Magnesium is a mineral which is essential for the functioning of your body. It is found in muscles and soft tissues like the heart and the extra is stored in bones and teeth (which also keeps them strong, and keeps calcium in proper balance). Magnesium is involved in hundreds of roles, including energy production, nutrient metabolism, producing DNA, regulating blood sugar, balancing mood, relaxing the body and mind, controlling electrical charges across muscles and nerves and over six hundred enzyme reactions. It also acts as an electrolyte, keeping pH levels balanced and water flowing across cell membranes. Sounds pretty important, indeed!

Like mentioned, magnesium is essential which means we don’t make it, but need to intake it from our diet or supplements. Magnesium is rich in plant foods, especially those high in chlorophyll. Chlorophyll, the substance that gives plants their green-ness, is essentially ‘plant blood’ and is high in magnesium. Seaweeds, dark leafy vegetables, fruits and veg, nuts, seeds, legumes and whole grains are all great sources. But magnesium is one of the most common nutrient deficiencies – over 35% of Canadians aren’t getting the estimated average requirement of magnesium from their diet. This is due to a lack of whole, fresh foods in the diet, along with other factors like poor digestion, taking certain medications, the intake of caffeine, alcohol, sugar and cigarettes, and a lack of magnesium in the soil due to nutrient-depleting farming practices. This leaves our body low in the mineral that is involved in so many vital jobs. No wonder we’re not feeling optimal!

Many of the functions listed above involve magnesium’s role in relaxing various systems in the body. Think of something stressful – everything gets tense, right? Well it’s magnesium that allows all those cells and tissues to relax. This goes for your muscles and heart, as well as digestive tract and nervous system. These areas are supposed to get tense when you are in danger, to allow you to run away or fight. But because we’ve added so many more stresses to the plate, and get stressed over so many things that are less than life-threatening, modern-day humans are staying in their fight/flight/freeze mode of their nervous system more often. This leads to a higher overall need for magnesium. Less going in, more required. We might be in trouble!