If you have been anywhere near a television over the past forty years, then chances are you have seen commercials, infomercials and health news segments all touting the importance of vitamin and mineral supplements. According to these adverts, people are simply not getting enough vitamins and minerals from their everyday lives. The ways that people traditionally receive the vitamins and minerals they need into their bodies include eating fruits and leafy green vegetables, eating other healthy, vitamin-filled foods, and getting plenty of outside time in the sunlight. We have all seen multivitamins and heard about the plethora of vitamins and minerals we need in our diets. One of those vitamins and minerals is magnesium, and a great way to get the magnesium you need in your diet is through taking magnesium supplements.
So what is magnesium anyway and why is it so important to your body? Well, magnesium is vitally important because it is a mineral that is needed by every single cell in your entire body. Magnesium helps your body maintain very important processes, such as its normal muscle and nerve function. It also helps keep your heart rhythm steady and your bones strong. Finally, magnesium is involved in the process of metabolizing energy and synthesizing proteins within your body.
So why are magnesium supplements vital to your body’s health? Aside from the above reasons regarding how beneficial magnesium is to the body, magnesium is stored in many places in your body, but is only found in about 1 percent of your blood. Magnesium supplements help your body to keep that constant 1 percent of magnesium in your blood at all times. If that is not maintained, all sorts of problems can occur with your heart, your bones, your muscles, your nerves and your metabolism. Magnesium is found in other places in the body, including your body tissues and organs, and combined with the calcium and phosphorous that is found in your bones. All in all, magnesium is a very important little mineral, necessary for over 300 vita biochemical reactions in your body, and it is one mineral that you should strive to keep in abundant supply within your body by taking magnesium supplements.
So where would you normally find magnesium outside of magnesium supplements? Foods such as leafy green vegetables (spinach, broccoli, etc.) providing magnesium to your body. Seeds (such as sunflower seeds), nuts (such as almonds), and some whole grains are also good sources of magnesium for your body. The problem with trying to get your daily dose of magnesium from foods instead of from magnesium supplements is that magnesium is generally found in extremely small amounts within most foods. The daily dose of magnesium simply cannot be met by eating a single food. To get all the magnesium you need, you need to be sure to eat all five of your fruit and vegetable servings per day as well as a plethora of whole grains. Further, refined foods will barely help you with your magnesium consumption, so it is best to get your magnesium from whole foods.
If you are concerned that you are unable to eat all the leafy green vegetables and nuts that you need to keep up your daily dose of magnesium, you can simply take a magnesium supplement. Magnesium supplements are found in most grocery stores and in general nutrition store and are, of course, sold right over the country. If you do plan to start a new vitamin and mineral regime, such as a multivitamin, be sure to consult with your primary care physician first. Changing the composition of your diet can have unknown side effects, especially if you fall into a highly vulnerable group such as the elderly or chronically ill.
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