Reduced magnesium intake
Since the body cannot produce magnesium on its own, we need to obtain it from food. The German Nutrition Society (DGE) recommends a daily intake of 300 to 350 mg of magnesium for adults, depending on gender.
But even if we eat a healthy and balanced diet, it is not always possible to meet our magnesium requirements through food alone. Due to pollution and industrial processing, many of the foods we eat contain less magnesium than before. The way we prepare our food also plays a role. For example, when vegetables are boiled, some of the magnesium remains in the cooking water. If the water is then discarded, the magnesium is lost. Then there are certain magnesium-rich foods, such as seeds and sprouts, that we don't consume very often, and others, like chocolate and nuts, that we tend to avoid because they are high in calories.
To meet our daily magnesium requirement of 300 mg, we would have to eat 8 bananas every day!
See how much magnesium is found in different foods here.
