The ketogenic (keto) diet is a high-fat, low-carb eating plan that continues to grow in popularity. Some research suggests that following a keto diet may help manage health conditions like diabetes, heart disease, and obesity. But since the keto diet cuts out many food options, it also increases the risk of nutrient deficiencies. Taking some dietary supplements may help ensure you’re getting enough nutrients, reduce the potential adverse effects of the keto flu, and even support athletic performance when training on a low-carb diet.
The Importance of Magnesium
Magnesium is an essential mineral and electrolyte your body needs for over 300 daily bioactivities. Your body cannot function without magnesium. It’s involved in energy production, blood sugar control, blood pressure/heart rhythm regulation (heart health), bone health, and so much more. It can even be helpful for heartburn. Magnesium is also crucial for your mental health and a healthy sleep routine. Men should aim for 400 to 420 milligrams of magnesium per day.
Studies show half of Americans don’t meet their daily magnesium goals. After all, you won’t find magnesium listed on nutrition facts. And it’s rarely recorded by popular food-tracking apps. So, how do you know if you’re getting enough of this important mineral? Many keto dieters rely on magnesium supplements instead of guessing.
Why Magnesium Matters on a Ketogenic Diet
Maintaining adequate magnesium levels is crucial when following a ketogenic diet. By understanding the increased need for this essential mineral and taking proactive steps to ensure sufficient intake, you can optimize your health and potentially enhance the benefits of your ketogenic lifestyle.
Here's why magnesium is so important on a keto diet:
Read also: Optimize Well-being with Key Supplements
- Increased Excretion: When you enter ketosis, your body undergoes significant metabolic changes. One of these changes is an increase in fluid loss, which can lead to electrolyte imbalances. Magnesium, being an essential electrolyte, is often excreted in higher amounts during this process.
- Insulin Sensitivity: The ketogenic diet can improve insulin sensitivity, which is generally beneficial. However, this change can also affect how your body handles magnesium. Improved insulin sensitivity may lead to increased magnesium excretion through urine, potentially lowering your overall magnesium levels.
- Stress on the Body: Transitioning into ketosis can be stressful for your body, especially in the initial stages. This stress can increase the demand for magnesium, as it plays a crucial role in stress response and adrenal function.
- Reduced Dietary Sources: Many magnesium-rich foods, such as fruits, beans, and whole grains, are limited on a ketogenic diet due to their carbohydrate content.
Signs of Magnesium Deficiency
When your magnesium levels plummet, you may feel like you have the flu. Prepare for appetite loss, nausea, fatigue, weakness, constipation, and the potential for vomiting. Muscle cramps and midnight Charlie horses are also common with low magnesium levels. Given the significant downsides to a magnesium deficiency and the pervasiveness of the deficit, it’s worth exploring a magnesium supplement.
How to Increase Your Magnesium Intake on Keto
Given the increased needs and potential for deficiency, many individuals on a ketogenic diet benefit from magnesium supplements.
Here's how to increase your magnesium intake on keto:
- Focus on Keto-Friendly Magnesium Sources: Incorporate magnesium-rich foods into your daily diet, focusing on the highest magnesium sources that fit your macronutrient goals.
- Consider Magnesium Supplementation:
- Stay Hydrated: Proper hydration can help your body retain magnesium more effectively. Aim for at least 8-10 glasses of water per day, adjusting based on your activity level and climate.
Keto-Friendly Magnesium Sources
Many magnesium-rich foods are high in carbs. Cereal, beans, gluten-laden bread, potatoes, and rice, all of which contain good amounts of magnesium, are off-limits. So how do you meet your magnesium goals while keto? There are a number of wholesome, keto-friendly foods high in magnesium.
When following a ketogenic diet with a Paleo approach, it’s crucial to focus on nutrient-dense foods that are rich in magnesium. Here’s a comprehensive list of magnesium-rich foods that align with both keto and Paleo principles, ranked from highest to lowest magnesium content per 100g serving:
Read also: Magnesium Supplements for Keto
- Pumpkin Seeds: (592 mg) These nutrient powerhouses are excellent for snacking or adding to salads. Just a quarter cup provides a significant magnesium boost.
- Brazil Nuts: (376 mg) Rich in selenium as well, Brazil nuts offer a crunchy way to increase your magnesium intake.
- Almonds: (270 mg) A versatile nut that’s great for snacking, making nut milk, or using as a flour alternative in keto baking.
- Cashews: (292 mg) While slightly higher in carbs than other nuts, cashews can still fit into a well-planned keto diet in moderation.
- Spinach (cooked): (87 mg) Cooking spinach increases the bioavailability of its nutrients.
Here are some keto-friendly food options that can help you increase your magnesium intake:
- yogurt
- salmon
- halibut
- chicken breast
- avocado
- chia seeds
- pumpkin seeds
- spinach
Incorporating These Foods into Your Diet:
- Seed and Nut Rotation: Rotate between pumpkin seeds, Brazil nuts, almonds, and cashews for snacks or as salad toppings. This variety ensures you’re getting a range of nutrients.
- Leafy Green Base: Use spinach or Swiss chard as a base for salads or sauté them as a side dish for dinner.
- Fatty Fish Meals: Aim to include fatty fish like mackerel or salmon in your meal plan 2-3 times per week.
