By Kanchan Koya, PhD
Kanchan is a paid partner. All opinions and text are her own.
Modern life is stressful and juggling motherhood, work and self-care can be overwhelming in moments. Some stress is adaptive, helpful and can motivate us into action but chronic stress can have debilitating effects on our physical, mental and emotional health. It turns out that micronutrients like magnesium can help.
One of the most overlooked minerals and micronutrients when it comes to overall health is magnesium. This important mineral is required for various functions in the body like DNA repair1 but also for a relaxing and calming effect on our muscles and our nervous system.2 Yet, over 50% of the US population is thought to be deficient in magnesium!
In an ideal world, we would get all the magnesium we need from the foods we eat like dark leafy greens, nuts and seeds, raw cacao powder and so on. But the depletion of our soil has made it difficult for many of us to get enough of our magnesium from food.3 Plus, optimal absorption of magnesium from food can be a challenge because of the presence of inhibitory co-factors in foods and compromised gut health, unfortunately all too rampant these days.
Fortunately, MegaFood, a company that I have admired for a long time for being devoted to quality supplements has created a highly absorbable magnesium supplement powder in the form of magnesium citrate, malate and glycinate that is easy and versatile to integrate into our daily lives.
I love adding it to my stress-busting smoothie (recipe below) that contains magnesium and other micronutrient-rich ingredients that support the gut-brain axis to calm our nervous system and our physical bodies for a relaxing effect.† You can also enjoy this magnesium in water – just scoop, stir and sip! It tastes great, it’s vital for our health and it’s top quality – all the things I look for in a supplement.
Stress Busting Smoothie Recipe
Yield 1 generous serving
Ingredients:
- 1 unripe banana
- 1 handful mixed greens rich in magnesium
- 1/2 cup wild blueberries
- 1 scoop MegaFood Relax & Calm†Magnesium Powder in Blackberry Hibiscus
- 1 knob ginger
- 1 knob fresh turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon ceylon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon cardamom
- Pinch of black pepper
- 1 tablespoon magnesium-rich sunflower seed butter
- 1 cup plant based milk of choice
Method Blend the ingredients until smooth in a high speed blender, adding a few ice cubes if you prefer the smoothie chilled. Sip right away.
Sources
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11295157/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK507250/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33204877/
† These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.