Which Magnesium form is right for you?
Suddenly magnesium, the relaxation mineral, is everywhere you look. But what is magnesium good for, why do we recommend supplementing, and what form is right for you?
Magnesium is an essential mineral that is a catalyst for many intracellular processes and a co-factor in over 300 enzyme reactions in your body. It is in all your tissues, mostly your bones, muscles, and brain. Magnesium is necessary for your cells to produce energy, for many different chemical pumps to work, to stabilize membranes, to help your muscles relax, to maintain normal nerve and muscle function, for strong bones, and it supports cell growth and reproduction. Needless to say, it is important.
Unfortunately, according to a study by the Agriculture Research Service, 50% of adults in the US do not get enough magnesium for good health.1 That is a lot of people! Your body may be warning you that your magnesium levels are low. There are over 3,500 medical references on magnesium deficiency, including:
- Headaches & Migraines
- Brain Fog
- Muscle Twitches
- Tremors
- Cramps
- Glucose Management Issues
- Mood Changes
- Muscle Weakness
- Fatigue
- Depression & Anxiety
- Menstrual Cramping
- Increased Risk of Osteoporosis & Bone Fractures
- Asthma
- Heart Arrhythmia
With magnesium being such an essential mineral, how does it end up that we are all so deficient? We should be able to get the magnesium we need via our nutrition. Still, unfortunately, magnesium is considered a “shortfall nutrient” in the US, meaning it is often lacking in our diets. The Standard American Diet (SAD) contains practically no dietary magnesium. Instead, we eat more processed foods based primarily on white flour, factory-raised meat, and dairy (all of which have no magnesium).
Historically we could have gotten enough magnesium from eating fruits, vegetables and nuts. Unfortunately, due to poor farming practices, magnesium levels in the soil have dropped, leading to lower magnesium in the plants we eat. Data suggests that vegetable produce has experienced up to a 40% or more decline in mineral, vitamin and protein content over the last century. 2
We recommend adult males get between 400 – 420 mg of magnesium daily and adult females get 310 – 320 mg/day. Studies show that, on average, males only get 350 mg, and females only get 260 mg daily. That is about 15 -20% less than your daily recommended intake. And over time, that adds up.1
Additionally, magnesium levels are decreased by excess alcohol, salt, coffee, phosphoric acid in soda, profuse sweating, prolonged or intense stress, chronic diarrhea, excessive menstruation, diuretics (water pills), antibiotics and other medications, and some intestinal parasites.
But not all hope is lost! We have a solution.
We can learn from nature. The ideal source of magnesium is obtained from your diet. In this way, we have access to a collection of various magnesium forms (multiform) that are considered the ideal source of magnesium for the body. Foods rich in magnesium include:
- Avocados
- Nuts & Seeds like almonds, cashews, & pumpkin seeds
- Fatty Fish like wild salmon, mackerel, & halibut
- Leafy Greens like Swiss chard & spinach
- Bananas
- Buckwheat
- Sea Vegetables (seaweed)
- And our personal favorite, Dark Chocolate!
In addition to focusing on these magnesium-rich foods, we recommend supplementing to fill in the 15-20% gap we aren’t getting from our diet.
Not sure which magnesium supplement is best? We have already researched for you. One of our favorite supplement companies, Standard Process, has a fantastic magnesium supplement that is food-based and multiform. Yes, that is correct. This supplement provides us with magnesium that comes from food as nature intended.
Standard Process E-Z Mg is certified USDA organic, vegan, and gluten-free. Its ingredients include buckwheat (areal parts) juice powder and organic Swiss chard juice powder, adding about 1 pound of plant nutrients in just one serving. I don’t know about you, but no matter how good my diet is, Im not eating 1 pound of Swiss chard each day! E-Z Mg is bio-available, meaning your body can actually access it. Unlike many supplements on the market, it has been shown that up to 80% is able to cross your blood-brain barrier, meaning it is good for your brain health.
Standard Process has its own regenerative agriculture farm where they source all the buckwheat and Swiss chard in E-Z Mg. Standard Process leverages scientific methods of regenerative farming:
- to cultivate nutrient-rich soil
- to build soil health, crop resilience and nutrient density
- to increase the soil’s biodiversity
Their farm experts have been working for more than three decades to increase the level of organic matter in their soil, thus improving the quality and quantity of natural phytonutrients in their plants.
The super cool part is that their freshly harvested crops are juiced, cooled, and low-heat dried, often within hours of harvest, in a proprietary state-of-the-art manufacturing facility designed to maintain the vital nutrients contained in the buckwheat and Swiss chard.
E-Z Mg: Plant-based, organic, multiform magnesium
- Essential for central nervous system health
- Helps to bridge the gap in dietary magnesium intake
- Plant-based and considered ideal as a naturally-occurring magnesium, as it consists of a collection of 11 various magnesium forms (multiform)
- Excellent source of vitamin K1 and iron
- USDA Organic, Vegan, Gluten-Free
Pick yours up on your next visit.
- Moshfegh, A. G., Joseph; Ahuja, Jaspreet; Rhodes, Donna; LaCombe, Randy, Agriculture Research Service 2009.
Davis, D. R., HortScience 2009, 44 (1).