- Avocado Boost: Add sliced avocado to salads, use as a spread, or make guacamole as a dip for low-carb vegetables.
- Quality Proteins: Choose grass-fed beef when possible and include eggs and chicken in your regular meal rotation.
Remember, while these foods are excellent sources of magnesium, the ketogenic diet’s restrictive nature may still make it challenging to meet all your magnesium needs through food alone. Monitoring your intake and considering supplementation under the guidance of a healthcare professional is often beneficial.
Magnesium Supplementation
Many keto dieters rely on magnesium supplements instead of guessing. Some people claim supplementing with magnesium may also help reduce symptoms commonly experienced by those transitioning to a keto diet, such as muscle cramps, difficulty sleeping, and irritability. This is known as the “keto flu.” Magnesium supplements may be helpful for people following a keto diet, but it’s important to speak with a healthcare professional before starting any new supplements.
Types of Magnesium Supplements
However, magnesium supplements may interfere with certain medications such as antibiotics, diuretics, and oral bisphosphonates. Magnesium draws water into the intestines, but different forms of magnesium have different resulting impacts of this influx of water. To find out which type of magnesium works best for you requires experimentation, as there is no universal “perfect” form.
You won’t find pure elemental magnesium on its own. Magnesium must bind with something else to remain stable. That’s why there are so many types of magnesium supplements. Their differences stem not from the magnesium (that’s all the same), but from the binding molecule used in the supplement. So, what’s the best magnesium supplement to get a good dose of magnesium?
Read also: Exploring Magnesium Citrate and Its Impact on Weight
Here’s a brief rundown of the most popular types of magnesium supplements:
- Chelated Magnesium: Chelated mineral supplements bind amino acids (the building blocks of protein) to minerals. Amino acids help your body absorb minerals before negative side effects kick in. With magnesium, amino acids provide additional health benefits and lessen its laxative effects. Chelated magnesium supplements are the most bioavailable. You’ll notice fewer side effects and may improve other areas of your health thanks to the amino acids.
- Magnesium Glycinate: Magnesium Glycinate, which is magnesium bound with glycine. Glycine increases bioavailability, and it’s also a relaxing neurotransmitter.
- Magnesium L-threonate: Magnesium L-threonate binds magnesium with l-threonate, a sugar acid found in capers, huckleberries, and pecans. Magnesium L-threonate is the only type that crosses the blood-brain barrier. So magnesium L-threonate may support brain health, reduce migraine headaches, improve memory, and reduce the risk of dementia and Parkinson’s.
- Magnesium Malate: Magnesium Malate is magnesium bound with malic acid, which you’ll find in oranges, apples, and pears.
- Magnesium Orotate: Magnesium Orotate is magnesium bound with orotic acid.
- Magnesium Taurate: Magnesium Taurate is magnesium bound with the amino acid taurine.
- Magnesium Aspartate: Magnesium Aspartate is magnesium bound with aspartic acid.
- Magnesium citrate: Magnesium citrate is magnesium bound with citric acid. It’s the most common form of magnesium, making it widely available, affordable, and often recommended.
- Magnesium oxide: When magnesium binds with oxygen, it forms magnesium oxide. Magnesium oxide has the highest concentration of elemental magnesium per dose. Because magnesium oxide isn’t easily or quickly absorbed, most of it goes right through you. When it hits your colon, it turns into a serious laxative. Magnesium oxide shouldn’t be an everyday supplement.
- Magnesium sulfate: Magnesium sulfate is more commonly known as Epsom salts. People swear Epsom salts added to a warm bath help relieve muscle tension, aches, and pains. But studies have yet to prove how this works.
- Magnesium chloride: Magnesium chloride flakes mixed with water, coconut oil, or shea butter create magnesium oil.
Potential Side Effects
The most reported side effects of taking magnesium include nausea, abdominal cramping, and loose stools (diarrhea). These are signs your body may not be absorbing optimal levels of magnesium in your intestines before the laxative effect strikes in your colon. If this happens, try splitting your dose in half. Hopefully it’ll be more absorbable if your body has to work to absorb a smaller quantity. Take one half in the morning and the other at night.
Excessive magnesium intake, particularly from supplements, can lead to diarrhea, nausea, and abdominal cramping.
Magnesium is one of the best supplements for a keto diet. Meet your intake goal and you may face less fatigue, muscle cramping, anxiety, and trouble sleeping. Ask your doctor or dietitian about supplementing with magnesium before you begin experimenting, especially if you’re taking prescriptions or other medications daily. When you get the green light, start with a magnesium chelate for maximum bioavailability and fewer side effects. You may need to try a few before you find the right type of magnesium for your body to thrive in ketosis.
Certain medications such as antibiotics and diuretics can interact with magnesium supplements.
Relying solely on supplementation could lead to imbalances in other nutrients.
Magnesium requirements can vary based on various factors, such as individual health conditions, activity levels, and dietary habits.
Dosage
High doses of magnesium can cause diarrhea. Therefore, a person should start with the lowest dose on the package, which may be 100-200 milligrams (mg) per day.
If no diarrhea occurs, a person may gradually increase the dose, although they should not take more than 400 mg per day unless a doctor advises a higher dose.
The recommended daily allowance ranges from 310 to 420 mg, depending on age and gender.
tags: #magnesium #supplement #keto #diet #benefits