Hello again! Just as promised, here I am with the followup to last week’s post. Have you realized that your lifestyle has probably left you depleted of magnesium? Did you have any of the symptoms I mentioned last week? Magnesium has over 300 enyzymatic roles in your body. Meaning, when there is trouble, your body goes to your magnesium storage for help. Stress is a huge culprit when it comes to magnesium loss.

You may be running around irritable, short tempered, tired, and sleep deprived. You may feel that the light of Christ is not shining through you, and are frustrated that your “personality” does not reflect your faith. I’ve been there! A lack of magnesium could be a missing component that tends to make a person the very opposite of the state of their soul.

As we covered last week, beyond changing your lifestyle and eating leafy greens, nuts, spices, and seeds every day, supplementation may be key for you. But there are so many forms of magnesium, how do you know that you are not just throwing your money away on cheap forms that don’t even absorb into your body? I present to you a handy guide that highlights the most recognizable forms:

Magnesium Oxide – cheap, only about 4% is being absorbed, laxative effect
Magnesium Citrate – inexpensive, better absorbed, a better laxative, good for hormonal cravings and cramps.
Magnesium Sulfite – basically Epsom salts (for soaking)
Magnesium Malate – well absorbed, doesn’t have the laxative effect, stress reducing
Magnesium Glycinate – well absorbed, doesn’t have the laxative effect, stress reducing
Magnesium Threonate – well absorbed, crosses the blood/brain barrier, great for anxiety and reduction of brain inflammation.
Magnesium Chloride – good absorption, good for detoxing cells and tissues.
Magnesium Carbonate – well absorbed, turns into magnesium chloride in the stomach. Good for indigestion and acid reflux.

As you can see, you will probably want more than one form in your arsenal.  In the circles I run in, Magnesium Glycinate is the form most often recommended for general supplementation use.  Malate and Threonate are also widely used by functional medicine practitioners.  Oxide is the least recommended, and Citrate mostly for it’s laxative effect and help with PMS.  Chloride is great to use in oil form to rub on tired, overworked muscles.

Generally the amount I’ve heard most often is to get around 500 absorbed milligrams. If you are supplementing with magnesium, make sure you are balancing it with calcium, K2 and D3, since they work together. Buy your supplements from a reputable source. Reputable sources do not add soy, artificial flavor, artificial color or preservatives to the mix. That, along with a clean, low toxin, low glycemic, nutrient dense diet…not to mention stress relieving practices, just may just change your life!

Let me know if you’ve tried my recommendations, and how they worked out for you!