Your battle to succeed on the Keto diet can fail miserably if you lack enough magnesium.
But why your probably asking?
Well in short many foods that are rich in magnesium are also high in carbohydrates, such as beans and fruits for example.
So stick around I will reveal the best magnesium supplements so you can address that problem. But Before we move on I wanted to tell about the coveted top 10 list of safe weight loss supplements. I advise you to read that first it will virtually guarantee you success regardless of being on a diet or not. Just click on the link below.
To make sure you are getting enough magnesium to ward off “keto flu” and other issues you may want to consider using a magnesium supplement.
Here is a list of the best magnesium supplements available for keto, as well as some commonly asked questions.
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Magnesium is the fourth most abundant mineral in your body, with an adult body containing around 25 grams of this mineral. Around 50-60% of it is found in your bones, with the remaining amount found in your soft tissue, red blood cells and serum [1].
It is used for several important bodily functions that include:
Magnesium is involved in over 300 different biochemical reactions in your body and is used to help generate and use ATP. This is the main unit of energy found in the cells of your body [2].
There are a few things that happen when you have low magnesium levels.
For a start you may encounter the following symptoms:
Research has found that chronically low levels of magnesium are linked with an increased risk of death from all causes [3]. It also increases the risk of developing the following conditions:
Yes, if you are deficient in magnesium then supplementing will increase your daily intake.
If you have just started the keto diet and after a few weeks of the diet you are starting to experience muscle cramps or soreness then you may suspect that your body is lacking magnesium.
You may want to start using a supplement alongside your normal diet in this case.
Too much magnesium can increase the risk of developing side effects that may include mild symptoms such as:
More severe side effects may also occur in rare cases. These side effects include:
The symptoms are more commonly found in the oxide and chloride types of supplements. This is because they have lower absorption rates.
If you do encounter any stomach problems you may want to try switching to an alternative, such as magnesium glycinate or malate as they have less of an impact on your gut.
Milk of magnesia is also an option, especially if you are suffering from cramping or constipation. It may have more than the RDA but as it comes in liquid form, any excess will be excreted so it is unlikely to cause harm.
I would always suggest speaking to your doctor before you decide to start using any new supplement. This is to ensure it is safe for you to do so, and that you won’t experience any unwanted reactions.
Magnesium is good for the keto diet as when you first start a low carb diet you may encounter symptoms of “keto flu”. These symptoms include:
There may be many different reasons why you may encounter these symptoms, but one of the suggested reasons is a lack of magnesium in your diet.
You will start to lose a lot of water during the first few weeks of a low carb diet. As glycogen is stored in your body as one-part glycogen and three parts water, this will mean that more water is excreted through your kidneys.
Your kidneys control your magnesium levels, so increasing the amount of water excreted will also result in an increase in magnesium excreted too. Resulting in low magnesium levels.
You will not find pure magnesium on its own in supplement form, this is because it needs to bind with another ingredient to remain stable.
It is for this reason why there are so many different supplements available. The magnesium element is the same in every supplement, it is the binding molecule that will be different.
The following are some of the more popular types of magnesium supplement available:
Magnesium Chelates: This type of supplement combines magnesium with amino acids, which are the building blocks of protein.
These amino acids help your body to absorb the minerals before any of its negative side effects are experienced. They are the most bioavailable of all magnesium supplements and you will experience fewer side effects when used.
The main issue with chelates is that they are difficult to manufacturer so they are likely to be the most expensive supplement to buy.
The most popular magnesium chelates supplements are:
Magnesium Citrate: Magnesium citrate is magnesium that has been bound to citric acid. It is the most common variety.
As it is so common it is widely available and is affordable.
Even though it offers numerous benefits, including the ability to help your tense muscles to relax, and to combat nighttime leg cramps [11], it may cause diarrhea due to it being a mild laxative.
Magnesium Oxide: Magnesium oxide is a combination of magnesium and oxygen. It has the highest concentration of elemental magnesium but is one of the least bioavailable forms [12].
As it cannot be absorbed easily it will be excreted quickly, which is why its laxative properties are put to use in products such as milk of magnesia, a common treatment for constipation.
Magnesium Sulfate: This is more commonly known as Epsom salts that when added to water can help to relieve muscle tension, aches, and pains.
Some people swear by its benefits, but scientific research is thin on the ground.
What is known is that you should avoid consuming this orally as it can lead to a laxative effect occurring.
Magnesium Chloride: When this is mixed with water, coconut oil, or Shea butter it will create magnesium oil that can be rubbed into your skin to relieve cramping muscles and to target pain [13].
If you are on the keto diet I would suggest trying to consume between 200-400 mg of magnesium every day, either through your diet or in supplement form.
