Friday Drop: Should you take magnesium?
A cereal rec, Chia Pudding, Bean Salad, Peanut Chicken and Easy Thai Noodles.
Why is everyone taking magnesium?
Long story short, and with a bit of a tin foil hat on, there’s an easy marketing recipe going on here. Magnesium is involved in over 300 processes in the human body, and according to these authors, almost half of Americans do not get enough from their diet alone. Those two things make it easy for supplement marketing companies to tell you you need to buy their sh*t.
Taking my tin foil hat off, magnesium IS important. It supports collagen synthesis. It plays an important role in bone health. It supports sleep as well. (For brevity, I’m not opening the sleep can of worms in this article. You can check out more on magnesium and sleep in this research review.) Before you run to the store for a supplement, can you ask yourself these two questions to put a bit of intention behind it?
Are you eating (or can you add) magnesium rich-foods a few times per day?
If you’re taking magnesium, are you taking the right type and dose?
Rehab-forward snack ideas high in magnesium (and other nutrients you need)
Chia pudding with whey protein, walnuts, almonds, and berries
Cherry smoothie with tart cherry juice, Greek yogurt, almond butter, and frozen berries
Greek yogurt with dark chocolate, granola, and pumpkin seeds
Magnesium-rich foods to add
sunflower seeds
almonds
beans!!
edamame
peanut butter
whole wheat bread
avocado
potatoes with the skin
You can learn more about magnesium and supplementation in Feed the Quad or by commenting your questions below.
Today’s Drop is brought to you by:
Most athletes think recovery is about doing more—more discipline, more control, more “perfect” eating.
But what I see every day is something different.
Athletes who feel disconnected from their body.
Who second-guess their hunger.
Who are trying to “eat well” but still feel stuck, frustrated, or behind.
If you’re ready for more support (and to stop doing this alone), subscribe below.
Breakfast:
The easy route: cereal and a side of fruit with peanut butter
If we’re talking about getting a breakfast that can be higher in magnesium, cereal is a great option. Go for a whole grain, higher protein, higher magnesium cereal like Kashi Go Protein + Fiber (not sponsored).
If you want to be fancy: chia pudding
I like this recipe from Real Life Nutritionist. I’ve also made chia pudding with a Fairlife 30g shake and 3-4 TBSP of chia seeds soooo many times, and I love it. Top with fruit, nuts, seeds, chocolate chips, coconut flakes. Whatever tickles your fancy.
Lunch:
Bean Salad (are you surprised?)
I like this recipe from The Forked Spoon, but I need you to tweak a few things.
If you don’t want to make a dressing from scratch, any pre-made red wine vinaigrette dressing will work.
Add a leucine source of protein :) Either TO the bean salad by adding crumbled tofu or chicken, or on the side. I also think this would be delicious in a wrap with rotisserie chicken. Will try and report back to you.
Dinner:
Easy peanut chicken with Thai noodles and shelled edamame.
If you’d like a 30-minute pan to table option, check out this recipe from Damn Delicious.
If you want more of a gather and assemble recipe, look for
chicken satay skewers or plain chicken skewers and add a satay sauce like the one below
instant ramen noodles (look for the low sodium option or skip the seasoning packet)
frozen shelled edamame (a blend with carrots and peas would be nice as well)
Snack Spotlight:
Peanut butter oat balls. Either make your own to include whatever add-ins you like, or Costco and Trader Joe’s have great options.
These are a great slow snack. Check out more fast and slow snack ideas (or what I’m even talking about) in the Performance Plate Guide.
Your grocery link:
I’m repping Texas and H-E-B this week, but feel free to drop your grocery preference in the comments, and I’ll link that one next week!
Last but not least, your prompt for this week:
Would you rather have a private chef that cooks everything for you but you don’t get any say in what you eat and can’t share your preferences OR get a magical extra four hours whenever you want each week that HAS to go toward cooking?
