When your muscles tense up and you are unable to let them relax, you have muscular cramps. Despite being painful, you can typically treat them yourself. Common causes include menstruation, exercise, and dehydration. Stretching or massaging your muscles and eating enough of the essential elements potassium, salt, calcium, and magnesium are two ways to prevent cramps. The following foods contain electrolytes, which are what they are known as.
Bananas
You are undoubtedly already aware of how high potassium bananas are. You'll also receive calcium and magnesium, though. Under that yellow peel, you'll find three of the four nutrients you need to relieve muscle cramps. No wonder bananas are a common and effective option for reducing cramps.
Lentils and beans
Magnesium is abundant in legumes like beans and lentils. About 71 milligrammes of magnesium are present in one cup of cooked lentils, while 120 milligrammes are present in one cup of cooked black beans. Additionally, they contain a lot of fibre, and studies have shown that fibre-rich foods can help manage blood sugar, lower levels of "bad" LDL cholesterol, and ease period cramps.
Melons
These fruits are loaded with potassium, a healthy serving of calcium and magnesium, a negligible amount of sodium, and a tonne of water. Because your body excretes sodium through perspiration while you exercise, sodium and water are essential. You could get muscle cramps and dehydration if you lose too much water.
Sweet potatoes
Sweet potatoes provide you with potassium, calcium, and magnesium just like bananas do. Because sweet potatoes have roughly six times as much calcium as bananas, they win. Regular potatoes and even pumpkins are excellent suppliers of all three nutrients, so sweet potatoes aren't the only option. Additionally, because potatoes and pumpkins naturally contain a lot of water, they can also help you stay hydrated.
Pickle juice
Pickle juice is a muscular cramp cure of choice for some athletes. They think it works well because it contains a lot of sodium and water. But it's possible that's not the case. Muscle cramps may be promptly relieved by pickle juice, but they are not caused by dehydration or a lack of sodium. According to the current study, it is more likely because the pickle juice triggers a reaction in your nervous system that ends the cramp.
Salmon
Sometimes, insufficient blood supply causes muscle cramping. Oily fish, such as salmon, can assist to enhance it. Additionally, a 3-ounce serving of cooked salmon provides 52 milligrammes of salt and 326 milligrammes of potassium, which can relieve muscle cramps. Not a fan of salmon? Try trout or sardines as well.