Out of all the minerals required by the body for optimal health, magnesium is probably one of the most important.  In fact, magnesium is often referred to as “the master mineral” by many health experts due to its necessity for optimal health in the body.

Research shows that magnesium is needed for over 300 enzymatic reactions in the body which all play an extremely important role in overall health (1).  Being even just slightly deficient in this key mineral can be disastrous for overall health.

Unfortunately, those suffering with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) will be more likely to suffer from a magnesium deficiency than those who do not have a digestive disorder.  However, before we get into why individuals with IBS are more prone to developing a magnesium deficiency, let’s first talk about the symptoms related to a magnesium deficiency.

Symptoms of Magnesium Deficiency

As mentioned above, if you’re even just slightly deficient in magnesium your body will feel it.  In fact, being deficient in this mineral can often imitate other sicknesses and diseases in the body and can be difficult to pin point without a complete blood mineral test being done. 

However, there are very clear symptoms that almost always occur when an individual is deficient in magnesium. 

A list of the most common types of symptoms related to magnesium deficiency in the body can be found below.

• Depression and Anxiety
• Chronic Constipation
• Muscle Twitching
• Fatigue
• Brain Fog
• Poor Digestion
• Irregular Heart Beat
• Muscle Weakness
• Hyperactivity

Both anxiety and depression are two extremely common symptoms when an individual is chronically depleted in magnesium.  In fact, research has shown that patients with mental health disorders such as anxiety and depression show significant improvements in their symptoms when magnesium is added to the diet (2).

IBS and Magnesium Deficiency

IBS and magnesium deficiency tend to go hand and hand.  This is because those with IBS are typically dealing with immense amounts of intestinal inflammation, as well as permeable gut.  When an individual is suffering from gut permeability, this is sign that the mucosal lining that protects the coats that intestines has been destroyed.

When this occurs, the ability to assimilate and utilize vitamins and minerals from foods dramatically decreases.  This increases the chances of becoming deficient in key vitamins and minerals such as magnesium.  Overtime, severe vitamin and mineral deficiencies can occur in individuals with conditions such as IBS.

Furthermore, those suffering with digestive conditions such as IBS have been shown to almost always suffer from a fungal overgrowth in the gut such as candida (3).  For unaware, candida is a pathogenic fungus which can contribute to conditions such as IBS and can cause various unwanted symptoms in the body.  Interestingly, studies indicate that supplemental magnesium can help inhibit the growth of candida (4).

With all that said, the first step in correcting a magnesium deficiency is to heal the gut.  Once the gut is healed, the body will be able to properly absorb and assimilate magnesium coming from foods.

Magnesium Deficiency and Gut Healing Diet

If you suffer from both IBS and magnesium deficiency, the first step to needed to correct both problems is to follow a gut healing diet.  This means following a diet that is rich in intestinal friendly foods, and extremely low in inflammatory foods.

It’s for this reason that we created our Diet Protocol Page.  Here you will find everything you need to know about diet and the best foods to be eating if you suffer from IBS.  However, for those who want the short version, we’ve included a small list of foods that are extremely soothing and healing to the gut lining.

• High Quality Animal Foods
• Animal Organs 1 x week (liver, kidney, heart)
• Bone Broth
• Animal Fat
• Well Cooked Vegetable (small amounts)
• Seasonal Fruits
• Ghee
• Sourdough Breads
• Aloe Vera Juice
• Fermented Foods

These foods are extremely gut friendly and have an almost therapeutic effect on the digestive system.  These foods can be great for rebuilding the mucosal lining and decreasing gut permeability.  In fact, bone broth is one of the best foods for those dealing with intestinal inflammation.  Bone broth has the unique ability of improving the health of the intestinal lining and can be great for maintaining the health of the gut.

Be Careful of “Magnesium Rich Foods”

One of the biggest traps individuals fall into when trying to naturally boost their magnesium levels is consuming more “magnesium rich foods.”  These foods always end up being in the form of leafy greens, nuts, and seeds.  Although these foods do in fact contain an abundance of magnesium, they also contain high amounts of anti-nutrients.

For those unaware, anti-nutrients are present in almost all plant foods and have the ability to bind to key minerals in the body.  As a result, these foods can be extremely counterproductive when trying to correct a magnesium deficiency.

In the end, all that matters is what you can absorb.  The anti-nutrients present in these foods can severely hinder absorption and can actually worsen a mineral deficiency if consumed in excess. 

With that said, there are ways to increase the absorbability of the minerals present in these foods.  This typically involves boiling, fermenting, soaking, and roasting.  However, this still doesn’t entirely get rid of all the anti-nutrients present in these plant foods and they can still pose problems in those with digestive disorders such as IBS.

 Cook Mineral Rich Meals

The best way to naturally boost magnesium levels in the body is to consume foods that are both healing on the gut and rich in bio-available magnesium.   Luckily, our Intestinal Health Cookbook contains over 20 different gut friendly recipes that are both mineral rich and delicious!

We highly encourage those looking for mineral rich recipes to give our cookbook a go!  We’ve poured all our knowledge into this cookbook so that you can eat mineral rich and gut friendly meals each and every night.

Don’t be Afraid of Salt

If you suffer from chronic IBS, it’s imperative that you do not shy away from salt.  However, when we say salt, we mean high quality sea salts such as Celtic and Pink Himalayan.  Make no doubt about it, table salts are toxic to the body and should never be used.

Those who follow a low salt diet are going to be more prone to suffer from poor digestion.  This is because salt contains a mineral called chloride which is needed in order to properly form stomach acid. When stomach acid levels drop in the body, digestion will suffer terribly.  It’s for this reason that those who follow a low salt diet long term often find that their digestion becomes extremely weak.

With that said, quality sea salts contain 84 ionic minerals that can increase the total amount of electrolytes in the body.  In fact, Celtic sea salt is a rich source of highly bio-available magnesium that can be used to help boost levels in body.  Although these trace minerals present in sea salt occur in extremely small amounts, they are readily absorbed and utilized by the body.

Be Careful of Grains

Grains can be extremely problematic for those suffering with both IBS and magnesium deficiency.  This is because grains, especially wheat, contain two anti-nutrients in the form of gluten and phytates.  It’s well known that those with IBS typically respond negatively when high amounts of gluten is present in the diet.

However, phytates can also have a damaging effect on the intestines.  Not only do the phytates in wheat contribute to intestinal inflammation, but they also can bind to minerals in the body (5).  This essentially means that phytates can bind to magnesium in the body and can make a magnesium deficiency much worse.

If you must have wheat products, it’s highly recommend that you use a ancient wheat such as barley, spelt, sorghum, einkorn, and farro; these are all good choices.  Also, these grains should always be consumed in the form of sourdough bread.  In order for sourdough to be made correctly, grains must be soaked and fermented for several days.  This process significantly enhances the digestibility of the grains and decreases the total amount of anti-nutrients.

However, grains should never serve as staples in a gut healing diet and should always act as supplemental foods.