Supplements - what should you be taking

People ask me what supplements I take and to be honest it varies from time to time but one I always take is magnesium. For me it's primarily to aid a restful sleep but there are numerous reasons why people should take it.

• Craving junk food and overeating can occur simply because the body is starved of nutrients like magnesium that are missing from processed foods.

• Magnesium helps the body digest, absorb and utilise proteins, fats and carbohydrates.

• Serotonin (feel good brain chemical) depends on magnesium for its production and function.

• Magnesium supports our adrenal glands, which are overworked by stress.

• ADHD, autism, juvenile delinquency and childhood depression are associated with magnesium deficiency.

• Magnesium relaxes head and neck tension, thus reducing migraine pain and it also relaxes skeletal muscle which helps us get a good nights restful sleep.

• Magnesium reduces lactic acid which causes post-exercise pain.

• Magnesium protects the brain from the toxic effects of chemicals such as food additives.

• Magnesium prevents muscle spasms of the peripheral blood vessels, which can lead to high blood pressure and, heart blood vessels, which can lead to a heart attack.

• Abdominal obesity is related to magnesium deficiency and an inability to properly utilise insulin.

• Diabetics need more, and lose more magnesium than most people.

• Magnesium is a safe and effective treatment for PMS and PMS headaches.

• Magnesium deficiency is common in chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia sufferers.

• Asthma sufferers generally have low magnesium levels and yet many of the drugs used to treat asthma cause a loss of magnesium, making symptoms worse.

We need to take a magnesium supplement as modern farming methods and the use of chemicals in farming has led to the degradation of soil quality and poor mineral content in the soil in which foods are grown. Because of this, we don’t get enough through our diet alone.