Magnesium is a critical mineral that is responsible for over 300 enzyme reactions and is found in your tissues, bones, muscles, and brain.
You can also think of magnesium as the relaxation mineral. It is an antidote to stress, the most powerful relaxation mineral available, and it can help improve your sleep.
You must have magnesium for your cells to make energy, for many different chemical pumps to work, to stabilize membranes, and to help muscles relax (think recovery).
The reason many of us are found deficient in what I like to call, a “macro-mineral”. In fully disclose I did not come up with that term. I heard it on one of Dr. Mark Hyman’s podcast and that is what encouraged me to really dive into how important magnesium is.
We simply do not consume enough foods that are high in magnesium. Many people eat a diet consisting of highly processed and refined foods. Foods such as bleached flour, processed meat, and dairy contain a minimal amount of magnesium.
If you find that you are not getting enough sleep, have sore joints and muscles, even if you are in a bad mood, it could be a sign that you are deficient in magnesium.
To help improve your magnesium intake, try to include some of the following foods in your diet as often as you can:
Leafy greens and sea veggies such as kelp, dandelion greens, dulse, and collard. Nuts are a wonderful choice such as Brazil nuts, walnuts, pecans, and cashews. I wish peanuts were a choice but unfortunate, they are not. Add in some garlic, figs, brown rice, beans, and avocado and you have a great start.
The most absorbable forms are magnesium citrate, glycinate, taurate, or aspartate. To properly absorb magnesium we need a lot of it in our diet, plus enough vitamin B6, vitamin D, and selenium to get the full benefits of this “macro-mineral”.
Try to avoid taking magnesium carbonate, sulfate, gluconate, and oxide. They are poorly absorbed and the cheapest and most common forms found in supplements on the market.
