Muscle cramps can bring your daily activity to a halt -- the constant contractions cause pain and soreness. Also known as a charley horse, muscle cramping may be eased by careful stretching or muscle relaxants, although you can make changes to your diet to help avoid or treat this condition. Always speak to your physician if the muscle cramping is severe.
Calcium
You may need more calcium in your diet if you suffer from muscle cramps, which makes yogurt a good choice for treating this problem. An 8 oz. serving of nonfat fruit yogurt contains 372 mg of calcium. Adults require 1,000 mg of this bone-strengthening and muscle cramp-relieving mineral each day, although your needs change as you get older -- increase your intake to 1,200 mg after the age of 51.
Potassium
The potassium in your diet helps ensure your muscles contract as they should; without enough of this mineral in your diet you may develop hypokalemia -- a symptom of this condition is muscle cramping. Yogurt is a good source of potassium to help ward off hypokalemia. An 8-oz. serving of this dairy product contains 475 mg of the mineral, and your body needs 2,000 mg per day to avoid muscle cramps.
B Vitamins
MayoClinic.com indicates that taking B vitamins may help relieve muscle cramps, and yogurt is a good option for getting this nutrition. An 8-oz. serving contains 0.4 mg of riboflavin, 1.1 mcg of vitamin B-12 and 0.09 mg of thiamin; consume 1.1 to 1.3 mg, 2.4 mcg and 1.1 to 1.2 mg, respectively. You also get lesser amounts of niacin, folate and vitamin B-6, all of which may help ease muscle cramping.
Magnesium
The magnesium available in yogurt helps control muscle contraction, and not getting enough of this mineral in your diet can trigger uncontrolled contractions and cramping. You need 310 to 320 mg of magnesium if you are a woman and 400 to 420 mg daily if you are a man. An 8-oz. portion of yogurt provides 37 mg of this mineral, so include yogurt in your diet to help avoid muscle cramps.
References
- Acu-Cell Disorders: Muscle Spasms/Cramps: Nutritional Causes, Prevention & Therapies
- USDA National Nutrient Database: Yogurt, Fruit Variety, Nonfat
- University of Maryland Medical Center; Calcium; March 2009
- University of Maryland Medical Center; Potassium; May 2009
- MayoClinic.com; Muscle Cramp; July 2010
- University of Maryland Medical Center; Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin); June 2009
