A Memo on Magnesium–And a Raspberry Mango Magnesium Smoothie

Mmmm….magnesium! A tasty treat, right?

No?

Okay, so, you probably don’t get all excited about ways to work magnesium into your diet, but, it is a critical mineral that many people are lacking. Magnesium is important to our bodies in so many ways, including helping maintain normal muscle and nerve function, keeping your heart rhythm steady, supporting a healthy immune system, and keeping bones strong, among other things – which you can learn about here.

While we’re talking about it, you could take a peek at this article to see if you could be magnesium deficient. One big culprit that contributes to magnesium deficiency is really, really common: If you drink a lot of soda, you are flushing magnesium from your body faster than even an otherwise perfectly balanced diet can renew it.

You can get magnesium from a lot of foods – nuts, seeds, legumes, oatmeal, and leafy greens – but it can still be a challenge to meet the RDA with food alone (between about 300-400 mg a day depending on age and gender).

I have been using Natural Calm magnesium powder for a few years now, usually as a hot tea in the evening before bed, and recommend it to anyone who will listen, especially if they don’t sleep well. As it turns out, this powder has pretty much eliminated my crazy evening restless legs, which used to have a mind of their own, and helps me sleep. Don’t worry, it doesn’t put you to sleep, it just seems to help improve the quality of your sleep.

I like the way it tastes as a tea, but had a nutty idea last week: What about using it as a base for a smoothie? This idea is especially good for folks that don’t like hot beverages, or, who  don’t like the taste straight up.

It doesn’t take much, and you can adjust the amount required to your personal tastes. They give guidance on the label as to how you can figure out the right amount for you, but I use about this much – roughly a heaping tablespoon. That is probably an aggressive amount if you’ve never used it before, so start small – 1 teaspoon – and work your way up as described on the label.

And with that intro, here’s a smoothie I have whipped up a few times now, using the Natural Calm dissolved in water as the base. You can’t taste it at all, and the raspberry mango combination is really refreshing!

I rarely use ice cubes in my smoothies, but I do it in this one because of the hot liquid that’s required to dissolve the magnesium powder. And, I usually call for protein powder, some sort of fat, and maybe a nutritional booster like maca powder in my smoothies, and you could certainly add those things if you want, especially if you’ll be making this into a meal instead of a snack. But, in this case, I really think just the mango and raspberry flavors are all you need for an easy, low-cal snack.  If you have a bit of a sweet tooth that fruit alone can’t quench, add a few drops of liquid stevia to your taste.

Raspberry Mango Magnesium Smoothie

Print this Recipe!

Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon Natural Calm Magnesium powder (or desired amount, up to 1 heaping tablespoon), dissolved in 1/4 cup hot water
• 1/2 cup cold water (or coconut water, or milk of your choice)
• 1/2 cup frozen raspberries
• 1 cup frozen mango
• 4-5 ice cubes

Method:

• Dissolve the Natural Calm in 1/4 cup hot water
• Add all ingredients to your blender, pulse a few times to combine, and blend until smooth
• If using a single serve cup, shake gently to make sure there is enough liquid on the bottom to begin blending – you may need to add slightly more water if you have a hard time getting the blended started – play this by ear

Nutritional Info