When you are trying to lose weight it is easy to forget about the nutrients you need and over focus on the scales. But at Lose Baby Weight we try and show you how important it is to look at the nutrients in the food as well as the calorie/saturated fat amounts.
And today one of our Nutritionist’s is looking at the importance of magnesium in the diet and how you can increase your levels – and why it is so important.
Magnesium is a cofactor and activator of more than 300 metabolic reactions in the body. These processes include protein synthesis, fatty acid oxidation, cellular energy (ATP) production and storage, cell growth and reproduction, DNA and RNA synthesis, and glucose and insulin metabolism.
Magnesium deficiency is widespread at both the cell and organism levels. It has been demonstrated to be involved in the development of various pathologies, including “Western” diseases.
Magnesium levels are decreased by excess alcohol, salt, phosphoric acid (from soft drinks), coffee intake, by profuse sweating, prolonged stress, diarrhoea and vomiting, excessive menstruation, and in pregnancy (via enhanced renal elimination).
Magnesium is vital for energy (ATP) production, and as you all know becoming a new mum is seriously draining and you need as much energy as you can get – so a magnesium deficiency would just make matters much worse.
Some outcomes of magnesium deficiency include: stress – both physical and emotional, headaches or migraines, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, and weakness.
As magnesium levels decrease, people may experience numbness, tingling, muscle contractions and cramps, seizures, personality changes, abnormal heart rhythms, and coronary spasms. Severe deficiency may lead to hypocalcaemia and hypokalaemia.
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Magnesium is passed through breast milk and a breastfeeding mother needs around 350mg of elemental magnesium per day (300mg for non breastfeeding mothers).
A Healthy Mummy Smoothie contains 80mg per serve of magnesium. Magnesium should generally be consumed with calcium at a 2:1 ratio to help with muscle contraction, blood clotting and blood pressure, and with 200mg of calcium included in the smoothie you’re getting a great combination of these minerals every day.
Magnesium is found in a number of foods including seaweed, cocoa powder, wholegrain cereals, nuts and seeds including almonds, chia and pumpkin seeds, milk, yoghurt, cheese, avocado, broccoli and dark green leafy vegetables – and best of all dark chocolate!
So if you’re feeling stressed, have headaches or migraines or any of the above symptoms, think about whether you may be getting enough magnesium in your diet.
Written by Elisha Danine ~ Nutritionist
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