Magnesium is a vital macromineral that is needed for more than 300 biochemical reactions in the body. It regulates enzyme reactions, aids the production of ATP, helps the body transport ions across the cell membranes and much more. Indeed, all of the body's organs require magnesium to function properly.

Unfortunately, magnesium deficiencies are pandemic worldwide. In the United States alone, experts estimate that between 50 and 80 percent of the population suffers from a deficiency, which can lead to anxiety, restless leg syndrome, nausea, muscle cramps, insomnia and a host of other stress-related conditions. (1) Though poor diets are partially to blame, the biggest reason for this pandemic is ongoing soil erosion, which has significantly reduced the mineral content of the earth. Consequently, many popular fruits and vegetables that used to contain magnesium no longer do. (2) Therefore, if you want to prevent or treat a magnesium deficiency through diet, you need to focus on certain foods that still retain their magnesium content. The best of these foods are listed below.

Kelp

Unlike land vegetables, sea vegetables have retained their mineral compositions for centuries and remain the best source of many essential minerals. One hundred grams (almost 1 cup) of kelp, for instance, contain approximately 121 milligrams of magnesium, or 30 percent of the recommended daily intake (RDI). Kelp is also one of the best sources of iodine, another mineral in which many individuals are unknowingly deficient. (3)

Worried about radiation in seaweed? Numerous reputable seaweed suppliers such as Maine Coast Sea Vegetables now monitor their products for possible radiation contamination. As a general rule, though, favor seaweed sourced from the Atlantic rather than the Pacific.

Blackstrap molasses

Since the roots of sugar cane grow deep into the soil, this tall, juicy plant is able to tap into a large number of nutrients that other plants cannot reach. This is the reason why organic, unsulphured blackstrap molasses -- the treacle-like byproduct of sugar cane refinement -- is so rich in essential minerals like iron, calcium, manganese, selenium, potassium and -- you guessed it -- magnesium. In fact, just 1 tablespoon of this dark, viscous molasses will provide the body with 48 milligrams of easily digestible magnesium. (4)

Cacao

There's a good reason why magnesium deficiencies often manifest in the form of chronic chocolate cravings: Cacao beans, the dried and fermented beans from which chocolate is made, are one of the most magnesium-rich foods in the world. One cup of powdered cacao beans contains a whopping 429 milligrams of magnesium, which is just over 100 percent of the RDI. (5) Unfortunately, the oxalic acid found in cacao beans prevent this magnesium from being absorbed completely, but you still get a good dose of it -- that's why cacao and cacao products make you feel relaxed and energized after eating them.

Rice bran

According to Self's "NutritionData," rice bran is the world's greatest source of magnesium. Just 1 cup of this byproduct of the rice milling process contains an incomparable 922 milligrams of magnesium, or more than twice the RDI. It is also unusually high in manganese, phosphorus, iron and the B vitamins. (6)

Like blackstrap molasses, rice bran is an excellent gluten-free nutrient supplement and can be added to cereals, soups, muffins, cakes and other baked goods. In fact, a lot of recipes that incorporate blackstrap can also incorporate rice bran, providing you with a double dose of magnesium.

http://www.naturalnews.com/045689_magnesium_sources_kelp_blackstrap_molasses.html

14 of the Best Foods for Stomach and Digestive Health

“We are what we eat.” We all know the saying, but relatively few of us take it to heart. What we put in our mouths is what our bodies will use not only as fuel, but also as the building blocks of life inside our bodies. What we eat is used to make hormones, enzymes, living cells, tissue, blood, and bone. The highly processed foods, refined sugars, high sodium, and junk foods of our modern world supply calories, but are lacking in the fiber, minerals, and vitamins our bodies truly crave. - See more at:

http://www.sunwarrior.com/news/foods-for-the-stomach-and-digestion/

The pH Equation and Health

 

Healing chronic illness occurs when the blood is restored to normal slightly alkaline PH. Isagenix doesn't cure, prevent or treat any illnesses but it will assist in returning your blood to an alkaline state amongst many other health benefits.