For potassium, I would suggest aiming for between 3000-4000 mg daily. The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends that consume 3,510 mg per day [14]. Potassium offers numerous health benefits and can help support your blood pressure, cardiovascular health, bone strength, and muscle strength [15].
Magnesium can be taken at any time of the day, as long as you are able to take them consistently.
Some of you may prefer to take them in the morning, or later on during the day. What I would suggest is to follow the recommendations on whichever supplement you choose to use.
There are certain medications you should not take with magnesium. These include:
There are a few foods [16] you should eat that are both high in magnesium and will be suitable for a keto diet. These include:
Other foods you may want to consider adding to your diet include crab meat, okra, coconut milk, chicken, zucchini, beef, turkey, liver, wild game, tuna, and whitefish.
The signs of low magnesium in the body are the following symptoms:
Research has found that long-term health conditions like cardiovascular disease and depression have been linked with low magnesium levels [17].
Made with a host of beneficial ingredients that include vitamin D, vitamin B6, calcium, manganese, chloride, sodium, potassium, l-leucine, l-tyrosine and not forgetting magnesium (magnesium citrate).
This supplement has been created to support fast hydration, helping athletes of all levels with rehydration and recovery. It also offers the following benefits:
Its formula is low in carbs and completely safe for those on the keto diet, plus it is suitable for vegetarians and is GMO-free too.
Each tablet of Nature’s Bounty contains 500 milligrams of magnesium oxide at an affordable price.
These tablets offer optimal support for your bone health and the health of your muscles. This is particularly important for older people as they tend to suffer from both bone and muscle problems.
To ensure the tablets are easily swallowed they are coated. No artificial flavors or sweeteners are present, and the tablets themselves are gluten-free.
These magnesium tablets have undergone numerous quality tests to check the purity and potency of the product. With scientists and various experts checking to ensure the ingredients all meet the required GMP quality standards.
A single capsule of Sundown Naturals Magnesium will provide you with your recommended daily intake of magnesium, with 500 mg found in each one.
The type of magnesium found in this supplement is magnesium oxide, which helps increase bone hardness and strength. It is also essential of supporting healthy muscle and nerve health.
This product is safe for vegetarians, is free from gluten and GMO too.
If you struggle to take tablets or capsules but wish to increase your daily intake of magnesium then you may want to try these magnesium gummies.
While the dosage is lower than some of the other supplements found on this list it still provides enough (165 mg found in the recommended serving size of 2) when combined with a healthy diet.
The gummies themselves have a natural tropical citrus flavor, which makes them easy to consume.
These are not just magnesium tablets, this supplement also contains calcium and potassium too.
It is claimed that using this supplement alongside a healthy diet will help to support your cardiovascular health and may reduce the risk of osteoporosis later on in life.
All Country Life supplements are made using the highest quality ingredients, with no yeast, corn, wheat, milk, sugar, preservatives, or artificial colors, flavors or sweeteners, and are manufactured in an NSF-GMP compliant and USDA Organic certified manufacturing facility.
When you first start the keto diet it is common for you to experience symptoms associated with “keto flu”.
It is likely that these symptoms are a result of a lack of magnesium in your diet. To alleviate these issues you should look to your diet first of all. Are there any foods you could add to your diet that could increase your intake of magnesium?
You may also want to consider using a magnesium supplement. We have listed some of the better options available on the market. I would suggest you give them a closer look.
1) Magnesium Basics
2) Introduction: Importance of Mg in Physiology and Medicine and the Need for Ion Selective Electrodes
3) Serum magnesium concentrations and all-cause, cardiovascular, and cancer mortality among U.S. adults
4) Glycine ingestion improves subjective sleep quality in human volunteers, correlating with polysomnographic changes
5) Treatment of Fibromyalgia Syndrome With Super Malic: A Randomized, Double Blind, Placebo Controlled, Crossover Pilot Study
6) On the Significance of Magnesium in Extreme Physical Stress
7) Meta-analysis of clinical trials of cardiovascular effects of magnesium orotate
8) Effect of Taurine Supplementation on Exercise Capacity of Patients With Heart Failure
9) Taurine and magnesium supplementation enhances the function of endothelial progenitor cells through antioxidation in healthy men and spontaneously hypertensive rats
10) Brain Damage in Mice From Voluntary Ingestion of Glutamate and Aspartate
11) Randomised, cross-over, placebo controlled trial of magnesium citrate in the treatment of chronic persistent leg cramps
12) Magnesium bioavailability from magnesium citrate and magnesium oxide
13) Effects of Transdermal Magnesium Chloride on Quality of Life for Patients With Fibromyalgia
14) Potassium intake for adults and children
15) Potassium Fact Sheet for Health Professionals
16) FoodData Central
17) Dietary Magnesium and Cardiovascular Disease
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