Do you ever get hampered by leg, ankle, and/or foot cramps?
Perhaps when swimming or working out, during the night, or at some other random time?
If you’re like me, they can be severe, painful, and even momentarily paralyzing.
What’s a good resolve?
We’re often told we need magnesium or potassium or to stay hydrated.
All of these are important but their lack is not the only potential cause.
In this short article I’ll explain additional causes and provide practical remedies (some you likely wouldn’t think of).
Muscles require a proper balance of different trace minerals, fats and vitamins to function properly. Without balance between these nutrients, muscle cramps and spasms can occur.
In particular, having a proper balance between calcium and magnesium is fundamental in muscle contraction.
As well as for many processes throughout the body, including digestion, bone formation, energy production, creation of new cells, and optimal function of the adrenal glands, neurons, heart and kidneys.[1]
How do we develop imbalances in these minerals?
Often, it is due to inadequate dietary intake, lack of cofactors needed for absorption and utilization, consumption of sugar and highly refined foods (which deplete us of our minerals), heavy exercise, gastrointestinal disorders, and medications (birth control pills, insulin, antibiotics, diuretics, blood pressure medication, cortisone).
Notedly, it’s more common to have a deficiency in magnesium than calcium because calcium is touted for bone health.
Although this article is focusing on leg cramps, know that developing strong bones often requires additional magnesium through diet and supplementation.
If you’re lacking magnesium, the calcium you eat won’t be absorbed properly.
Excessive levels of calcium are stored within the body and will build up over time and get deposited in inappropriate tissue (which can cause a host of other problems), whereas excess levels of magnesium are not stored and will be flushed out.
Some researchers suggest that the healthy ratio of calcium to magnesium in the diet should be 2:1. Others consider 1:1 to reflect ratios that we evolved with based on our diet prior to the advent of agriculture. In modern industrialized countries the ratio from diet varies from 5:1 to as much as 15:1. The imbalance of these two very important minerals produces many dire consequences.[2]
Calcium must also be in balance with the macro-mineral potassium and the trace minerals Manganese, Boron, Copper, and Zinc.
Yes, potassium is important as stated earlier.
According to Dr. Decker Weiss, leg cramps at the beginning of a workout or during the night point to a magnesium deficiency.
Whereas leg cramps in the middle or toward the end of your workout point to a potassium deficiency.[3]
Another important cofactor for maintaining proper mineral balance and optimal muscle contraction are sufficient amounts of fatty acids.
Good quality fats bind to different minerals to escort them into the tissues for use in contraction, healing and repair.
Even if you have sufficient calcium and magnesium in circulation, if you’re lacking fatty acids, these minerals will not be able to enter into the muscles for optimal function.
In the case of muscle cramp, you want to specifically look at Essential Fatty Acids (aka: EFAs).
Three good sources are:
- Butter. Yes. Butter is good for you. Read more about additional benefits of butter here. How can BUTTER treat your ailments? [Note. You don’t have to suffer from leg cramps to enjoy having more butter.]
- Wild Caught Fish and Fish Oil
- Standard Process Cataplex F (something you can chew when you get a leg cramp) [You can purchase this through me if you’re interested.]
As mentioned at the beginning, proper hydration is important, proper hydration meaning getting sufficient electrolytes so the water gets into your cells.
One of the most excellent hydration sources to help avert muscle cramps when working out or competing in sports is lacto-fermented beverages and tonics such as lacto-fermented pickles, sauerkraut, or tonic cabbage.
To clarify, although somewhat already stated, we need proper stomach pH and good digestion so that we are absorbing the nutrients in our food.
And last but not least, a diet high in sugar, refined carbohydrates, ultra-processed foods, and fast foods will surely deplete you of your valuable minerals. According to Dr. Natasha Campbell McBride, it takes 56 molecules of magnesium to metabolize 1 molecule of sugar.
Stress can also deplete us of minerals, as does swimming in a chlorinated pool. I mention this because I believe these two factors contribute to my intense, painful leg cramps.
In conclusion, for averting and dissolving leg cramps, we need to address:
- Proper mineral balance in our diet, especially magnesium and calcium. Lists of food sources can be found at the end of this article.
- Our body’s ability to absorb, break down, and utilize the nutrients in our food.
- Minimizing/eliminating the anti-nutrients in our diet. Anti-nutrients being those foods noted above that rob us of our nutrients.
- Essential Fatty Acids – butter, fish and fish oil, Cataplex F
- Proper Hydration. Read What might be the greatest nutritional deficiency in America? for more ways to stay hydrated and get recipes for DIY hydration beverages.
- Minimizing stress. Stress comes in all forms. An argument with your spouse or co-worker, traffic, finances, a donut (or any food with sugar or highly processed food), a food to which you’re sensitive, exposure to EMFs and artificial lights,…
I am happy to discuss any concerns you may have with leg cramps, mineral imbalances, bone health, or any other health concern.
Click here to book a free 30-minute session now.
Be well and be blessed.
Karen
Food sources:
Magnesium
- Bone broth
- Leafy green vegetables
- Seeds
- Almonds
- Cashews
- Whole grains
- Nettles (860 mg per 100 grams)
- Chickweed (529 mg per 100 grams)
- Kelp, and most sea vegetables.
- An authentic, unrefined sea salt is a very good source of magnesium, along with trace minerals.
Calcium
- Dairy, preferably raw, cultured dairy
- Kelp
- Collards
- Turnip Greens
- Dandelion Greens
- Sesame Seeds
- Apricots
- Brewer’s Yeast
- Almonds
- Brazil Nuts
Potassium
- Avocados
- Bananas
- Apricots
- Potatoes
- Cantaloupe
- Lima beans
- Parsnips
- Raisins
- Sardines
Disclaimer: None of what I am discussing can be construed as medical advice. It’s simply for educational purposes, information that I thought valuable and wanted to pass along as I try to resolve this issue for myself.
[1] https://haydeninstitute.com/diet-nutrition-blog/vitamin-mineral-imbalances-leg-cramps-muscle-spasms
[2] https://www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/abcs-of-nutrition/magnificent-magnesium/#gsc.tab=0
