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"To have a healthy mind and body, one needs a healthy diet."

Rightly said.

A healthy diet is not about cutting down on your cravings and eating bland food. It is about taking in the necessary vitamins and minerals as required by the body through good food. Not in excess, nor in less. Just right.

So how do we ensure our body is getting in all the nutrition it needs. Follow these simple steps:

1. The R’s : Research, Read, ask the Right people. List down the foods that carry the nutrients that one’s body needs. Internet gives you a lot of information on this topic too, just ensure you trust the right sources.
2. Listen: Listen to your body. As when you do, it talks to you. It will indicate what it craves for, or when it has had enough. Just listen.
3. Eat: Simple. Eat good food and at the right intervals.

During puberty changes take place within our body – physical, hormonal and mental. It is essential that we take additional care of our diet to help cope with the changes during this period.

Here, we are to tell you about one essential macro-mineral that we have researched upon - Magnesium.

Magnesium helps in a huge number of internal workings of the body, say in energy creation, fighting depression, muscle movements, preventing migraines. A deficiency is rarely noticed, since our kidneys conserve magnesium for times when supply goes low, but can cause muscle cramps, loss of appetite, tiredness, irritability of the nerves, numbness, lead to low potassium and calcium levels, and in extreme cases a cardiac arrest.

The basic reasons for our body to experience this deficit in today’s life would be due to stress, excess sugar intake, alcohol, and caffeine.

Magnesium also aids in dealing with PMS (pre-menstrual syndrome) symptoms. Feel associated with having those stomach cramps, mood swings, tiredness just before your periods? It could be due to a lack of magnesium in your body.

What if I tell you that a bar of chocolate can help you deal with them? Yes, a good dark chocolate (organic preferred), with over 70 % cocoa is full of magnesium. The sweet-flavored easily available milk chocolates that we frequently eat would be a no-no! Bitter is sweet!

Other foods that contain a good level of magnesium would include:

• Green leafy vegetables like spinach and kale, and other vegetable such as broccoli, peas, cabbage, sprouts
• Seeds, nuts and beans
• Sea food
• Tofu

So the next time you crave for a chocolate, especially during your periods, a deficit of magnesium could be making your body ask for it. Go ahead – eat up that entire bar with no guilt! And make sure you supplement yourself with other magnesium rich foods and juices too!

andMe Rhythm has been designed keeping the female body cycle in our focus. We made the drink to match the exact taste preferences of women during their periods to cure the most certain premenstrual symptoms. Fun Fact - 40.43mg of Magnesium is included in our drinks. 

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