If You Often Have Headaches, Low Energy, and Insomnia, Start Eating More Of These

Jan 20, 2019

Do you suffer from chronic headaches, insomnia, and lack of energy? If so, you may want to look at your diet to help alleviate the issues. You could be lacking two important micronutrients in your daily diet. Here are some quick and hard facts about magnesium and vitamin K, and you’ll get some tips on how to source them into your diet.

Vitamin K isn’t one of those hot topic vitamins, such as vitamin C is for the immune system or vitamin E is for skin health. So, most people don’t pay it too much mind. As understated as it is, vitamin K has an array of benefits and can easily be incorporated into your daily diet.

• Works with Vitamin D for bone health. Many don’t realize that vitamin K helps calcium reach and bind with bones. Vitamin K deficiency can leave you with brittle bones that are more prone to injury, fatigue, and fracture
• The proteins essential for blood clotting when you’re bleeding are synthesized by vitamin K. Deficiencies in vitamin K can make your bleed out more rapidly during injury and can cause your body to bruise very easily.
• The most recent vitamin K research surrounds its possible protection against certain cancers, such as colon cancer; reduced risk of Alzheimer’s disease; and protection against calcification of arteries and valves in the heart.

• The RDA (recommended daily allowance) for vitamin K according to the National Institutes of Health is measured in AI (adequate intake,) which is 120 mcg for males 19-years-old and up and 90 mcg for the same age group of females.
• However, it’s important to note that a number of factors can raise AI of vitamin K, including weight, diseases, and overall health. So, it’s always important to discuss your vitamin K intake with a health care professional, dietician, or other nutrition professional.

Foods typically aren’t fortified with vitamin K, meaning you’ll have to get it from naturally occurring sources. Some excellent food choices to add vitamin K to your diet would include:

• Fresh herbs - thyme, parsley, chives, sage, basil, coriander. Two tbsps of chopped basil, for example, has 21.8 mcg of vitamin K.
• Spices - hot spices like cayenne, curry, and chili powder. Two tbsps of curry powder, for example, has 12.4 mcg of vitamin K.
• Green leafy veggies and lettuces - spinach, kale, cabbage, greens, spring onions, celery, watercress, and most all variations of lettuces. A single cup of collard greens, for example, has 157.36 mcg of vitamin K.
• Olive oil, dried fruits, soybeans, broccoli, cauliflower, okra, pickles, and fennel are other sources that are easily accessible and added to the diet to boost vitamin K consumption.

Unless you’ve ever had issues with your blood pressure and heart, then you might not be familiar with this essential mineral. While another micronutrient that’s not as commonplace in everyday talk, magnesium has been shown to play a role in at least 300 different chemical reactions that take place in your body.

• Converting food to energy more efficiently and effectively.
• Creating new proteins from amino acids.
• Alleviating fatigue, stress, and anxiety.
• Treatment and management of stress headaches and migraines.
• In fact, a deficiency in magnesium can actually cause headaches as it causes decreased serotonin levels, neurotransmitter function, and blood vessel constriction. Deficiency can also worsen or cause mood swings, depression, and sleep disorders.

• Depending on your specific age, the RDA for magnesium is 410-420 mg for adult men and 320-360 for adult women.

Unlike vitamin K, magnesium is fortified within some foods, particularly breakfast items, such as cereal and yogurts, and refined grains, such as breads and brown rice. It’s also a naturally occurring mineral in some plant and animal foods, including:

• Nuts and nut butters
• Fish
• Chicken
• Beef
• Black and kidney beans
• Spinach
• Avocado
• Bananas

Again, remember to always seek advice from your health care or nutrition professional before altering your diet. Given you don’t have diet restrictions, a supplement usually isn’t necessary. In most cases, you can get adequate magnesium and vitamin K by eating a nutritious and well-balances diet.

Have you tried magnesium or vitamin K to help you break the cycle of fatigue, headaches, or insomnia? Do you plan on trying to incorporate more vitamin K and magnesium into your diet after reading all the benefits? Tell us your thoughts and questions in the comment section, and don’t forget to pass this article along if you found it informative and helpful.

Our content is created to the best of our knowledge, yet it is of general nature and cannot in any way substitute an individual consultation by your doctor. Your health is important to us!