Magnesium Health Watch

Fortunately for vegetarians, many vegetables contain high levels of minerals, particularly magnesium.  But this doesn’t mean that vegetarians shouldn’t be aware of magnesium deficiency, a condition which affects millions of Americans. This article at Savvy Vegetarian discusses the importance of magnesium as part of a vegetarian diet.  It also provides some interesting information on mineral content in drinking water.

“Health conscious vegetarians are often inclined to drink lots of water, and herbal teas*, made with water. They are generally concerned with the quality of drinking water, as are sensible people everywhere. That may lead to the use of distilled or Reverse Osmosis treated water, both of which strip all minerals from the water. The mineral deficient water that you drink, or cook with, pulls minerals from your food and your body, instead of adding them.”

Magnesium An Important Nutrient for Vegetarian Health.

This fascinating article discusses how changes in the way we obtain our drinking water have contributed to widespread magnesium deficiency.  Historically, when our communities’ water came from rivers and streams, there was naturally a higher mineral content.   Today’s local water purification techniques remove not only impurities but the minerals we need.  Furthermore, concerned about the health benefits of tap water, many people buy bottled water instead.  Often, however, bottled water does not contain much of any magnesium.

“The upshot of all this is that we cannot rely on drinking water to provide adequate magnesium. The recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for magnesium—that is, the amount required to prevent severe deficiency—is 420 mg a day for men and 320 mg a day for women. In cities with the highest magnesium water content, only 30% of the RDA can be obtained by drinking two liters of tap water a day.4 In most cities, only a meager 10-20% of the daily requirement can be obtained. That leaves 70–90% of the daily magnesium requirement that must be obtained from other sources. Since many people’s diets are also low in magnesium, the average American ingests substantially less magnesium than the RDA.”

Magnesium Deficiency: Is Your Bottled Water Killing You? – Life Extension.