 

For more information about Isagenix go to http://www.healthnharmony1.isagenix.com

Boosting Your Enzyme Reserves

Enzymes are extremely vital to human well-being. They play a critical role in digestion and nutrient assimilation, in immune response, cognitive acceleration, and cellular detoxification among other things. These systems battle for enzymes to utilize within our body.

Enzymes are some of the most important structures in the body. They are long-chain proteins that take on specific shapes and act like a key to unique locks throughout the body. Their job is to carry out very specific functions throughout the body.

When the amino acid bonds within an enzyme are damaged, the enzyme collapses and can no longer do its particular job. This denaturing process may be caused by any of the following:

• Fluoride
• Drugs
• Alcohol
• Free radical damage
• Irradiation
• Canning
• Food processing
• Heating above 118 F (cooking)

When enzymes are damaged, they are no longer able to carry out their unique processes and they become another foreign protein in the body. These foreign proteins are recognized by the immune system as a possible hazardous invader. The body may then trigger an immune response and create inflammation.

All processed and heavily cooked foods contain an abundance of denatured enzymes. These are highly allergenic in the body and create a massive assault on the body. These processed and irritated foods also depend upon good enzymes from the body for digestion. So these foods, in essence, steal enzymes from our system.

Create an enzyme surplus in your body

To create an enzyme surplus in your body, you will want to incorporate a diet high in raw and living foods. The optimal nutrition plan should be at least 75-80 percent raw and living foods with 20-25 percent high quality cooked foods.

Healthy, cooked foods would include brown rice, quinoa, sweet potatoes and cruciferous vegetables. Cruciferous veggies are great to steam as boiling will steal valuable water-soluble nutrients. Steaming these veggies breaks down the outer cellulose wall that is challenging for the digestive system to metabolize. This actually makes the food more bioavailable.

Organic and grass-fed animal products are to be cooked in a medium-rare fashion. This will break down the thicker proteins but keep much of the powerful nutrition still intact. Fresh squeezed lemon and apple cider vinegar should be added to any cooked food and especially to meat in either a pre/post cooked marinade or just before serving. Lemon and apple cider vinegar provide organic acids, enzymes, probiotics and anti-oxidants that help to pre-digest the cooked meal and neutralize any free radical formation.

To boost enzymatic potential, it is essential to soak and sprout all grains, seeds, nuts and legumes. The practice of soaking, fermenting and sprouting breaks down challenging proteins and activates key enzymes that improve the bioavailability of the nutrients. Sprouted legumes, seeds and nuts are basically a pre-digested food that has unlocked its full potential of enzymes and nutrients.

The fermentation process unlocks huge nutrient potential within the seed. Sprouted foods have five to ten times higher B vitamins, double the vitamin A, vitamin C, zinc, calcium and iron content of its pre-soaked and sprouted counterpart. The enzymes will also make the protein much more bioavailable for consumption.

Incorporating fermented foods and drinks is another great way to boost enzyme load. Great fermented drinks include coconut kefir, raw whey, fermented berry and grape drinks, kombucha, amasai, goat milk kefir, etc. Sauerkraut, kimchi, and fermented veggies are also great resources for enzymes.

Intermittent fasting and incorporating fermented drinks are especially important parts to creating an enzyme surplus. Fasting for periods of 16-48 hours each week or month allows the body to catch up in its enzyme processing.

