumption.
While calcium is needed for our muscles to contract, magnesium has exactly the opposite effect, helping them to relax. So a diet low in magnesium, or a lifestyle that depletes magnesium, has been linked to muscle spasms, cramping, eye tics, sleep difficulties and even restless legs.
Stock up on Dark Chocolate:
Are you a chocolate fan? Ounce for ounce, dark chocolate contains more magnesium than any other type of food. I like to use raw cacao for the most benefits.
Magnesium levels may fluctuate throughout a woman’s cycle, with higher levels of oestrogen or progesterone leading to lowered magnesium levels. A magnesium-rich diet can help relieve PMS-related symptoms, such as headaches, bloating, low blood sugar, dizziness, fluid retention and sugar cravings.
These No-Bake Double Chocolate Brownies can help to relieve chocolate cravings and boost magnesium levels 😉
Apart from chocolate, good food sources of magnesium include leafy green veggies, almonds, cashews, avocado, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and buckwheat.
