Mama to Many (TN) on 03/15/2022:

My husband is on his feet a lot at work and is prone to leg cramps at night.

It used to be that if he made sure to have a banana in the evening, he wouldn't get leg cramps.

However, since he started on a plant based diet last summer, we know that his potassium level is actually a little high. (Probably from so many bananas and lentils.) The doctor isn't concerned about the level, but I don't think potassium deficiency is his problem.

I started giving him magnesium before bed. This reduced the cramps at night but did not eliminate them.

Ahah! Suddenly the pieces fit. Plant based diet. No dairy. He is lacking calcium. He started taking a couple of Tums before bed. Voila! Leg cramps stopped.

I ordered some NOW Calcium citrate since Tums is just Calcium carbonate and not the best form of calcium, as far as I understand. The NOW Calcium also has magnesium, D, zinc and manganese. He took them last night and they worked but they are pretty big pills to swallow....

~Mama to Many~