Did you know that magnesium helps produce serotonin, your brain’s ‘feel-good’ chemical?
And did you know that chocolate contains lots of magnesium?
Which could explain why we often crave chocolate when we’re feeling low, anxious or stressed. The more stressed you are, the more of your magnesium supply your body uses up as it supports your adrenal glands. Stressed spelled backwards is Desserts after all. So don’t feel bad reaching for some chocolate.
But Wait! Not just any old chocolate will do. It needs to be high cacao content dark chocolate. Sadly I’m not really a fan of that.
I’d rather have something a touch sweeter and more satisfying. I’m not normally a fan of smoothies either, but I found a delicious recipe created by Natalie Brady, a holistic nutritionist in New Zealand, which is great for satisfying my chocolate cravings, without leaving me feeling like I need something else to fill me up.
It contains a bunch of healthy fats, some protein and carbs, so it keeps your blood sugar levels stable. This is important for me (and my family and colleagues, because my Hanger isn’t pleasant to experience!). The spinach, avocado, banana, cacao and maca are rich in magnesium and other minerals and, actually … you should just click through to Natalie's recipe, have a quick read and give it a go. What’s also great about it is that it doesn’t matter if you don’t have one or two of the ingredients, or if you sub them for something else.
As long as you’re not subbing the spinach for an entire bar of Dairy Milk!
Some other foods that are high in magnesium are:
Dark green vegetables
Pumpkin seeds
Nuts such as almonds and cashews
Legumes such as lentils, black beans and chickpeas
On the flip side, some things that we eat and drink actually deplete our magnesium supplies, for example:
Caffeine in coffee and tea
Alcohol and fizzy drinks
Processed and sugary foods
Now, I do love a cuppa. I'm British - a cup of tea solves all problems. And a glass of wine with dinner gives me that happy vibe that I’m holidaying in France or Italy. At a time when the global health situation means I’ve no idea if I’ll ever be able to experience that for real! I don’t want to feel deprived by cutting them out. So I make sure I top up my magnesium daily with SO Mg magnesium oil spray as well as trying to eat more magnesium-rich foods.
Check out Natalie’s recipe. And please do let me know if you’ve got a tasty way of getting extra nuts, seeds and legumes into your diet. I’m always looking for new ideas to try out on me and the kids!