Magnesium deficiency can cause mood swings and insomnia.
Benefits of eating magnesium rich foods
You might think that you need magnesium to twitch your eyelids or tighten your tendons, but this mineral is important for many functions in the human body. Fortunately, we can get this mineral through our diet. It can be obtained especially from green foods and dark chocolate.
One of the important roles of this mineral is to coordinate hundreds of enzyme reactions. Enzymes are involved in many metabolic processes, converting carbohydrates and fats into energy, not to mention their involvement in maintaining blood sugar, bone health, and calming the nervous system. Magnesium is also important for our sound sleep. On average, a man needs 400 mg a day, and a woman needs 300 mg.
What happens if magnesium is lacking?
In the short term, the results will not be known, but if this period is prolonged, it will be lacking. Often there is a lack of energy. Magnesium helps regulate calcium and vitamin D, blood sugar, and hormone balance. Magnesium deficiency can cause deep fatigue, mood swings, eye twitching, insomnia, high blood pressure, muscle spasms (calcium deficiency also affects) and stress.
What foods to eat?
Magnesium is commonly found in green leafy vegetables, as well as raw cocoa, nuts and seeds. To supplement your magnesium intake, eat more magnesium-rich foods and reduce sugar, alcoholic beverages, and processed foods.
The following foods are high in magnesium. It includes:
- Leafy greens (kale, spinach, etc.)
- Fruits (donkey ears, avocado, banana, blackberry)
- Nuts and seeds
- A variety of beans
- Greens (peas, broccoli, kale, green peas, artichokes, asparagus, kale)
- Seafood (salmon, mackerel, tuna)
- Brown rice and oats
- Raw cocoa
- Dark chocolate
- Tofu
- Colorella powder
If you think you have a magnesium deficiency, supplemental magnesium can be purchased and taken as a dietary supplement, but some people have trouble absorbing it. If it increases, there is a possibility of diarrhea and stomach upset. So it's a good idea to ask your doctor how much magnesium to take.
