Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness

This is a new thing for me as of the last few years but every time I eat anything with a high cocoa content, I desperately need a nap within an hour. I mean desperately. Like, snoring-in-a-chair desperately.

It's not the sugar, I know what a sugar high and then crash feels like. This ain't it. I experimented with unsweetened raw cocoa for a bit and I still had nap attacks. I also experimented with different sugar sources without the cocoa--sucrose, fructose, lactose--and none of them put me in la la land. It's not the caffeine, either, because coffee and tea don't have this effect on me at all.

I'm wondering if it has something to do with the theobromine content, which would be ironic considering that theobromine is a mild vasodilating stimulant that has no where near the power of the caffeine naturally occurring in cocoa. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theobromine I drank yerba mate for a while, which also contains theobromine, but never felt like this.

At this time, I'm chalking it up to a singular adrenal response particular to myself and my current high levels of mental stress. Luckily, I don't really care for chocolate one way or the other and can easily go without it indefinitely. I've always been more of a "vanilla" type, anyway.

Baby Herc

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Now I need to go try it...

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^1 me too! lol

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High carb, low fat, whole foods. Any questions?

The reason why anyone grabs the chocolate in the first place is because they have a magnesium deficiency. There is a youtube video by a very intelligent young doctor on magnesium deficiency if you wanna check it out. He is the doctor writing on a white board.

Magnesium chloride is a good product.

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On vacation.

That's a pretty weird generalization. Though I'm reasonably sure I could benefit from magnesium supplementation, I have zero interest in chocolate. I only started this post with the original question because some girlfriends were talking about chocolate a few weeks ago and it fascinated me that they could be so in love with something I almost never think about, which they conclude makes me an alien. Only a few of them have enough symptoms of magnesium deficiency to qualify them for your assertion. Plus, it's a lot more plausible that the sugar, feel-good theobromine, and caffeine are their goals, in that order.



I found an article with a ton of references that mentions mag chloride as a good inorganic form. I'm going to try to find an organic one, though. (See the very bottom of the following article link.) Thank you for reminding me to add that to my shopping list. http://intelegen.com/nutrients/magnesium.htm

Baby Herc

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Thanks for the very interesting scientific article.

I didn't know magnesium chloride was inorganic however it has worked very well for me. What is the difference between organic and inorganic? As it functions in the body?

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Since my last post above, I reduced my calcium intake and greatly increased my magnesium intake and, boy, did it make a difference! I had a slew of seemingly unrelated symptoms that I mostly blamed myself for and every single one of them has either improved noticeably or disappeared completely--after just a few days! As things balance out over time and my mag levels equalize in a less-stressed, happier body, I expect 100% improvement. I placed stars before the symptoms that were severe for me before I upped my mag levels.

*Chronic fatigue, weakness and exhaustion -- almost gone
*Excessive noise and pain sensitivity -- somewhat reduced
*Photophobia (light sensitivity) -- noticeably reduced
*Hypertension -- almost gone
*Edema, pitting oedema -- almost gone
Headaches -- gone
*Trouble breathing deeply -- gone
*Irritability, nervousness, anxiety --almost gone
*Depression and apathy --gone
*Deep muscle spasms, cramps -- almost gone
*Difficulty with memory and concentration --gone
Insomnia --greatly improved
Loose skin - greatly improved
Chronic constipation -- gone
*Chronic excessive muscle tension -- almost gone
Confusion and disorientation -- gone
*Hypoglycemia --almost gone
*Junk food cravings -- gone
*Weight gain --gone
*Insufficient nutrient absorption -- gone
*Adrenal fatigue & salt cravings --almost gone
Sugar cravings -- gone
*Hypothyroidism --gone
Thymus problems -- noticeably improved
Weak immune system - gone
Emotional instability/overreaction -- greatly improved
Irregular or rapid heartbeat -- gone
Menstrual cramps --almost gone

I recommend the book "Transdermal Magnesium Therapy," by Mark Sircus. I'm looking forward to using transdermal mag soon but in the meantime, I'm pretty happy with the results I've gotten with just vitamin supplements. Last night, for the first time in memory, I got home late after a long day of hiking and driving and I actually felt calm and serene instead of being stressed out physically and mentally to the point of illness. I can definitely get used to THIS!

Baby Herc, so relieved

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Fascinating! And the cocoa? Does it still make you fall asleep? = )

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That's a good question. I don't know for sure since I haven't had any lately. If I come across some, I'll do an experiment and let you know.

Baby Herc

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Awesome! I look forward to it!

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Nope. Had a handful of chocolate candy right in the middle of the day and the only effect it had on me was a sugar buzz, not unlike eating a banana. Actually, I don't like sugar much anymore, even bananas. Now that I'm absorbing everything I'm eating completely, I'm no longer drawn to extremes like salt, sugar, caffeine, alcohol, fat, etc. It's such a relief no to have to worry about food anymore!

Baby Herc

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You're welcome.

Mark Sircus sells magnesium chloride. I'm confused about this whole inorganic vs organic. Sites say that we can't convert inorganic minerals to organic ones, only plants can however people are cured from taking magnesium chloride.

Maybe beforewisdom should put a sticky in the nutrition section about the importance of magnesium?

What form of magnesium did you end up buying?

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On vacation.

Actually, I'd been researching magnesium for about a month before this. But I won't tell anybody.


I'm starting with a blend of different forms and I'll go from there. I've heard from multiple sources that glycinate is the best absorbed and oxide is the least but in the end, if it works for you, it works. I just prefer to save money by spending it on the sources I absorb most completely and since things tend to occur in a variety in nature, I'm going to give my body a buffet and let it choose as it needs.


I now take a 1:1 cal-mag ratio supplement in split doses that offers the calcium in hydroxyapatite, citrate, alpha-glutarate, aspartate, and lysinate and the mag in oxide, citrate, alpha-ketoglutarate, aspartate, and taurinate. I also take an ultra-mag containing magnesium citrate, taurinate, malate, glycinate, and succinate throughout the day as needed. I've started storing it in my purse like mints. I thought about investing in some magnesium oil spray for the transdermal thing but I did a little poking around online and I am discouraged by the fact that it must be left on the skin for 20 minutes, then leaves behind a flaky white residue that must be washed off (it is a salt, after all). I need around 1000mg a day as a baseline and it takes several sprays just to get 100 mg! Plus, nobody seems to carry it in town--not New Seasons, not Whole Foods, not specialty stores, nobody. So much for convenience.

Baby Herc

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I had another opportunity to test the chocolate theory: Crio Brü. http://www.criobru.com/ It's a brewed beverage just like coffee except that it's made from cacao beans instead of coffee beans. I learned that the theobromine (very similar to caffeine) in cacao has a MUCH longer half life in my body: I drank Crio Brü at ten in the morning and couldn't get to sleep that night! Caffeine, by contrast, wears off predictably for me in about five hours. So, if you love a good chocolate buzz but want to try it without the sugar, give Crio Brü a try. Just drink it early in the day.

Baby Herc

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You went well into the details, which I like!

Thank you Baby Herc.

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On vacation.