Benefits of magnesium

Magnesium, is an interesting word. It sounds like something that attracts things - or maybe I'm thinking about a magnet. But in a weird way, it does! Magnesium attracts good health.

Magnesium is one of the seven essential macro minerals that are very important for a healthy body. The others are: calcium, phosphorus, sodium, potassium, chloride, and sulphur. They are essential because the body needs these minerals in large quantities in order to optimise its performance.

It is important to have healthy magnesium levels in our body. Magnesium is essential for metabolic health, for keeping stress in check, to stabilise our moods, to promote better sleep, and to ensure healthy bone and heart health. It is required for over 300 biochemical responses in the body.

Low magnesium levels in the body may lead to osteoporosis, high blood pressure, high levels of "bad" cholesterol called low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, low levels of "good" cholesterol called high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, heart valve disease (mitral valve prolapse), metabolic syndrome, clogged arteries (coronary artery disease), heart disease, diabetes, and stroke. 

Here are the benefits of magnesium for your health:

Better heart health

Magnesium plays an important role in keeping our arteries “clog free”. It helps retain the integrity of our heart muscles and helps reduce the risk of hypertension and atherosclerosis by “relaxing” the smooth muscle cells in our veins and arteries for smoother blood flow. It keeps calcium out of tissues like blood vessels and supports its transport to our bones.

Better mineral absorption

Magnesium helps facilitate the absorption of vitamins and minerals like those essential macro nutrients such as calcium, potassium, phosphorus, and sodium.

Better bone health

Magnesium is essential for bone formation and increases bone mineral density. It reduces the risk of osteoporosis in elderly women.

Better sleep

Magnesium relaxes your muscles and calms the nerves by regulating neurotransmitters in the brain, thus helping you get a good night’s sleep.

Better energy levels

Magnesium can help increase energy production and have been known to increase exercise performance by encouraging enzyme activation to create cellular energy.

Now that you know just how important magnesium is for you over-all health, here’s the thing… Our body does not produce magnesium. Magnesium must come from outside sources, mainly, from the food we eat. We can get it from green leafy vegetables like kale and spinach, from fruits such as bananas, figs, and avocados, from legumes such as kidney beans and chickpeas, and from seafood such as salmon and tuna. We can also augment our magnesium intake by taking food supplements such as Vanilla Happy or Green Goddess - both wonderful products that are natural and packed full of magnesium.