Magnesium is a mineral required for over 300 reactions in your body. It plays a role in some very important physiological functions: sleep, cellular health, metabolism, energy production, heart health – just to name a few!
Metabolism for example, is the breaking down of food for energy. Magnesium specifically is required for the metabolism of carbohydrates and fat. It also helps produce Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) which is a compound that helps fuel our metabolic processes, and is basically known as our “energy currency.”
So this means that in order for this energy currency to be active in your body, it has to bind to magnesium ions. If you are deficient in magnesium (which so many people are), you aren’t generating enough energy, this slows down your metabolism as well as all the other reactions. Unfortunately, magnesium is one of the most common deficiencies in our society due to a number of factors from a decrease in food crop quality to medications to the overconsumption of processed foods.
When it comes to regulating blood sugar (which we are all about around here!), studies show that magnesium helps to increase insulin sensitivity. For optimal metabolic health, you want your cells to be sensitive to insulin. Otherwise, your cells won’t respond to it as quickly and your pancreas will get the signal that it needs to keep producing it. This leads to issues such as pre-diabetes, type 2 diabetes, and obesity.
Research reports that the daily recommended intake for magnesium is 310-420 mg per day. Aside from taking a supplement (we also love Calm before bed), foods rich in this crucial mineral include green leafy vegetables, nuts and seeds (particularly pumpkin seeds), and cacao. (find a longer list through the Cleveland Clinic).
You know we are big fans of nuts, seeds, and cacao!
