Review of Viva Labs Magnesium, 240 tablets

Viva Labs Magnesium is not the first magnesium supplement I've tried. I've been supplementing with magnesium for a long time, because inadequate magnesium is responsible for a long list of maladies. But I don't supplement daily and don't usually take the full dose. Here are my reasons why, and if one or more does not apply to you, then you need more magnesium than I do:

• It's already in the multivitamin I take. Not in a large amount, but it's there.
• I don't eat the inflammation, obesity, and cancer diet that most Americans prefer over real food. This diet interferes with magnesium absorption while simultaneously increasing the body's need for magnesium. Today's wheat is the main culprit, and it should be 100% excluded from your diet.
• My diet is high in high-magnesium foods. For example, I eat raw spinach several times a day.

If you are on a grain-based, rather than green-based, diet you probably have a magnesium deficiency (along with other problems, including low testosterone and, yes, that includes you ladies too). Supplementing with the recommended dosage of magnesium tablets for a few months while you get your diet straight will definitely help your body recover from your poor diet.

Since my diet already provides me with more than enough magnesium, why do I bother with a magnesium supplement? Because magnesium is such an important nutrient that I want to ensure against a deficiency.

For the most part, minerals have become commoditized. So it's difficult to point out how one brand compares to another. But let me try to do that.

I like to evaluate supplements on several metrics:

• Product packaging. I lean toward simply returning something that requires the Jaws of Life to open. I do not buy something with the goal of never opening the package it comes in. Viva does put a plastic seal on its cap. It does require more than a fingernail to peel back, so maybe not the most points there. But, wait. Simply giving the cap a good twist will also remove the seal. Opens without a problem. This leads to the inner seal. Some companies us a toxic aluminum foil seal that will invariably leave particles of this toxic metal on the contents; I once bought a jar of coconut oil with such a seal and was aghast at the stupidity of the manufacturer. This seal is one with the built-in tab, and it is easily removed.
   
• Capsule/tablet quality. I've seen capsules that fall apart and capsules that are in bits. This is bad. I poured these out and did not find one broken tablet. Yay!
   
• Nausea effect. Well, magnesium capsules won't give you nausea. So this inherently passes that test.
   
• Sugar coating. Some supplement makers put a sugar coating or other unhealthy coating on their products. No such problem here.
   
• Dosage. This is where you really need to worry. I've seen preworkout supplements with megadoses of B vitamins (these do nothing for improving your workout) and such high doses do tax your system. With minerals, you need to be careful to stay below the toxicity levels. Two of these tablets will give you 50% of the RDA. So, it's a safe dosage.

If you are on the typical American diet, you need to replace grain with green. This is a foundational step in personal health care. During the transition phase, while your body is detoxing and nutrient absorption is probably encumbered, add a magnesium supplement to your program. This looks like a good one, to me.

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