I am not a huge supplement junkie.  I have tried some here and there, but I only use a handful regularly.  The one mainstay that is with me at all times and has been since I discovered it in 2007 is Magnesium.

Magnesium is said to be one of the most overlooked minerals, with an estimated 80% of Americans deficient in it.  {click to tweet}

Symptoms of insufficient magnesium:

• muscle tension, spasms, cramps
• inability to sleep
• constipation
• fatigue, low energy, feeling week
• headaches
• irritability, moodiness
• numbness and tingling
• abnormal heart rhythms

Magnesium helps to:

• helps muscles and nerves function properly
• relax the body
• Create energy in your body and build stronger muscles  by activating adenosine triphosphate (ATP)
• Helps digest proteins, carbohydrates, and fats
• Serves as a building block for RNA and DNA synthesis
• It’s also a precursor for neurotransmitters like serotonin
• remineralizes teeth
• hydrate the body, as it is an electrolyte
• de-stress

I personally take it because I suffer from fibromyalgia and while it is mostly under control by how I take care of myself via my lifestyle, diet, and self-care I still do have achy muscles and joints.  Magnesium seriously saves my life.  Sometimes the aches and pains take over and all I want to do is curl up in a ball, but I have a life to live! So, that is why it is the one thing that stays with me always, right in my purse!  As fellow IIN graduate and Health Coach, Jenny Sansouci, caught me on her last visit to LA.  I also happened to have a green smoothie in my purse that night.

You can find magnesium in the foods below, but only if they are farmed organically.  All foods grown with herbicides will make them empty of magnesium and other minerals.

• Cacao (another reason to love chocolate)
• Bananas
• Beans (kidney, garbanzo,  black, lentils)
• Grains (brown rice, quinoa, buckwheat and oatmeal)
• Seaweed
• Green leafy vegetables  (spinach, swiss chard)
• Nuts and seeds (pumpkin, sunflower, sesame seed, brazil nuts)
• Avocados
• Black strap mollases
• Bone broth stock

Which is why I always have a supplement on hand.  Over the years I have tried many but for the past few years I have stuck with the Megafood brand.  If the store I am at doesn’t sell it I won’t even bother with another brand, I will just go to a different store.  I have personally felt it be that much more effective than other brands.

I also love Natural Vitality’s Natural Calm powder.  Both of these brands are pretty easy to find at your local health food stores.

Another fun fact is that often times people are over-focusing on getting calcium and actually take too much!  It is necessary to have a proper balance of calcium and magnesium.  If you have too much calcium and not enough magnesium, your muscles will tend to go into spasm, and this has consequences for your heart in particular.  Calcium causes muscles to contract, while magnesium helps muscles to relax.    The proper ratio of calcium to magnesium is 1 to 1.

It is time to up your magnesium levels!  I promise you, your life will change.  I take my magnesium very seriously.  I highly recommend getting a supplement to have on hand.  I eat so well, but I still need to the supplement to feel the goodness of magnesium on a regular basis.

Get on the magnesium train! Choo! Choo!  Then come back here and tell me your results!  I want to know!