Alternative Health Blog

There are a lot of reasons to avoid or limit processed foods, whether you might find them packaged on grocery shelves or in the frozen convenience foods sections. One of the better arguments: You rob the body of dietary magnesium, which help prevent gallstones, relieve migraines, lower high blood pressure, reduce the risk of kidney stones and protect against bone loss in post-menopause.

A new study at the University of Kentucky Medical Center shows a diet rich in magnesium can reduce the probability of gallstones among individuals at increased risks from a family history of the conditon. This is important because the American diet in the last two to three decades has been declining. MIT scientists have reported that up to half of all American adults do not get enough magnesium on an average daily basis.

The Kentucky researchers found that not getting enough magnesium can increase your triglycerides and lower HDL or good cholesterol. It adds up to compromising health on many fronts. They studied more than 42,000 men over a decade. Other studies have confirmed the potency of dietary magnesium.

There is a simple solution: Eat more plant-based foods to up your intake of fiber.

You don’t need to even take a magnesium to right the biological ship. Foods high in magnesium and ultra protection from potentially painful gallstones includes roasted pumpkin seeds, Brazil nuts (which double to armor men against prostate cancer), ready-to-eat bran cereal, halibut, quinoa, spinach, leafy greens, almonds, cashews, buckwheat, black beans, white beans, navy beans, peanuts, artichokes and tuna.

Getting enough magnesium is an effective checkpoint for optimal health and even helps improve your workouts by firing up muscle cells. You don’t need to add a magnesium supplement if you are sure to find a way to add magnesium to your recipes and snacks.

If you need any further persuasion, those MIT researchers have also discovered that magnesium deificit can lead to memory loss in middle-age adults (not waiting for older age) and kids with ADHD. Magnesium is a core mineral highly available in  foods. A daily multiple vitamin that includes the federal recommended amount for magnesium is also an easy yet powerful health strategy to maintain proper magnesium levels.

Bob Condor blogs for Alternative Health Journal every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday.