9. HOW TO EAT ENOUGH MAGNESIUM
There are a few food supplements that are very rich in
magnesium. Bone meal is one of them.
More than 60 percent of the
magnesium in the body of man or animal is in the bones and teeth.
So, we must take bone meal (which is pulverized young beef bone)
not only for its calcium and phosphorus, but also because of the
magnesium and the amount of valuable trace minerals it
contains.
Wheat germ is extremely rich in
magnesium, so take a lot of it. So is kelp and brewer's
yeast, sunflower and
pumpkin seeds. If you would take a
fair amount of the six above-mentioned items everyday, you have
fairly well taken care of your magnesium requirement. If you are
a user of sea salt, you might wish to
know that this product is also very rich in magnesium.
Now, in addition to the above, you should know which foods are richest in magnesium.
I would divide all foods into groups. The richest are the seeds,
so to speak. Nature puts potent nutrients into them because they
have to produce life, and magnesium is a life-giving element.
That is why we recommend sunflower and pumpkin seeds. Sesame seeds are a good source,
too.
The U. S. Department of Agriculture's handbook No. 8, called
Composition of Foods, revised to December, 1963,
includes hundreds of foods, detailed as to their various vitamin
and mineral elements, including magnesium. We have combed through
this book and first set up a list of all the seed foods that are
richest in magnesium. This lists the amount of magnesium in
milligrams in the edible portion of one pound of the food as
purchased.
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Almonds, dried:
|
| |
In shell
|
615
|
| |
Shelled
|
1,225
|
|
Beans, common, mature seeds, dry:
|
| |
White-raw
|
771
|
| |
Canned, baked
|
168
|
| |
Red, raw
|
739
|
| |
(notice the loss of
magnesium
when
the beans are baked)
|
|
|
Beans, lima:
|
| |
Mature seeds, dry, raw
|
816
|
|
Brazil nuts:
|
| |
In shell
|
490
|
| |
Shelled
|
1,021
|
|
Buckwheat:
|
| |
Whole grain
|
1,039
|
| |
Flour, light
|
218
|
|
Cashew nuts
|
1,211
|
|
Cornmeal:
|
| |
Whole-ground,bolted dry form
|
481
|
|
Cowpeas,including black-eyed peas
|
249
|
|
Filberts (hazelnuts):
|
| |
In shell
|
384
|
| |
Shelled
|
835
|
|
Hickory nuts:
|
| |
In shell
|
254
|
| |
Shelled
|
726
|
|
Lentils, mature seeds, dry
|
363
|
|
Millet, proso, whole grain
|
735
|
|
Peanut butter
|
785
|
|
Peanuts:
|
| |
Raw:
|
| |
In shell
|
682
|
| |
Shelled
|
934
|
| |
Roasted:
|
| |
In shell
|
532
|
| |
Shelled
|
794
|
|
Peas, mature seeds, dry
|
816
|
|
Pecans:
|
| |
In shell
|
341
|
| |
Shelled
|
644
|
|
Pigeon peas, mature seeds, dry
|
549
|
|
Pistachio nuts:
|
| |
In Shell
|
358
|
| |
Shelled
|
717
|
|
Rice, brown, raw
|
399
|
|
Sesame seeds, whole, raw
|
821
|
|
Soybeans, mature seeds, dry
|
1,202
|
|
Walnuts:
|
| |
Black:
|
| |
In shell
|
190
|
| |
Shelled
|
862
|
| |
Persian or English:
|
| |
In shell
|
267
|
| |
Shelled
|
594
|
|
Wild rice, raw
|
585
|
The application of heat drives
out a large amount of the magnesium, depending on the amount of
heat. For example, the roasting of peanuts is not as bad as the
boiling of rice. But if you want magnesium from nuts and other
seeds, stick to those that you can eat raw, such as almonds,
brazils, cashews, filberts, hickorys, peanuts pecans, pistachios,
and walnuts.
If you want to know how rich they are in magnesium, compare
with the following:
|
Apples, raw
|
33
|
|
Apricots, raw
|
51
|
|
Cured bacon
|
51
|
|
Blueberries, raw
|
25
|
|
Cranberries
|
9
|
|
Grapes
|
37
|
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Lamb
|
57
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Of course, we don't choose all of our food for its magnesium.
We need other minerals, and vitamins, too. We must eat eggs which
are not high in magnesium, and meats which are also in this same
class.
Green leafy vegetables are rich in magnesium:
|
Beet greens, common, raw
|
269
|
|
Brussels sprouts, raw
|
121
|
|
Chard, Swiss, raw
|
271
|
|
Kale, raw, leaves without midribs
|
107
|
|
Kohlrabi, raw
|
123
|
|
Parsley, raw
|
186
|
|
Spinach, raw
|
399
|
|
Turnip greens
|
221
|
And here are some miscellaneous items, all raw:
|
Apricots
|
281
|
|
Blackberries
|
129
|
|
Curry powder
|
1,288
|
|
Dates
|
229
|
|
Figs
|
91
|
|
Garlic cloves
|
144
|
|
Malt extract, dried
|
635
|
|
Molasses, blackstrap
|
1,170
|
|
Okra
|
145
|
|
Peaches
|
218
|
|
Prunes
|
154
|
|
Raisins, seedless
|
159
|
Of course there is a difference in magnesium content of foods,
based on the region and soil in which they grow, but the above
figures are an average. In Chapter 20, we will show that eggs
produced by the organic method on our farm had twice the amount
of magnesium as eggs from chickens who were fed a regular
commercial mash. And on our farm we are using magnesium-rich
dolomite as a soil amendment. Readers would do well to raise their own
vegetables organically, using dolomite as one of the
fertilizers.
In France, the bottled waters
of Chatel-Guyon, rich in
magnesium, are available to the public. Joseph Favier in
Equilibre Minéral et
Santé (Mineral Equilibrium and Health, 1951 . . . and
out of print) says, "Already in 1926, C. Billard, professor at
Clermont-Ferrand, wrote that the waters of Chatel-Guyon, rich in
magnesium chloride, had the power of neutralizing snake venom (C.
R. Soc. de Bro., May 7, 1926)."
Quoting from Favier's
book:
"In the volume of Journees therapeutiques de Paris,
1947, we find on pages 284 and 285 a résumé, by
professor Ch. Debray, of C. Billard's experiences:
"It is C. Billard, professor at Clermont-Ferrand, who earns
the merit of having proven the extraordinary power of
protection of certain Mineral waters against various poisons.
This power, which he has named the prophylactic power, exists
in a high degree in chloride of
magnesium waters. These waters have a specific action
against the tetany toxin, and under certain conditions, a
surprising power of protection against snake venom."
He describes three separate experiments with guinea pigs which
were injected with lethal doses of snake venom, diluted in five
cc. of Chatel-Guyon water, all of whom survived. Also a rabbit
bitten by a snake did not die when he was injected with 10 cc. of
Chatel-Guyon water.
Recently we came across a source of magnesium that is
important and that should be considered. It is mineral water.
from Saratoga Springs, New York, owned by the State of New York.
The address is: Saratoga
Springs Commission, Saratoga Springs, New York.
The State of New York bottles three different brands of
mineral water containing magnesium. Their Hathorn brand contains 2,354 parts per million of
magnesium, which is very high. Their circular reads: "Hathorn is
a natural Saline laxative water containing significant amounts of
certain magnesium compounds. Taken before breakfast, at room
temperature, it is an effective aid to constipation."
The Coesa brand has 1,698 parts
per million of magnesium, and the circular says regarding it.
"Coesa is a milder laxative water. Like Hathorn water, its
laxative action arises largely from the presence of magnesium
compounds. Saratoga Coesa stimulates bile drainage. Many people
also use Coesa as an occasional, mild laxative."
It is the third brand that we are interested in, called Saratoga Geyser water, bottled for the
public under the seal of the State of New York. It contains only
600 parts per million of magnesium, or only about one-fourth that
contained in the Hathorn brand. Regarding Saratoga Geyser the
circular says that it is "bottled exactly as it flows from the
deep mineral springs at the Saratoga Spa. Nothing is added . . .
nothing is removed. Drinking bottled Geyser water at home is just
like drinking at the Spa itself."
The circular says, "A Wealth of Health in Every Glass" And
that probably is true, but even with the milder Geyser brand, one
couldn't continue to take it if it kept the bowels too loose.
That is a matter for each individual to check and experiment
with.
I will now give you the complete contents of the Saratoga
Geyser circular:
The Mineral Springs of Saratoga Now Flow in Your
Home
"At the Saratoga Springs, nature has made one of
those grand gestures with which she often puts to shame the
best works of man.
"Nature leaves her riches in different places, in
various ways. But, at the Saratoga Spa, Mother Nature
outdid herself. Here in the form of a geyser, she spouts
her riches into the air, bringing forth from hidden caverns
beneath the Earth's surface, health giving mineral waters,
compounded over many centuries.
"During the prehistoric "glacial" era, underground
streams were created deep beneath the rock of the Earth's
surface. These streams absorbed the many minerals until,
saturated by them, the, natural gasses forced the water to
burst upward through natural filters of sand and gravel,
through the Earth's surface itself, to become the famous
Saratoga Geysers.
"The remarkable qualities of Saratoga Geyser
sparkling water were first discovered and enjoyed by the
American Indians many years before the first settlers came
to this country. But, it remained for latter day settlers
to develop their maximum benefit.
