…And the award for best supporting mineral for your health and well-being goes to…Magnesium. Though calcium and sodium often get nutrition’s starring roles, the healthiest and most beneficial foods across the globe would be nothing without magnesium. Green leafy vegetables, nuts and seeds, and legumes are ripe with it and the mineral is key to the human body’s metabolism.
Unfortunately, the American diet is ripe with processed foods and otherwise poor nutrition. The average intake of magnesium is 100-125 milligrams less than the recommended Daily Value (DV). Researchers are now finding more and more links between chronic illness and deficiency this essential nutrient.
According to research, a lack of magnesium leads to a lack of health support in the following ways:
· Since at least half of magnesium is stored in the bones, magnesium deficiency can lead to significant bone loss.
· Energy production in the cells depends on chemical reactions enabled by magnesium. A lack of magnesium can lead to chronic fatigue.
· Magnesium is essential to brain receptors and the nervous system. Low magnesium can increase the risk of depression.
· Unwanted inflammation is linked to low levels of magnesium. Constant low-grade inflammation leads to obesity, diabetes, and cardiac disease.
It is crucial that Americans amend their dietary intake and assure proper levels of magnesium. It is equally important to know which foods are rich in magnesium, how to prepare them, and to beware of deficiency, toxicity, and interactivity with other nutrients. Researchers at Tufts University suggest that older adults, especially, be counseled about the importance of eating green vegetables, legumes, and whole grains as sources of magnesium as high blood sugar and medications exacerbate the situation.
Spinach, summer squash, pumpkin seeds, and turnip green are listed as “very good” sources of magnesium and require little steaming, cooking, or preparation to receive to the full benefit. Also, high levels of magnesium can be found in healthy, easily stored foods like other legumes, nuts, and seeds that mean food storage and stability is not typically a concern.
Read the full article here: Magnesium
