Magnesium is Critically Important to Your Vegetarian Health!

Savvy Vegetarian News

Vol. 2, Issue 1, January 2004

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Even though magnesium has always been around, and has always been critically important to our health, lately it's the hot topic in dietary supplements, as though magnesium were something newly discovered.

That doesn't diminish it's importance. Magnesium is a critical factor in hundreds of bodily functions - we don't do well at all with a magnesium deficient diet. It may seem that vegetarians shouldn't be as vulnerable to mineral deficiencies, but we can't afford to take that for granted.

Because of poor diet, depleted soils, and environmental pollution, mineral deficiencies have steadily increased. A few perceptive souls have been aware of the problem since the early days of the last century. Recently, some conventional medical doctors have become aware, and interested in using magnesium to treat serious and chronic disorders.

What are the symptoms of magnesium deficiency? I don't want to foster health obsessions, but really, it's possible to blame a lack of magnesium for just about any physical or mental symptom, from muscle cramp to heart failure, from PMS to chronic fatigue. I've read that calcium deficiency is really magnesium deficiency, since the body can only absorb calcium in the presence of magnesium. Thus magnesium deficiency may be implicated in osteoporosis, for example.

Magnesium affects every part of the body - the nervous system, organs, skeletal system, all the muscles, the reproductive system, digestion and elimination, cardiovascular, vision -have I left anything out? For a more detailed discussion of this topic, see the article by Michael Schachter M.D: The Importance of Magnesium to Human Nutrition

Magnesium defiency has been associated with the use of diuretics, malabsorption of nutrients, excessive vomiting and diarrhea poorly controlled diabetes, alcoholism, and long-term consumption of distilled or RO treated water. (No, I'm not kidding! More on this to follow)

The good news is that a high quality vegetarian diet provides abundant magnesium. For a list of magnesium rich foods, go to Table of Food Sources at: Facts About Magnesium It's interesting that all but one of the sources of magnesium, listed in the above article, are vegetarian. Which leads to the obvious conclusion that vegetarians don't need to wory about magnesium deficiency. That's not quite accurate.

Health conscious vegetarians are often inclined to drink lots of water, and herbal teas*, made with water. They are generally concerned with the quality of drinking water, as are sensible people everywhere. That may lead to the use of distilled or Reverse Osmosis treated water, both of which strip all minerals from the water. The mineral deficient water that you drink, or cook with, pulls minerals from your food and your body, instead of adding them. For more information, see the article by Dr Zoltan Rona, Why Purified Water Is Bad For You

*By the way, herbal teas, or actually, strong herbal infusions, are excellent sources of minerals. Refer to Susun Weed's or Rosemary Gladstar's herbals for recipes.

Various solutions to the mineral-deficient water problem:

• Buy bottles of mineral rich spring water
• Have bottled spring water delivered to your home
• Install carbon filters at your sink and shower, or add a whole house carbon filter. Trace minerals have small enough molecules to make it through the carbon.
• Take mineral supplements in liquid form or pills
• Use natural rock salt (brand name Real Salt) for cooking
• An economical alternative is to add trace mineral drops to your distilled or RO water for drinking and cooking. I recommend two brands. The most abundant mineral in both of these naturally occuring sources is --- magnesium!
• Water of Life 4X
• Concentrace

All of the above solutions to drinking water have drawbacks, of course. They may involve considerable ongoing expense, for carbon filters, or for buying water. Spring water is a non-renewable natural resource, and plastic containers may leach toxic chemicals into the water. If you add drops to your RO water, as we do at our house, the question has been raised how much you actually absorb. Well, that question applies to supplements in general.

However you do it, I think it's better to get the minerals in your water than not. We've noticed a distinct general improvement in well being since starting to use trace mineral drops.

Those-Who-Know say that magnesium deficiency is uncommon in North America. I suspect that it's more common than supposed, given it's critical importance, and the sad state of the American diet. However, I've written this article, not to scare you into running out and buying expensive dietary supplements, but simply to help increase awareness of magnesium in your diet. At Savvy vegetarian, we believe that if you take care of your diet, your food will, for the most part, give you what you need.

For more information on vegetarian nutrition from Savvy Vegetarian, go to:
Vegetarians, Are You Getting Enough Vitamin B12?
Ask The Savvy Vegetarian: How To Feed A Lactose Intolerant Child
You Can Be Happy, Healthy And Vegetarian While Pregnant Or Breastfeeding

Newsletter Index:

Article:Magnesium is Critically Important to Your Vegetarian Health!

"Magnesium is a critical factor in hundreds of bodily functions. It may seem that vegetarians shouldn't be as vulnerable to mineral deficiencies, but we can't afford to take that for granted."

Book Review: Rosemary Gladstar's Family Herbal:

"What I know about herbs is shared information --- It is our collective treasury, our birthright, and it is meant to be freely shared"

Recipe: Slightly Garlicky, Blissfully Satisfying Hummus

"This is the hummus recipe that I've been working on for 10 years or so."

Ask The Savvy Vegetarian: New Vegetarian Concerned About Animal Ethics:

"i am confused as to whether or not i will be completely contradicting myself by wearing leather shoes, woollen clothes, etc. and also drinking milk"

News: Mad Cow Disease in the U.S.

"This collection of articles from organicconsumers.org offers the most comprehensive explanation of mad cow disease---"

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