July 13, 2017

You guys know that I am a huge fan of magnesium. I’ve written a lot about it being a magic mineral that helps address so many issues—anxiety, sleep, stress and more. Our pediatrician first turned us onto it when our oldest started middle school (go figure!). But there’s something else that magnesium helps alleviate that nobody wants to talk about—constipation.

Constipation is a chronic issue that can undermine your energy, digestion and detoxification, as well as fuel inflammation and disease. Who hasn’t experienced that?  Thankfully. there is so much talk about gut health today. While there are several underlying reasons that can cause constipation, you can often get things moving—and gain relief—with a plant-based diet and the help of magnesium.

How Magnesium Eases Constipation

The body needs adequate magnesium to keep your digestion running smoothly. Studies have shown low magnesium intake correlates to higher rates of constipation. Conversely, magnesium supplements have been shown to work better than bulk laxatives in some patients with constipation.

The reason why magnesium citrate is an excellent choice as a gentle laxative is because it works in two ways. First, magnesium helps to relax muscles within the intestinal wall, increasing your ability to go to the bathroom. Second, magnesium works as an osmotic, pulling water into the bowels and making stool softer and easier to move.

How to Get Enough Magnesium

Getting enough magnesium through your diet is becoming increasingly difficult. Even if you eat lots of good sources like beans and leafy greens, most of today’s crops are grown in soil so depleted in minerals that even the healthiest food is low in this essential mineral.

Supplementing with Natural Vitality’s Calm will ensure you’re getting enough of this foundational mineral to help keep your bowels running smoothly. As with vitamin C, you can’t overdose on magnesium—anything above the amount needed by the body will be eliminated through the bowels, kidneys or through sweat. If you experience an uncomfortable laxative effect, simply decrease your dosage or space it out over the day.

I hate that our food and the soil we grow it in isn’t as healthy as we want it to be. I wish we could get everything we needed in our diets, but it is becoming increasingly tough, and I am grateful for my partners like Natural Vitality for the work they do to keep our lives running smoothly.