Nutrition Video Series: Magnesium

In this week's video, I talked about the importance of magnesium! 

• Magnesium is a mineral involved in more than 300 essential metabolic reactions - such as energy production, protein formation, muscle contraction & relaxation, DNA repair, and nervous system regulation. Magnesium plays a crucial role in brain function and mood, heart health by regulating blood pressure, and even helps to prevent migraines. 50-60% of magnesium is stored in bone, so low levels could affect bone loss and overall bone health.
• Magnesium helps to regulate your muscle and nerve function, which is important for muscle contraction. Low levels may boost the excitability of your nerve endings, causing your muscles to twitch, spasm, or cramp (and yes, cause that ‘charley horse’ cramp in the middle of the night!)
• Magnesium is found naturally in almonds, cashews, spinach, pumpkin seeds, peanut butter, avocado, whole grains, and legumes. Just one ounce of almonds (~23 almonds) provides nearly 20% of your daily needs.
• Studies suggest 50% of people in the US aren’t meeting the recommended daily amount. Men should be getting 400-420 mg per day, and 310-320 mg for women. If looking to take a supplement, magnesium chelate or citrate are good options. Just make sure to check with your doctor as magnesium supplements could interfere with some medications.
• Athletes may require additional magnesium to accommodate losses in sweat. (Athletes training longer than 3 hours should replace 20-30 mg of magnesium per 8-12 oz. fluid)

The below video is taken from my instagram, which you can follow here.