The Magnesium Effect

So magnesium is kind of a big deal. For some reason, I never considered magnesium to be important—you hear a lot about sodium, potassium, calcium, and iron, but magnesium is hardly ever brought up. Which is crazy! Why? Because magnesium is one of the most abundant minerals in the body—again, I echo: magnesium is kind of a big deal.

Without magnesium, over 300 chemical reactions throughout the body wouldn’t be able to take place. Considering that the body is constantly and consistently producing chemical reactions from the second you become a zygote (the moment conception occurs) until the second you die, having 300 of those reactions ‘missing’ would be a big deal. Most of the reactions magnesium is involved in regulate your metabolism. Hmmm. Metabolism. Does that sound familiar? I hope so because...B-VITAMINS! Yes, the rumors are true; magnesium and the B-vitamins are best buddies. If you look closely at magnesium and/or B-vitamin supplements, you will notice that these supplements are often one and the same. Most magnesium supplements contain some B-vitamins, and most B-vitamin supplements contain some magnesium.

Besides metabolism, magnesium also aids in regulation of blood glucose levels, production of protein, and strengthening bones. Like always, these functions are really complicated and boring to talk about (and, in all honesty, I have no idea how these reactions happen…I just know that magnesium is a necessary component). Maybe one of these days I will be able to take a class on how all of these things actually happen. I might be the only one that would ever be interested in a class like this...now that would be a very specialized and individual education.

Anyways, now that I have probably scared you all about how important magnesium is, I should probably tell you how to make sure you get enough of it. Thankfully, magnesium is present in many different foods, but the most common foods are leafy green vegetables, whole grains, and tap water.

However, here is a small tangent about tap water…drink it. Please drink it. Unless official organizations have told you the tap water is unsafe to drink, you should drink it. Some essential minerals are present in tap water, but aren’t adequately present in foods we typically eat. Tap water is an easy way to get a lot of minerals, namely: calcium, sodium, magnesium, selenium, potassium, and silica. Long story short, you can get a lot from your tap water…so drink up :)