Anxiety: Is it a Magnesium Deficiency?

Anxious, emotional and desperately seeking chocolate?

These are the three conditions that a friend of mine listed when she asked for my help in trying to figure out what might be going on with her body. Given that she is female, many of us would assume it might be “that time of the month”, correct? Well, could be true except that these symptoms last all month long for her. So, I did with her what I do with all my clients. I looked for what deficiency in her physical and emotional body might be creating this specific craving.

Chocolate cravings are very specific, so maybe this rings true for some of you out there.

Chocolate is something many naturopaths and alte
ative health professionals go to for its health benefits. The list of perks from eating chocolate in its natural state is long, but the most over-riding superfood quality in chocolate is that it is a megastar in the magnesium department. Magnesium dips right before a woman cycles, so it is natural for women to crave chocolate during this time. However, when the urge to eat chocolate is ever present, it can mean that your body is deficient in magnesium.

Symptoms of magnesium deficiency include: anxiety and other nervous system disorders, insomnia , muscle weakness, low serum potassium levels (hypokalemia), retention of sodium, low circulating levels of PTH, neurological and muscular symptoms (tremor, muscle spasms, tetanus), personality changes. According to wikipedia, “magneisum plays an important role in carbohydrate metabolism and its deficiency may worsen insulin resistance, a condition that often precedes diabetes, or may be a consequence of insulin resistance”.

Magnesium is a vital mineral nutrient that naturally calms and heals the nervous system and muscles. Magnesium also draws water to the colon, making elimination easier, allowing for toxins to leave the body.

See if these magnesium-dense foods help those of you that are experiencing anxiety, or a heightened chocolate craving.

Coconut water

Kelp

Cashews

Buckwheat

Molasses

Brazil nuts

Pumpkin seeds

Rice bra

And last but not least….my favorite…CHOCOLATE! Remember that the only chocolate that will offer you the magnesium you are looking for is the RAW chocolate. If it doesn’t say raw on the packaging, chances are you are getting sugar, dairy, and rancid oils, because that is what you will find in the traditionally packaged dark chocolate bars. Once the temperature of any chocolate goes above 115 degrees, the oils and mineral content of the chocolate is cooked out, so please go raw when it comes to your cacao!