Prevent Morning Sickness with Adequate Magnesium?
Excerpts from a blog:
“A hundred years ago, it was easy to get enough magnesium just by eating a variety of foods and drinking water. However, our modern soil is very depleted . . . [And] so is the water. ‘
Our human ancestors evolved in a world in which healthy drinking water came directly from streams, rivers, and lakes, rich in mineral content. The human body became reliant on obtaining a considerable proportion of its daily mineral needs from natural water sources.
Fast-forward to the twenty-first century. We obtain drinking water from a spigot or a plastic bottle. Pesticides and other chemicals seeping into the water supply have made everyone suspicious of water quality. As a result, municipal water-purification facilities have intensified their efforts to remove contaminants like lead, pesticide residues, and nitrates from drinking water. Unfortunately, these modern water-treatment methods also deplete drinking water of desirable minerals like calcium and magnesium.
Exacerbating this problem is that many Americans, distrustful of the purity and safety of municipally treated water, have added home water filters and purifiers that efficiently extract any remaining minerals from the water, thus converting “hard” into “soft” water. In fact, the manufacturers of these devices boast of their power to yield water free of “contaminants” — including minerals like magnesium. Thus, the magnesium content of the water that passes through most commercial filters is zero. (Source)‘”
So what does this have to do with morning sickness? I’m glad you asked!
You’ve Probably Heard By Now . . .
That cortisol (the stress hormone) can cause weight gain, but did you know that’s because one of it’s main functions is to increase blood sugar? Yep, excess cortisol in your system takes your blood sugar through huge spikes and crashes, resulting in fatigue and nausea (aka morning sickness). Normally, magnesium balances cortisol levels by cleaning the excess from our blood.
BUT –
Pregnancy hormones inhibit our ability to absorb magnesium! This can lead to a vicious cycle in which excess stress hormones cause nausea, which causes stress, which we can’t fully remedy because the very thing we need we can’t fully absorb, and then you get this →
Ugh!
That’s Why The Secret To Morning Sickness . . .
Is to build up your magnesium stores before getting pregnant! You can can do this by consuming magnesium rich foods such as bone broth, seaweed, leafy green vegetables, properly soaked seeds and nuts, unrefined sea saltand soaked or sprouted whole grains. And because Vitamin D, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12, and a little calcium are essential for magnesium absorption you’re going to want to eat foods that contain those nutrients, too.
(Note: According to Kristen, this is one of those instances in which Vitamin D supplements cannot replace sunshine. Studies comparing fermented cod liver oil vs. sunlight show that magnesium absorption goes WAY up when you get real sunlight! More info on how to get the benefits of sunlight without burning here.)
Of course, modern farming practices and water filtration systems have drastically reduced the magnesium content of the foods listed above, so you may want to add in a supplement as well. I personally use magnesium oil because it is much more easily absorbed by the body than pills. Be careful to by from someone you trust, though, because some magnesium oils contain contaminants like mercury.