Sources for this article include:
http://ezinearticles.com
http://www.naturalnews.com
http://www.naturalnews.com/034277_fasting_longevity.html
http://www.naturalnews.com

About the author:
Dr. David Jockers owns and operates Exodus Health Center in Kennesaw, Ga. He is a Maximized Living doctor. His expertise is in weight loss, customized nutrition & exercise, & structural corrective chiropractic care. For more information go to www.drjockers.com To find a Maximized Living doctor near you go to www.maximizedliving.com Dr. Jockers is also available for long distance phone consultations to help you beat disease and reach your health goals.

http://www.naturalnews.com/037607_enzymes_digestion_nutrient_assimilation.html

A Forefather of Enzyme Nutrition

Enzyme Nutrition by Dr Edward Howell

This book is fascinating. Especially Chapter 8 - Enzymes to the Rescue: The Mystique of Fasting. Dr Howell starts out the chapter with "Some people actually fear they may die if the miss a few meals" which is interesting in the Westernised world, considering we are actually never really without food. This comes back to the thoughts you focus on. If you think you are hungry, then you are.

Chapter 7 - Little Known Facts About Raw Foods is also very interesting and the information on enzyme inhibitors and germinating nuts and grains to activate the enzymes very useful. I only eat activated walnuts or almonds now. I won't waste my money buying nuts that haven't been activated, when I get no nutritional value from them.

With over fifty years of research into food and soil enzymes, Dr Howell paved the way for future research and breakthroughs on the importance of digestive enzymes to good health and maintaining longevity.

Enzyme pioneer Dr. Edward Howell

Nearly eighty years ago, Dr. Edward Howell, a physician and researcher, uncovered nature's secret to healthy digestion. While others were touting vitamins and minerals as the nutritional breakthrough of the century, Dr. Howell discovered perhaps the most vital nutrients of all food enzymes. Through his extensive clinical research, he learned that food enzymes are essential for proper digestion which directly correlates with dramatic improvements in health and longevity.

Our bodies are designed to rely on two sources of enzymes in digesting food the enzymes produced by our digestive system and the enzymes naturally present in the food we eat. Raw food like uncooked fruits and vegetables contribute enzymes to the digestive process, but each one brings only enough enzymes to digest itself and no more. Whenever food is cooked or processed at any time before it is eaten whether it is microwaved, steamed, broiled, roasted, pasteurized, canned, sauted, stir-fried or heated in any manner - all of the food enzymes are destroyed in a few short minutes. And this doesn't mean you have to do the cooking - the enzymes in all processed foods, whether you cook them or not, have been destroyed. In his book, Enzyme Nutrition, Dr. Edward Howell observed that the refining of food and improved cooking methods have rendered the modern diet enzyme-deficient due to the effective destruction of enzymes in foods by these processes. 

To compensate for a lack of food enzymes, our bodies must assume the full burden of producing all of the enzymes for the digestion of that food. If you've ever felt sleepy after a meal, it's because your body is working harder than it should to digest the food you've eaten. This tremendous stress on the digestive system depletes the body of energy and other materials that could be better utilized to support other important functions in the body like protecting against harmful organisms, making new cells and tissues and, simply, enjoying life. Adding to this problem, research tells us that our bodies ability to produce digestive enzymes and therefore digest food decreases as we grow older, which explains the higher incidence of digestive complaints and other chronic health problems in older adults.

Although a strong advocate of eating more raw food, Dr. Howell soon realized that most people prefer cooked food over raw food so supplemental enzymes were needed to help digest this food. By carefully selecting the sources and methods of growth and extraction, Dr. Howell was able produce unique and highly active enzymes that, when added to the diet, provide the same type of digestive activity as raw food enzymes, relieving some of the body's digestive stress. Thus, the first vegetarian enzyme supplement, known as Genuine N·Zimes, was produced in 1932. For the next 60 years, Dr. Howell diligently researched the therapeutic health benefits derived from the use of enzyme supplements. Only two people still in the industry, one of which is Enzymes, Inc. VP Lynn Greaves, had the distinct privilege of working with Dr. Howell and had access to his original formulations and production techniques. While Enzymes, Inc. has expanded on the original research, creating premier lines of products, Dr. Howell's original formulations are still available through Enzymes, Inc. today.

http://www.enzymesinc.com/index.php?id=405