5 best foods for easing muscle cramps

Who has not had the experience of either drifting off to sleep or being rudely woken up without warning by intensely painful, tight cramps in our calf or hamstring muscle?  These muscle cramps, aka “charley horses” particularly when experienced in the calf muscle, are muscle spasms caused by involuntary contractions of one or more muscles. As painful as muscle cramps can be, one way to stop them while happening is to stand up, walk around and stretch or massage the muscle being affected.

Muscle cramps are usually associated with strenuous exercise but more likely they may also be triggered by one of the following:

·      Poor circulation in your legs

·      Not stretching enough

·      Being active in hot temperatures

·      Muscle fatigue

·      Dehydration

·      Magnesium and potassium deficiency

·      Pinched nerve in your neck or back

No one likes to experience the agony of muscle cramps.  One way to prevent them is to make sure you are eating enough key nutrients called electrolytes which include potassium, sodium, calcium, and magnesium.  Electrolytes are chemicals that form electrically charged particles (ions) in body fluids.  These ions carry the electrical energy necessary for many functions, including muscle contractions and transmission of nerve impulses. Many bodily functions depend on electrolytes including helping prevent our muscles from cramping.

Here is a list of 5 foods that can help provide the electrolytes your body needs and help minimize and prevent muscle cramping:

1.  Bananas

Everyone knows bananas are a great source of potassium (one medium bananas contains 422 milligrams) but not many know bananas also provide magnesium and calcium.  Underneath that yellow peel, bananas are always a perfect choice for relieving muscle cramps.

2. Sweet potatoes

Sweet potatoes are a very sweet deal – they also give contain potassium, calcium, and magnesium – but they have six times as much calcium as bananas. Sweet potatoes are not the only potato to depend on for electrolyte replenishment – regular potatoes and even pumpkins are good sources of all three.

3.  Avocados

Did you know 1 cup of sliced avocados contains 708 mg of potassium, even more than a sweet potato or banana?  As an electrolyte, potassium helps your muscles work and keeps your heart healthy. To work in more avocado swap out mayo on a sandwich with mashed avocado or add a few slices to your salad.

4.  Beans and lentils

If you’re looking for magnesium, you’ll find it in beans and lentils. One cup of cooked lentils has 70 mg of magnesium and one cup of cooked black beans has around 120 mg. Beans and lentils potassium levels are also impressive.  One cup of kidney beans provided 717 mg of potassium while a cup of black beans has a whopping 800 mg of the same mineral.

5. Melons

If you want a food that has it all, choose melons.  Watermelon, cantaloupe, or honeydew melons are loaded with potassium and magnesium.  Each is water-packed to boot making melons your go-to food for preventing muscle cramps. Melons also contain a little sodium which is key for exercising.  When sweating during a workout, your body flushes out sodium with your sweat.  If you lose too much water, you will get dehydrated and muscle cramps may happen.  A good trick to preventing that is to eat a cup of cubed melon after a workout.