If you want to support your body through menopause, using food as medicine is one of the best tools in your toolbox.

The food we eat has impact on our daily health and on our future health. Any effort we make towards using science-backed choices for what food we eat will lift us up higher with more energy. It can help us beat disease and will increase our longevity.

In this post I am gathering research on Magnesium, and I will discuss the importance of magnesium, recommended dose, the foods high in magnesium, and ways to supplement for extra support after menopause.

Please note: I am not a doctor, and this information and any questions you have about magnesium and magnesium supplements should be brought to your health providers.

Why We Need Magnesium

We need magnesium, a vital mineral, for more than 300 chemical reactions taking place in our bodies. Here is a list with some really important functions supported by healthy levels of magnesium:

• Increased energy levels
• Balances hormones, especially estrogen, and also thyroid hormones
• Improves sleep; falling asleep, staying asleep
• Relaxes the nervous system, taking you away from flight or flight into rest and digest
• Helps with gut health
• Also improves brain health
• Fights inflammation
• Helps to improve blood sugar regulation
• Synthesizes DNA
• Regulates blood pressure
• Sensitizes body to better blood sugar sensitivity, helping prevent or improve Type 2 Diabetes
• Eases constipation
• Promotes heart health
• Reduces symptoms of anxiety and depression with more study needed to pinpoint the reasons
• May reduce severity of migraine headaches with more study needed
• May help improve bone density and reduce bone fractures with more study needed
• And hundreds more great and necessary functions

We may lose more magnesium with drinking alcoholic beverages, if we have Type 2 diabetes we may lose magnesium in our urine, and celiac disease makes it harder for us to absorb magnesium. As we age it also may be more difficult to maintain healthy magnesium levels. We really have to dig in and find magnesium-rich foods we enjoy. And these foods offer great nutrition and fiber for a bonus.

Daily Dose

The daily value of magnesium we eat should ideally reach 420 mg. per day. In a nutrient-dense food, this amount is naturally provided by eating common foods. But if you have days when you are not eating well-balanced food (*raises hand… Me! I am not perfect), you may want to take magnesium supplements. In fact, through widespread medical surveys find that most people do not take in enough magnesium by consuming enough nutritious food.

The recommended daily dose of magnesium supplements is 150 – 200 mg. per day for safe amount proven to provide health benefits.

When eating magnesium-rich foods our kidneys balance the amount of magnesium we have in our system, flushing out what isn’t needed. People with kidney disease should take extra care with not getting too much magnesium.

If you get too much magnesium from supplements you may notice disagreeable symptoms such as nausea and diarrhea.

Foods Rich in Magnesium

Here are foods you need to eat to be sure you are getting enough magnesium. The best source for vitamins and minerals is in the food you eat. Prioritize eating these foods if you can. And I have a great breakfast and snack recipe to help you get this important mineral, below.

• Hemp seeds (210 mg/oz)
• Pumpkin seeds (156 mg/oz)
• 1 cup cooked quinoa (118 mg)
• Chia seeds (111 mg/oz)
• Brazil nuts (107mg/oz)
• Almonds (80 mg/oz)
• Leafy greens like spinach (78 mg/oz)
• Cashews (74 mg/oz)
• Black beans (60 mg/oz)
• 1 cup cooked oatmeal (57 mg)
• 60%+ dark chocolate (50mg/oz)
• 1/2 cup cooked edamame (50mg)
• Peanut butter (49 mg/oz)
• Baked potato with skin (48 mg/oz)
• 2 slices whole wheat bread (48 mg/oz)
• 1 cup cooked peas (48 mg)
• Plain yogurt (42 mg/oz)
• 1 T. Flaxseed (40mg)
• 1 cup soy milk (39 mg)
• 1/2 cup tofu (37 mg)
• Kidney beans (35 mg/oz)
• 1 banana (32 mg)
• 1/2 avocado (29 mg)
• 1 cup blackberries (29 mg)
• Salmon (26 mg./oz)
• Chicken (22 mg/oz)
• Beef (20mg/oz)

Types of Magnesium Supplements

Different chemical processes for creating different formulations of magnesium for supplements will have different reactions with your body. Some may function better at providing support for your personal responses to a lack of magnesium in your life.

Magnesium Malate: well aborbed through digestive system, less laxative effect, some studies show it might benefit fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome but more study is needed

Magnesium Glycinate: calming effects that help with anxiety, depression and insomnia, but more study is needed

Magnesium L-Threonate: may support brain health and help with brain disorders such as memory loss and alzheimers but more study is needed

Magnesium taurate: may support blood pressure and heart disease, but more study is needed

Magnesium citrate: commonly used to treat constipation and my help with depression and anxiety but more study is needed

Despite me trying to get help with muscle cramps from my physician, chiropractor, physical therapist and anyone I ever met (ha), I finally learned to find a magnesium supplement from a good friend. It works for me unlike eating bananas or taking epsom salt baths (though I do love those!). I have heard from another friends that swears by rubbing magnesium cream into cramp spots. For me, there is likely not enough cream in a jar to treat my leg cramps that run the length of my whole dang leg. So here I am taking a magnesium supplement that offer both malate and glycinate magnesium. Seems like it works for me.

This is the magnesium supplement I take, because of the formulation and because it is third-party tested.

Eating a variety of fresh foods like nuts, seeds, fruit and vegetables will go a longs ways towards feeling vibrant and free after menopause. Here are a couple of recipes I eat nearly every day that pack a punch of magnesium and goodness.

Magnesium-Rich Breakfast Recipe

2 slices whole-grain sourdough bread, toasted

Spread with 2 T natural peanut butter

Sprinkle each slice of toast with 1 T hemp seeds

Top with your choice of fruit, I love using blackberries, slightly smashed down with a fork to prevent the dreaded “blackberries rolling off my toast” type of situation

Magnesium-Rich Car Snack

In a small glass jar with a tight fitting lid I pour:

1 cup pumpkin seeds

1/4 cup brazil nuts

*And this will get me to a safe place to have a nutritious snack or meal at home

Do you have a car snack packed in your car’s armrest? Does yours help you through tough, hungry times driving around town doing all the things?

What do you eat for breakfast? Will you try adding some magnesium to your life? Please let me know if you feel it helps you.