Fasting and Magnesium: Are You Getting Enough?

Electrolytes are super important. Especially when you’re fasting.

We’ve been going over three of the most important electrolytes, and how to know if you’re getting enough.

You can check out our previous articles on potassium and sodium.

In this article, we’re going to focus on magnesium. 

What is magnesium?

Magnesium is an essential mineral electrolyte.

Essential means that it is not produced by the body.

It has to be obtained through your diet, or supplements. 

Magnesium supports many vital body functions, including: 

• Muscle and nerve function 

• Helps adjust blood sugar levels 

• Bone development and strength 

• Heart rhythm 

• Helps regulate blood pressure

• Energy production

• Supports the immune system 

• DNA repair

• Helps with sleep 

How much magnesium do I need? 

As with potassium and sodium, recommended daily values differ. 

But keep in mind, we’re talking about how much you need while fasting. 

Remember, when you fast and lose body fat, you also lose a lot of water, and with it electrolytes. 

Plus most people who come to fasting are not eating right to begin with, and may be already deficient in magnesium. 

If you’re very physically active or live in a hotter climate, you might require even more magnesium.

The recommended daily amount for fasting is 300-500 mgs per day. 

Our electrolyte powder has 75 mgs of magnesium per scoop. 

You can take our dosage quiz here. 

The quiz takes into account things like your height and weight, your activity level, and what type of fasting you are doing. 

Save your results because the quiz will also tell you how to increase or decrease as needed. 

Did you know?

Regular consumption of caffeine can make your magnesium levels lower!

Because caffeine is a diuretic, increasing your urine output, you could be losing even more magnesium. 

And caffeine can also interfere with the absorption of magnesium. 

So if you’re a coffee drinker, or you do diet sodas, just keep that in mind. 

Low magnesium symptoms

Many of the symptoms that come up during fasting are related to low electrolytes.

Figuring out which electrolyte you are low on can be tricky. 

You might suspect you are low on magnesium if you have any of the following symptoms:

• Muscle cramps or spasms

• Headaches

• Numbness or tingling 

• Weakness or fatigue 

• Anxiety 

• Insomnia 

• Constipation 

• Irregular heartbeat 

Other tips for fasting and magnesium 

If you’re doing Extended Fasting, you will be getting zero magnesium from your diet.

So you will definitely need to supplement in that case.

For Intermittent Fasters, you can include magnesium rich foods in your daily eating window. 

The following foods are all good sources of magnesium:

• Whole grains

• Avocado

• Leafy greens

• Nuts and seeds

• Fruits such as banana 

• Dark chocolate 

But you will likely still need to supplement magnesium, even if you are sticking to Intermittent Fasting. 

Which type of magnesium should I supplement with?

Supplements come with many forms of magnesium, including citrate, glycinate, lactate, malate, oxide, and others. 

It can be confusing trying to figure out which one to use. 

Some forms, such as oxide, are harder on the stomach than others. 

Magnesium citrate and glycinate are usually the preferred forms, with glycinate being the most gentle. 

Our original Electrolyte Powder uses magnesium citrate.

Our Advanced Formula has magnesium glycinate. 

Refeeding

Extended Fasters (14 days or more) you need to continue supplementing your magnesium for the initial refeeding phase. 

This is so that you don’t run into any issues such as refeeding syndrome.

Refeeding syndrome is a dangerous condition that can occur after a long fast. 

When you reintroduce foods, your electrolytes suddenly shift from outside the cells to inside. 

This can leave you dangerously low on electrolytes if you’re not supplementing. 

You can read more about refeeding syndrome here. 

Bottom line

Fasting is safe for most people when done properly. 

But staying up on your electrolytes is crucial, and that includes magnesium. 

Aim for whole foods rich in magnesium when you’re eating, and supplement when you’re not.