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Short Summary
Main recommendation: To get enough magnesium while eating low-carb, eat a mix of red meat and organ meat, fatty fish, whole-fat deli cheese, leafy greens, seeds, nuts, avocado, and high-percentage dark chocolate, and consider a magnesium supplement if symptoms persist. Dr. Berry notes that a normal serum magnesium blood test does not confirm adequate magnesium stored in cells, since the body stores it there.
Key Points
- The 7 low-carb magnesium sources named in the video are: (1) red meat and organ meat, (2) fatty fish, (3) whole-fat deli cheese, (4) leafy greens, (5) seeds, (6) nuts, and (7) avocado; high-percentage dark chocolate is presented as a bonus treat.
- Magnesium is linked in the video to heart and lung health, better asthma control, relief from constipation, better sleep, and fewer or less severe migraines.
- Western populations are described as often depleted in magnesium, and a normal serum blood test may hide cellular depletion.
- Cheese recommendations focus on avoiding pre-shredded or pre-sliced dairy-aisle cheese, which may contain anti-caking agents.
- Avocado is presented as far better for potassium and magnesium than bananas, whole wheat, or legumes, though it still contains carbs to count.
Details Worth Noting
- Concrete instructions:
- Ask a butcher to blend heart and liver into ground beef and adjust the fat level so the organ meat is not noticeable in taste.
- Choose wild-caught fish such as mackerel and salmon; prefer small fish like sardines, anchovies, and herring, which the speaker says are less likely to be farm- or factory-raised.
- Buy whole-fat cheese sliced at the deli counter, or buy a block and shred it at home, rather than pre-shredded or pre-sliced cheese.
- Choose low-carb nuts such as Brazil nuts, walnuts, pecans, and macadamias; avoid cashews and peanuts because of their carb content.
- Choose chia seeds and pumpkin seeds as the lowest-carb seed options with high magnesium.
- Choose very high-percentage dark chocolate and check total carbs, since some brands add sugar under names like molasses or cane syrup.
- Consider a magnesium supplement if cramps, constipation, sleep trouble, asthma flare-ups, or migraines persist despite eating these foods; .
- The speaker says one ounce of some dark chocolates provides a large share of the recommended daily magnesium intake.
- Heart is described as the single best magnesium source among the organ meats mentioned, though the speaker notes few people eat it.
- The speaker reports personally doing well on carnivore-style eating, getting magnesium from red meat, fatty fish, and cheese.
- These are the speaker's own views and experience, not professional medical advice.
Bottom Line
Magnesium on a low-carb diet is achievable through a varied mix of meats, fish, cheese, greens, seeds, nuts, and avocado, and the speaker suggests supplementing only if symptoms remain.
