Can a magnesium deficiency be common? - dosages and food sources

|Karen Fischer

Magnesium supplementation is important as it can decrease food chemical intolerances when combined with taurine, calcium carbonate and vitamin B6. The ability for your body to absorb magnesium naturally declines as you age and magnesium deficiency is common. It can be caused by diarrhoea, poor diet, low protein diets (less than 30 g/1 oz per day), fat malabsorption, frequent alcohol consumption, and frequent use of antibiotics or diuretics.

Nutrients for depression 
In order for your body to produce the feel-good chemicals serotonin and dopamine, your body needs taurine and co-factors including vitamin B6, vitamin B12, folate, magnesium and zinc. Omega-3 is also important for healthy brain function (see omega-3 information on p. 64 in the Eczema Detox Book).

Magnesium: dosages and food sources

 Magnesium (also known as)

Supplement dosages (milligrams per day)

Eczema-friendly food sources

Magnesium carbonate (good, highly alkaline) 
Magnesium bisglycinate (good form, contains glycine) 
Magnesium orotate (most expensive, well absorbed) 
Magnesium citrate (less alkaline due to citric acid) 
Magnesium oxide (poorly absorbed)

Infants (AI)

30–75 mg from breastmilk or hypoallergenic/dairy-free infant formula

Children + teens

1–4 years RDI: 80 mg (40– 65 mg from supplement) 
5–12 years RDI: 130–240 mg from food (80–130 mg from supplement) 
14–18 years RDI: 410 mg (120– 200 mg from supplement)

Adults

RDI: 310–400 mg
(120–200 mg from supplement)

 1 cup soybeans: 148 mg 
1 cup black beans: 120 mg 
1⁄4 cup raw cashews: 117 mg 
1 cup cooked spelt: 95 mg 
1 cup navy beans: 96.5 mg 
1 cup buckwheat: 85.7 mg 
60 g (21⁄2 oz) raw oats: 80 mg 
1 cup cooked brown rice: 83 mg 
1⁄3 cup barley: 81 mg 
1 fillet (127 g) flathead/flounder: 74 mg 
1 cup cooked dried beans: 75 mg 
100 g (31⁄2 oz) canned sardines: 60 mg^ 
1 cup sweet potato: 54 mg^ 
fish (average serving): 26–50 mg 
1⁄2 cup tofu: 47 mg 
1⁄2 papaya: 26 mg^ 
1 cup mashed potato: 38 mg 
1 cup Brussels sprouts: 31 mg 
1 cup boiled skinless potatoes: 31 mg 
chicken or red meat (average serving): 30 mg 
1 cup mung bean sprouts: 22 mg 
1⁄2 cup leeks: 7 mg 
1⁄2 cup celery: 5 mg

*Plus consume magnesium from food sources
AI: Adequate Intake as per Australian Government guidelines.
RDI: Recommended Daily Intake from foods as per Australian Government guidelines shown on the table as the highest dose. The lower range is the recommended dose in supplements as you should also consume magnesium via a healthy diet.
^Contains salicylates (not suitable during weeks 1–3 of the FID Program).

Notes:

  • Take magnesium more than 2 hours apart from medications.
  • Take magnesium along with vitamin B6, taurine and calcium carbonate.

Products 

At Eczema Life, we recommend nutritionist Karen Fischer's low food chemical program (The Eczema Detox) along with additive-free supplements for skin health and wellbeing. Click on the images to view more details:

           

 

The Eczema Toolkit

the holistic way to clear skin

The Eczema Detox is Karen Fischer's latest best-selling eczema manual designed to help you find relief. Through her work she found some patients needed a special program to identify personal triggers, so the FID Program was created. The Eczema Clear Skin Toolkit combines gut health and nutrition with soothing, barrier repair skincare and supplements to calm the itch and support skin repair, the immune system and more. If you’ve tried everything and nothing has worked, this is the skin calming toolkit you've been praying for.

learn more

Eczema Friend

the itch buster  |  rash cream

The low pH eczema cream that helps to relieve itchy skin, red skin rash and mild eczema and dermatitis. Suitable for all types of rashes. It's the cream you'll wish you had tried first.

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Frequently asked questions

Does food allergy trigger eczema?

Food allergy and eczema are closely linked, and allergies can absolutely make eczema worse, but they're often not what starts it in the first place. In fact, research suggests the reverse may be more accurate: eczema itself may come first and increase the risk of developing food allergies, rather than the other way around (Tsakok et al. 2016). One study found that babies with eczema were up to six times more likely to become
sensitised to foods compared to those without eczema. In children with established eczema, up to 66% showed food sensitisation, with confirmed food allergy in up to 81% of cases (Tsakok et al. 2016).

If you or your child has a diagnosed food allergy, those foods should be avoided for now. For additional guidance, the Food Intolerance Diagnosis (FID) Program in The Eczema Detox book can help identify food intolerances that do not show up in allergy tests (see next FAQ).
Do food allergy tests help eczema?

Skin prick tests and other food allergy tests including blood tests and patch tests can be unreliable on their own, so an oral food
challenge (supervised by an allergy specialist if you are prone to anaphylaxis), is the most accurate way to confirm whether you or your child is reacting to a particular food. For additional guidance, the FID Program in The Eczema Detox book can help you to identify your personal triggers.
About the authors

Ren Karen Fischer is a nutritionist, mother of two, and award-winning author of seven books, including the bestsellers The Eczema Diet and The Eczema Detox. Fischer is also a peer-reviewed published researcher, and is currently undertaking eczema research as part of a Master's by Research at Bond University. Combining clinical research with real-world experience, she is dedicated to advancing evidence-based care for eczema.

Nutritionist Bonnie Taylor holds a Bachelor of Health Science degree and helps people with eczema identify their individual triggers through the FID Program. Taylor has worked alongside Fischer for many years and offers nutrition consultations by appointment.