Magnesium for Weight Loss

Magnesium is an essential mineral that makes your bones strong, helps keep your heart healthy and can help in the prevention of common diseases such as constipation, kidney stones, gall bladder and osteoporosis. What is not known about minerals is that they can be used as a tool for weight control.

It allows insulin to release glucose into the cell which is important because glucose is involved in making energy for the body. If the body does not contain enough magnesium, it can cause insulin and glucose levels to rise. The body then stores this excess glucose as fat which can lead to weight gain. High insulin levels can also lead to a series of conditions such as diabetes.

Magnesium is also known to effectively control the relationship between obesity and stress. Pressure causes chemical cortisol to cause metabolic shutdown in the body and can make weight loss very difficult. When magnesium is taken regularly, it is known to neutralize the effects of stress. Drought and food cravings are often linked to your body actually healing nutrients. If your diet is not rich in nutrients, you may feel hungry again soon, as your body lacks satisfactory nutrient levels. You then continue to eat empty calories, which are packed in pounds but no longer go for the nutrients your body needs.

According to the WebMD website, the recommended daily dose for women age 31 and over is 320 mg. Dosage is different for pregnancy and breastfeeding. The dose for men aged 31 years and over is 420 mg.

Abdominal obesity is also associated with magnesium deficiency and the inability to use insulin properly in the body. According to the book The Magnesium Factor written by Mildred Seelig, MD and Andrea Rosanoff, Ph.D., as the body produces more insulin to cope with a high sugar diet, your waistline increases to process additional insulin, with more than half of the insulin in the blood stream directed to the abdominal tissue.

Here are some foods that contain magnesium

• Spinach

• Bananas

• Raw broccoli

• Tofu

• Halibut

• Peanuts - peanuts, hazelnuts, brazil nuts, pine nuts

• Beans - kidney, black, five, navy, door and white

• Shellfish

• Seeds, pumpkins and butternut squash

• Soy milk

• Oysters

• Wholegrain cereals

• Wheat Bread

• Dry coconut

• Wholegrain Barley

• Oat Bran

• Brown rice

• Artichoke

• Lentils

• Frozen Peanuts

• Parsnips

• Frozen Okra

• Kiwi

• Seaweed

• Chopped wheat

To achieve the right amount, you need to have a diet rich in minerals or take high quality magnesium supplements.

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