Hi there all!

I'm on a low-carb diet which prescribes 60g of carbs a day (which is manageable) and have had occasional symptoms which I would normally ascribe to magnesium deficiency - i.e. twitching eyelid, cramps at night in my leg when I stretch - but have been informed by another low-carber that this could be caused by low sodium.

I don't think my salt intake is that low and I'm sure that low magnesium is the problem in my case. Does anybody know of any whole, real foods which are high in magnesium but low in carbs? (I do know that dark chocolate made with 70% cocoa is one of them - what a shame!!!).

Or could there be another cause for these symptoms? All comments welcome!

amanda "bacon-babe" wood

http://www.healthyeatingclub.com/in...ata/data5d.html

But I suspect there's more to it then just adding magnesium.

I am looking into taking magnesium too, just don't know enough about it. I do know when my potassium is low I get awful leg cramps, maybe that is what you need as well?

+1 on potassium. Easy to cut it accidentally when controlling carbs. Also, sodium is preferentially stashed by the kidneys, so adequate-to-high sodium almost mandates lower-than-ideal potassium. You might want to track how much K+ you're getting. 5:1 (vs sodium) is ideal.

I take a calcium supplement that has a lot of magnesium, so that's not a problem for me. Leg cramps in this body have always been fixed by eating a cucumber (or two) and popping several K+ supplement tablets.

Most low carb food is unprocessed, and therefore has no salt added to it. Even if you salt at the table, you're likely to be eating a lot less than someone who eats, say, bread regularly. If you also exercise and sweat a lot, you could well be low in sodium, which can give shocking cramps.

Cocoa is an excellent source of magnesium (and probably why so many breastfeeding women crave chocolate) And 85% or 99% chocolate, of course.

when i get 'jumpy' legs or cramps, i take about 200mg of potassium and that usually takes care of the problem. At the same time, i take about the same amount of magnesium so maybe the combination is what works.

I get tons of calcium from all the dairy i eat so i don't bother supplementing calcium and i try to cut down on the salt even though i LOVE salt.

all the best

You can find a very interesting article on the causes and treatments for leg cramps here
I found this part in particular very interesting:



For myself, magnesium nearly always helps my leg cramps and for those who may be feeling a bit constipated, it helps in that department too.

I started using Lite Salt, which has salt mixed with potassium, magnesium and calcium. Anyone else try this? So far the leg cramps have stopped, but not sure if it is the lite salt or just a coincidence.

it's probably the blend of the minerals that makes the leg cramps go away...see the similar comments from different people above.

I did read the other comments, I just didn't think the dosage in the Lite Salt would be enough to make a big difference. They are taking pills and I am sprinkling a small amount on food. Thats why I asked if anyone else had used the Lite Salt and if that small amount was enough to help them.

The OTC supplements are limited to 99 mg of KCl. You can get a significant amount with liberal and steady use of the LiteSalt products.

Medically-prescribed potassium is a whole 'nother ball game.

In Canada we can get potassium supplements in 600mg behind the pharmacy counter, but no prescription needed.

thanks everybody for the input! I've never been a member of a forum before and it's a big help to know there are lots of other people out there doing the low-carb thing. I live in Germany and haven't really "outed" myself yet as a low-carber. Having lost weight a few years ago doing a strict almost vegan very low-fat diet, which I told lots of people about, I'd now feel almost stupid telling people I'm now trying to lose weight doing the exact opposite!

Well I always read that you need adequate fat to absorb magnesium. I also read from various source that magnesium supports potassium status - so if you're low in potassium it is likely you're low in Mg as well. Also too much potassium antagonizes magnesium. I would guess that is why people who eat too much fruit like fruitarians have low magnesium levels (although i doubt any of us here are in danger of that lol). Sugar also burns up magnesium as it is needed to process it.

Foods highest in Mg off the top of my head (I use nutritiondata.com for reference which is great source of info) -

almonds, spinach, salmon, fresh tuna, caviar, flaxseeds. Out of these, flaxseed has the most by far, but then it also contains a lot of fibre and phytates (I think that's right anyway) that reduces magnesium absorption - so it kind of makes up for that with the amount it contains.

Cocoa is high in magnesium but you'd have to eat a lot of it (much more than just a tablespoon). A small piece of lindt then isn't going to contain much Mg. I think that is a myth - but check it out if you don't believe me.

It is interesting that in order to absorb magnesium well, there must be sufficient vitamin B6 (among other things). B6 is quite high in most animal products - so the salmon or other fish is good choice, even if the overall quantity of mg is lower (IMO).

Yeah and magnesium is great for constipation!! And sleep!! And mood!! Can you tell I'm a convert???

i get 100mg supplements from Jamieson at Wal-mart. I like the divided dose as i can take as little or as much as i need without having a huge dose all at once...but if someone needed a large dose, that information is very handy to have. Thanks Valerie.