"For over 170 years Saratoga Springs has enjoyed
world-wide fame from millions of people who have enjoyed
its marvelous waters.
These Rare Qualities Protected by the State
"In 1909, when their values had become widely
recognized, the State of New York, acquired the principal
springs at the Saratoga Spa in order to protect these rare
waters from exploitation, and to preserve them for the
benefit of future generations.
Geyser Water Is Delicious
"Saratoga Geyser Water is a wonderful tasting
sparkling water. It is absolutely natural--naturally
carbonated . . . naturally mineralized . . . naturally
delicious. Geyser served as a table water adds "sparkle" to
every meal.
Geyser Water Is Naturally Carbonated
"The "natural" effervescence of Saratoga Geyser
Water has never been even closely duplicated by artificial
means. Here is light, bubbling, thirst quenching
naturalness.
"Many people serve Saratoga Geyser Water as a
highball mixer or as a chaser. Geyser tastes great, and it
helps prevent that "morning after feeling" too.
Geyser Water Is Alkaline
"The high ratio of alkalinity in Saratoga Geyser
Water makes it an excellent aid to digestion. It helps
relieve the discomfort often caused by excessive eating or
drinking . . . lets you eat the foods you like, that don't
like you.
Geyser Water Is 15 Important Minerals
"Saratoga Geyser Water is "nature" endowed with
fifteen minerals including iron and calcium.
Bottling the Water
"At the bottling plant, a highly perfected process
is followed using specially designed equipment so that the
delicate balance of gas and minerals will not be disturbed.
The waters to be bottled are kept under several atmospheres
of pressure, never exposed to air. (Even the air in the
bottle is removed before filling.)
"The bottling operation is performed in a modern
plant that is as sanitary as a hospital. For the State of
New York requires that the Saratoga Spa be conducted in
accordance with the soundest medical and scientific
standards ... from the safeguarding of the wells . . . to
the bottling . . . even to the statements made regarding
the use of the waters."
|
The one undesirable feature of Saratoga Geyser is the sodium
bicarbonate content--3,487 parts per million. The Merck Index says regarding it,
"Human Toxicity: Average doses by any route in presence of renal
(kidney] insufficiency, or large doses by any route in patients
with normal renal functions, may cause alkalosis (irritability,
restlessness, neuromuscular hyperexcitability, tetany). Antidote:
Ammonium chloride." Saratoga Geyser Water contains 35 parts per
million of ammonium chloride.
However, there is much evidence that magnesium is a protector
of the kidneys, and therefore the magnesium in this water might
possibly protect the drinker from any ill effects coming from the
sodium bicarbonate, usually referred to as bicarbonate of soda.
Besides, if a person began to drink the water and soon became
more irritable and restless than usual, it would be a sign to
stop. But the fact that millions of people have been drinking
this water over the years should be reassuring.
The same thing applies to the sodium chloride (table salt)
content of this Geyser Water. It is 1,506 parts per million. You
must know what you're drinking. Then it is up to you.
Coming back to foods that contain magnesium, one of the
reasons why the American people are magnesium deficient, on the
average, is that they cook so much of their food. Even if people
eat whole wheat, bread, the act of
baking it under high heat kills a great deal of the magnesium in
the wheat germ. Therefore, take wheat germ as a separate food
supplement.
And regarding vegetables, cooking
them and throwing away the water is an act of murder against the
magnesium they contain. Delbet,
in his Politique
Préventif du Cancer says that the magnesium salts in plants are so soluble that not
only cooking with high heat, but also merely blanching them will
demineralize them.
An experiment is described in which cabbage, sorrel, and
spinach were cooked. It was found that they did not lose much of
the calcium, but the amounts of magnesium that went out in the
cooking water were as follows:
|
Cabbage
|
more than 99 percent
|
|
Sorrel
|
94 percent
|
|
Spinach
|
about one-half
|
Delbet says it is best either to stew the vegetables, or to
consume the cooking water as a bouillon.
He found that in cooking beef over 99.9 percent of the
magnesium is lost. So when a person orders a hamburger on a white
roll, he gets practically no magnesium. The same applies to hot
dogs. Dairy foods also contain
very little magnesium.
For extra magnesium, go heavy on nuts and the greens, both to
be consumed raw. When junior fought against cooked spinach, he
was on a better track than his parents.
My opinion is that if magnesium pills were given to people, it
could do much good, but we recommend the magnesium carbonate
form, obtained from dolomite limestone. It is available in
tablets made from a ground dolomite rock which has been treated
to eliminate any impurities it may contain. It is not merely
magnesium carbonate; it contains other valuable minerals.
This page was first uploaded to The Magnesium Web Site on
January 3, 2001
http://www.mgwater.com/
Healthy Water
Association--USA