I have often heard people say they are trying to get more magnesium into their diet for muscle recovery as well as to help sleep better, so I was instantly interested when reading a recent blog post under the title The Power of Magnesium by Australian dietitian Susie Burrell.
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With so many people leading such busy lives these days, nutrition can easily fall by the way side. It can happen this time of year particularly, as we head towards the festive season and the endless string of Christmas catch-ups.
Ensuring your body is getting good nutrition and is fuelled right is also important if you are training or playing sports.
Burrell stressed the importance of magnesium as a key mineral for its role in muscle contraction and recovery in active individuals and suggested looking for foods rich in the mineral magnesium for those looking to make healthier and more beneficial sport-fuel choices.
To delve further I sent her the following questions and Burrell's answers might be of benefit to others as well.
Q: What does magnesium do for the body and why is it so important in our diets?
A: Found in the bone, muscles and blood, the mineral magnesium is involved in more than 600 cellular reactions in the body including the relaxation and contraction of muscles, the regulation of neurotransmitters that play key roles in mood regulation and in energy and protein metabolism. As magnesium has so many roles in the body we need relatively large amounts in our diets every day to ensure we have optimal amounts to keep the body working at its best.
Q: What are the signs you may not be getting enough magnesium in your diet?
A: The signs may be subtle, but leg cramps or muscle soreness may suggest your diet would benefit from getting more magnesium in the diet.
Q: Who can benefit from the addition of magnesium-rich foods in their diet?
A: Every person needs plenty of fresh food in their diets every day to get adequate magnesium but, as magnesium is so intricately involved in muscle cell contraction and recovery, it is estimated that active people require 10-20 per cent more magnesium than less active people.
Q: What are the top magnesium-rich foods and how much magnesium should an average person be having each day?
A: Specifically, it is plant-based foods including pepitas, leafy green, legumes, nuts, seeds as well as oily fish, such as Tassal salmon that contain the highest amounts of magnesium, with each of these foods offering 10-30 per cent of the recommended daily intake of magnesium. Involved in so many functions, the body requires between 300-400mg of magnesium (for adults) daily and while magnesium is found in many foods they are not necessarily foods busy people reach for each and every day.
Q: What are a couple of easy ways to get some magnesium into your diet through food?
A: A few simple daily diet habits include grabbing a handful of nuts and seeds as a snack, basing one of your meals each day around salad or vegetables and including a magnesium-rich serve of Tassal salmon at least every second day will help to tick the box on an adults daily requirement of magnesium.
Renee Valentine is a journalist, qualified personal trainer and mother of three.
r.valentine@austcommunitymedia.com.au