Magnesium: Detox and Relax

Have you ever considered that you might be lacking magnesium in your diet? I never thought about it until I noticed I was getting stressed and overwhelmed easily, and feeling physically depleted.

The first signs that affected me were the effects of Germany's cold winter, the lack of fresh food intake, and too much nightlife.

I remember coming home after a long day with sore muscles and a hurting back, feeling exhausted. Walking in the street was unpleasant—my body posture was telling me something was wrong. My shoulders were tense, I felt pain in my lower back and restless.

I went to DM (a great drugstore in Germany) to buy my usual items. My attention was drawn to the supplement shelves. I found myself in the Sleep and Relax section, eager to explore solutions.

I read about magnesium as a great supplement to relax and calm the nervous system. I thought it was worth trying. After a week of taking this supplement, I felt really good. I took it before going to sleep, and within the first 30 minutes, it felt so right. I experienced a wonderful sense of relaxation, similar to the feeling you get after a hot shower.

That was my journey with magnesium. Years later, while researching my health, I discovered many answers in Ayurveda—an ancient medical system from India—about health issues I had been experiencing.

I had anemia and thyroid problems and felt extremely tired. I was told to start taking magnesium, zinc, and calcium to help absorb nutrients and balance my gut lining.

A happy gut is key: 70% of the immune system is located in the gut.

Without a healthy lining in the gut, your body cannot absorb nutrients and strengthen your immune system. In other words, without a good protection you can get sick because your body cannot fight the bacteria, toxins, parasites off when the gut lining isn't working. Unhealthy gut flora causes imbalanced gut bacteria—called dysbiosis—which can lead to increased toxin production. This means your body's detoxification capacity may be reduced, leading to inflammation, malnutrition, and physical and mental disbalance.

“70% of the immune system is located in the gut.”

Every time you decide to eat junk food you do not help your body to create a healthy intestinal lining. Eating ultra processed junk food can damage our intestinal lining and weaken our immune system. Eating nutrient dense and diverse whole foods (whole grains, vegetables and fruits) strengthens our immune system.

Magnesium is a fundamental support for body detoxification.

In times of processed food, heavy metals, hormonal imbalances due to thyroid issues or diabetes, exposure to hormone-disrupting plastics (BPA), overall stress, magnesium is your great ally.

Magnesium is crucial in protecting our nervous system against oxidative stress.

This means that can neutralize free radicals that can cause inflammation an diseases as well can protect our neurons and hence our cognitive functions (memory and learning).

Indeed Magnesium may help reduce blood pressure and supporting overall cardiovascular health and help to regulates muscle contractions in order to feel less stress or having less bruxism as my personal case.

Magnesium is crucial for the absorption of vitamin D.

Your body needs magnesium to metabolize vitamin D. This means that even with vitamin D supplementation, without adequate magnesium intake, your body cannot absorb vitamin D properly. This leads to weakened bones due to insufficient vitamin D absorption.

Vitamin D isn't the only nutrient affected by low magnesium levels. Many other vitamins aren't well absorbed without adequate magnesium intake. To maintain sufficient levels of vitamins C and E, for example, we need magnesium support.

If you want to take advantage of food sources, a mug of hot dark chocolate with 85% cacao (228 mg per 100g), an almond pancake (268 mg per 100g), or an oats bowl with pumpkin seeds (262 mg per100g) can be the way to go.

For lunch, a tofu salad with black beans or quinoa, spinach, and a squeeze of lemon juice is a great choice for a magnesium boost. According to Ayurvedic principles, adding turmeric, ginger, cumin and coriander helps your body to absorb these nutrients.

Daily intake of magnesium

• Women: 320 mg per day*
• Men: 420 mg per day*

You may be wondering: what time of day should I take my magnesium supplement?

Take it in the morning or before bed. For people with IBS, it's best to take it during the day, as nighttime digestion can be difficult when the body needs to rest.